Escaping Winter

Yep, that's what I'm doing...escaping winter. Saturday I will be leaving wet, cold Korea for warm, sunny Vietnam! We have next week off school for Lunar New Year, so 6 friends and I will be heading to Ho Chi Minh City as well as to Moi Ne beach until Saturday the 20th. I'm so ready for a break. Swimming has started up and after having to make some cuts (I hate cutting people!), the team has been named and practice has begun regularly. We have our first meet the Saturday after break and then the season will be in full force.

Last weekend I kept busy at 30 Hour Famine with over 100 middle school kids at SFS. The event was great, but we didn't get much sleep. All the girls were squeezed into a gymnastics room. They went to sleep better than last year, but we didn't go to bed until about 1:00 AM. Then, about 5 in the morning 3 different cell phone alarms went off. Grr...we had collected all the TCIS students' phones. Overall, the event was a lot of fun and really eye-opening for many of our students who have always had everything they've needed or wanted.

The next month is going to be pretty crazy. 3 weeks after the Vietnam trip, Tami and Colleen are coming!!! Then, the following week we have Spring break and I will be heading to India on a mission trip. I will try to keep you all updated on my adventures. Happy Lunar New Year, all!

Movies, Meetings, and Melting Snow

The title of this post pretty much sums up life since returning from my vacay. Not too much has happened. After a strange, snowy winter here in Korea, the snow is finally beginning to melt. On Wednesday, although rainy and foggy, the temperature broke 50 degrees to melt most of the snow that had been hanging around since I returned from warm, sunny South America. There are still some icy spots, but I think winter is almost over here! Sorry to all ya'll back in Iowa where winter always seems like it'll never end.

Since it has been cold, I have been filling my time with lots of movies. Last week I watched The Road (super depressing), 500 Days of Summer (LOVED it!), Up (what a cute, chubby Korean kid!), and one of my new favorites...Avatar! Finally. I know I'm way behind on this one. My friend Anna and I went to the movie after everyone told us we had to see it. Luckily, we found a theatre showing it in 3-D and I was not disappointed. Wow...what a great movie! I will definitely be buying that one when it comes out.

Right now I am enjoying a few weeks of rest without coaching. Basketball finished last week so I don't even have any scoreboard responsibilities. I have been able to get into the pool and spend some time with friends. On Saturday I made a quick $100 administering the SAT. It was interesting because we were told to be on the lookout for these four people who take the test for other people. Fortunately, my room was uneventful, and I didn't have to deal with anything like that. This week I have been working on getting caught up with work before the swimming season starts. Last week we had a team meeting and enough people signed up that we will have to have try-outs. Yay for having a full team this year! Well, tomorrow starts a new week so I should hit the hay. 안녕이카세요!

Pictures are posted!

I have posted most of my pictures from my South America trip. Click on the links below to view them. More from Santiago will be coming; as well as some pics and video from my rafting trip. Enjoy!

Buenos Aires
Bariloche
Patagonia
Santiago (to come)

¡Me encanta Sudamerica!

You may be wondering why I haven't posted for so long, but the reason is because I have just spent three fantastic weeks on a Spanish teacher's dream vacation. For those that don't speak Spanish, the title of this post is "I love South America!" From December 19-January 10, I was busy traveling around Argentina and Chile with the two other Spanish teachers at TCIS. We had an amazing trip and did tons of cool things. No, I am not going to say everything we did. That would take days to read. Instead, I will give you the brief (well, as brief as I can be) rundown of the highlights of the trip. Then, if you want to know more about something, send me an email and I will be happy to share some of the stories of the wild things we did, the incredible people we met, and the absolutely beautiful nature we encountered. Also, be on the lookout for pictures. I will be posting them soon! Ok, here we go!

Dec 20-25: Buenos Aires--Went to a local market; biked around the city; visited La Boca, a cultural, colorful neighborhood; saw Evita Peron's grave at La Recoleta cemetery; took tango lessons; went to Christmas Eve mass; watched fireworks (and heard them all night) on Christmas Eve; saw an Argentine movie; and bought so many books and maps for our classrooms that we had to buy an extra suitcase!

Dec 26-28: Bariloche--Hiked to a beautiful waterfall; went white-water rafting to the Chilean border (and flipped on the first rapid!), ate incredible food...as we did everywhere in Argentina, but here especially; and went on a Chocolateria tour (Bariloche is known for its chocolate).

Dec 29: Ruta 40, a road that stretches from Alaska down to Ushauia, the furthest South city in the world--We took a bus for 30 hours with a five hour stop in a small small town of Perito Moreno. The trip was quite an adventure since the road was gravel and we would travel for hours without seeing a town, house, or even a car. It was an amazing adventure and we got to see a lot of Argentina!

Dec 30-Jan 2: El Chalten--Now in southern Patagonia, we went horseback riding and had a delicious lunch and wonderful afternoon talking with an Argentinian family on their farm; admired the picturesque views of the snow-capped mountains that surrounded the town; had a fancy New Year's Eve dinner and then went to a local party (El Chalten only has about 600 people and I'm pretty sure all of them, as well as all the tourists and temp workers, were there) where local bands played to celebrate the new year; hiked 26 km (15 miles) on 2 hours of sleep; trekked on a glacier and even climbed part of it using our crampons and ice picks!

Jan 2-3: El Calafate--Shopped; ate at buffet for our last meal in Argentina with good friends we had met on our travels; and visited Perito Moreno glacier, the only glacier in the area that is advancing. It advances 2 meters a day. The glacier is huge...70 meters high, 14 km long, and 5 km wide. The coolest thing was watching--and listening--to chunks of the glacier fall off. It sounded like thunder even when the smallest pieces fell off.

Jan 3: Travel day across the border to Punta Arenas--We got in pretty late so we took some pics by the Magellen Strait and then went to bed because we had to catch a 6:00 AM flight the next day.

Jan 4-8: Santiago--First thing we did...took a 5 hour nap (We had been traveling a LOT!). We also ate hot dogs with guacamole (a Chilean specialty); shopped at a market; watched a Chilean movie (super interesting about the U.S.'s part in the overthrow of Allende); took a double-decker bus tour; saw mummies at the Precolombian Art Museum; visited Pablo Neruda's house; took a day trip to Valparaiso where we rode elevators and trollies; laid on the beach at Reñaca; visited the Stock Exchange; and spent an afternoon relaxing at the gorgeous Santa Lucia park.

Jan 10: Back in Korea. After 40 hours of travel we arrived just after midnight to a snow-covered Korea...not exactly ready to start teaching again the next morning, but it was soooooo worth it!

We had an absolutely incredible trip. Our travel, though much, was smoothe. We stayed in great hostels with very friendly owners. And, not only was it a ton of fun, but we learned a lot about the culture of the countries, observed language differences, and practiced and improved our own Spanish. Plus, we met many great people everywhere we went. It was definitely an experience I will never forget!

Swimming, Grading, Service, More Grading...

Last weekend was busy, but enjoyable. On Friday after classes I helped out in the middle school dorm until about 10:30. I always like going to the dorm because it's great to see the kids in a different light. I can just hangout with them watching movies, eating, sharing music. We even had a pillow fight. haha. Middle schoolers can be crazy sometimes, but they sure are a lot of fun!

After working in dorm I unsuccessfully tried to do some grading. I had so much work to do because 3 of my classes had just turned in final reports. Writing always takes a long time to grade, and on top of that I one student hand in his paper in English, one student type paragraphs into an online translator, and two others who did not complete the report at all! [That is, until I forced them to write it on the way back from the swim meet. Luckily they were on the team! hehe] We were supposed to have everything done by Monday morning (including comments for each student). I was fairly certain I wasn't going to make that deadline so at midnight I gave up and went to bed. I awoke at 5:45 to be at the school for a 6:40 departure for the last swim meet. The swim meet was great! Not only was it exciting because we were on the base (meaning more Taco Bell and Subway!), but also because our swimmers did great! We actually won some events for the first time ever. I think everyone cut time in at least one event, and several placed in the top ten. It's so much fun to see the kids accomplish their goals. I think it's the #1 reason I enjoy coaching so much.

When I returned from the swim meet it was back to grading. Same on Sunday until 6:00 PM when I hit a wall and just had to leave my apartment. I walked to my friend Anna's and wrote more comments while we watched a movie. The social interaction and food intake gave me a burst of motivation. I finished the rest of the Spanish comments that night.

Today began Christmas Service Week at the middle school. Today, the entire school took a trip to Nuri, a disabled children's rehabilitation center. Parents send their kids to this place because they aren't able to provide the care they need at home or because they are ashamed of their children. I know it sounds awful, but it was only about 10 or so years ago that people would admit to having a disabled child. There were over 100 kids at the center with physical and mental disabilities. Most of them were autistic. Our students split into grade groups and attended information sessions about the services of the center, performing the Himelech Manuever, and the difficulty of using a wheelchair. After lunch, the kids had time to play with some of the kids at the Nuri center. I was so impressed with the TCIS students. I think it was a great experience for them. They played basketball, soccer, 조꾸 (like kick volleyball), and dodgeball with the kids, as well as danced the macarena. haha. Everyone had a great time, but the day went so fast, we all wanted to stay longer! Tomorrow service week continues by making and delivering soup to homeless people at the train station, making thank you cards for the people at Nuri, giving the high schoolers--who have a break in their finals--hot chocolate, and delivering coal to people who live in the country so they can warm their homes this winter. I hope these service activities have a great impact on our students, all of which are so privileged and don't even realize it.

Well, you probably won't be hearing from me for awhile now. I leave on Saturday morning for my Christmas holiday in South America. The two other Spanish teachers and I will be going to Buenos Aires, Bariloche, El Chalten (in Patagonia), and Santiago over the three-week trip. I'm sure I will have many stories when I return! It will be strange to be away from my family for yet another Christmas, but I have many packages from them. Plus, I have my house all decked out for the season so I'm still celebrating here. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Samsung Bluefangs

I just had to write a quick post about how I spent my evening. Lyndsey and I decided to cancel our Korean lesson again this week and instead we went to a professional volleyball match. It was awesome! I have posted a video so you can virtually experience the craziness of the game. Go Samsung! I love Korean sporting events. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know it's a bit late, but I wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. This is always the most difficult time of year to be away from home. I miss Grandma's cooking, seeing my family, and watching football. It's a holiday that holds so much tradition for American families that usually most people get down a bit this week. Luckily, I have so much to be thankful for! I had a fabulous holiday: two feasts, shopping, and many Christmas movies. 

Here at TCIS we have to work on Thanksgiving, however, on Thursday Sheila, a fellow MS teacher, cooked dinner for a few of the single teachers. The food was delicious...she is an amazing cook. I had been waiting all year for that caramel pie and it didn't disappoint me! On Friday we had a half day of school, so at noon I went home and decorated my house for Christmas. My Christmas tree and lights were up, and I was in the Christmas mood, so after cooking some strawberry banana bread (while listening to Christmas tunes), I decided to watch "The Holiday." When it finished it was time to head to Thanksgiving dinner at the school. Just like last year we had an abudance of food and I ended up coming home with almost a whole loaf of banana bread. After dinner a group of us headed to the movies to watch "A Christmas Carol" for my friend Mike's birthday.

The next morning, Saturday, I woke up early to catch a school trip to Songtan, the shopping area outside of Osan Air Base. We spent the whole day shopping, except for the stop at the Mexican restaurant for lunch. I got all my Christmas shopping done, but it was a long day...we didn't get back until around 6:00. I invited everyone to my house to eat 치켄마요 and watch some my new DVDs. We watched "Four Christmases" and "Christmas Vacation" before calling it a day. It made for the end of a very happy start to the holiday season.

Weekend fun

Despite the fact that I came down with a nasty cold on Saturday and spent all day Sunday in bed, I had a wonderful weekend. Friday night I helped with a 7th grade Thanksgiving party. We are attempting to unite each grade by doing various social events and this was the first of the year. I spent the evening playing Uno, Blackjack, Boggle, and "Piggy" (like pig in basketball, except more letters. hehe. I guess they've never heard of horse.) with a great group of middle school students.

When it finished I headed to bed because Saturday morning the swim team departed at 6:00 AM for SIS. Our first jamboree was a success; there are some really talented 6th graders this year. Others on the team have improved so much this season so it's fun to see them so proud of themselves! Overall, a great event and everyone had a good time...although it felt like I spent the day in the tropics. It had to be 90˚ in that pool!

We returned to campus around 3:30, so I headed straight down to the gym where the annual Christmas Bazaar was taking place. I bought some DVDs and books from MS STUCO (Student Council), chatted with some people, and then had intentions of resting. However, by the time I got home it was after 4 and I had made plans to meet friends for dinner at 5. I basically dropped off my things and met up with Anna and Ben for some Korean BBQ. Yum!

After dinner Anna and I got all dressed up for some fellow teacher's "Halfway to 90" b-day party. All guests were supposed to dress like they thought (or hoped) they would look like when they were 90. We raided the drama dept's costume closet and found some great pieces to wear. The party was a blast! Everyone was so into their role, the food was great--candy "pills" and many desserts since "we don't have to count calories anymore"--and the games were "age appropriate" as promised. My favorite part was that they gave everyone a sticker on their back related to a funny problem people have when they age (dentures popping out, not hearing well, wandering off, falling asleep at random, not being able to see, etc.) and we all interacted accordingly. It was a hoot!

This weekend looks to be another busy one. Although Thanksgiving isn't really celebrated here, I am having Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and Friday (Yes!). I will miss the football and parade, though. We do have school on Thursday, but we get Friday afternoon off to cook for our Friday evening feast. I am going shopping in Songtan on Saturday (in line with Black Friday in the U.S. :-D) and planning to catch the new Christmas Carol movie, too. Oh, it's time to set up my Christmas tree. I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving! There is so much to be thankful for!

Groundbreaking

It's official! Today was the  groundbreaking for the building of our new school campus out in Techno Valley, a newer part of town about 30 minutes from where we are currently located. We aren't relocating until August 2011, but all the same it was an exciting day just knowing that what we've been dreaming about will become reality (picture is of projected new school). This afternoon the school decided to put together a groundbreaking ceremony. I, along with most of the staff, was skeptical about the notion of busing 800 people out to an empty hill where everyone will freeze for an hour while some higher-ups talk about the history of TCIS and what the move will mean for our school. I am happy to say that I was mistaken! The event was great. Yes, we did freeze, but getting everyone out to the site was much smoother than I thought it would be; and it was really nice to have everyone in the community together for the big event.

Before the ceremony, no one really knew what to expect. It was funny to clarify with the students that we weren't moving into the school so they didn't need to bring all their belongings, and no, we don't need to bring a shovel. hehe. I was expecting lots of TCIS banners, but it turned out to be much more than that. There were inflatable banners, banners flying high in the sky, tons of flowers sent as gifts, a stage with lots of cameras projecting the podium, and many honorable guests including the mayor of Daejeon, city council members, board members, presidents of various international schools, and even Korea's equivilent of the Vice-President. Only an Obama visit (hey, he was in Korea today!) could have made a more distinguished guest list. After a short opening prayer and a welcome from Dr. Penland, each of the guests, as well as student body co-presidents, gave 2 min. speeches stating their congratulations and gratitude. After the speeches, all of the administrators grabbed gold shovels to "break ground," and as they did confetti shot into the air! After that admin went to the "button=pushing ceremony." That had us all confused. What does the button do? No one was expecting the spectacle when they pushed the button. There were fireworks and more confetti and colored smoke and hundreds of balloons released. It was actually pretty cool! Plus, they gave all the students and staff snack packs on the way home complete with an orange, cookies, M&Ms, and a brownie! It was quite an afternoon. And in 16 months when we all return to that place there will be a wonderful new TCIS in place of the windy empty hill. Yay!

It's kimchi makin' time!

Each day at the beginning of class I ask my students what they did the day before, over the weekend, etc. This week, I had many excited students respond, "I made kimchi!" I'm not a kimchi eater myself, but I know that most Korean people are addicted to the stuff. It is served at every meal in the cafeteria and with any dish you order in a restaurant. For these reasons, I was curious (and thought it was important to know) how to make kimchi. My students were pleased with my interest and shared with me what the process is like. So, now I'm sharing a my newly-found cultural knowledge with you!

The first step in making kimchi is to wash the cabbage in salt water. Then, you cover it in red pepper paste. My students said they just buy the red pepper paste from the store, but that their 할모니(grandmas) make it from scratch my crushing dried red peppers. Next, they put the red pepper paste-covered-cabbage into a giant kimchi pot and let it ferment. I am unsure how long it has to stay there (they told me three days, but I would think longer...maybe it was lost in translation), but the entire process takes quite some time. Many said they do it for a couple days for a few hours each day. It seems to be a family affair, too. And, Korean families make SO MUCH KIMCHI! The kimchi pots are huge! Plus, in all of the 가개 and supermarkets there are cabbages stacked in every spare square centimeter you can find.

Maybe I will grow to acquire the taste of kimchi, but I just can't get past the spicyness...maybe some day. In the meantime, I will marvel at the process and appreciate the family time and hard work that goes into making this Korean staple. And if any of you come visit me, be prepared to give kimchi a try!