Thanksgiving Weekend

 I took my co-teachers out to lunch last Saturday as a thank you for all the help they've given me. So, I guess it was a very appropriate Thanksgiving weekend.

And here's a picture of me balancing a menu on my head. Talent.

While we were having coffee with my co-teachers, Eric and I demonstrated the thanksgiving tradition of tracing your hand and making it look like a turkey. We used a napkin and the waterproof marker I've had in my purse since we went to Namsan Tower. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that the ink would bleed through and leave a very festive drawing on the table. We are really leaving our mark on Korea (har).

Later, Eric and I went to Hongdae to meet some friends.

Friends (Anji probably looks annoyed because she is a Native American. Or, because we were stupidly drunk.)

This is how I look when I'm going to spend the next morning wishing I were dead.

Seoul Folk Flea Market

Last Saturday, we went to an all-you-can-drink  wine buffet in Gangnam. It was a good deal but between the $25 price tag and the availability of otherwise scarce good wine, it was a little too easy to drink a little too much.

Recently, this keeps happening to me. I wake up the next morning feeling like where's Waldo, wondering where my ear muffs, hat, wig, 'insert item here' went. So, unless I start duct-tapping the important stuff to my body, I've got to start being more responsible.

This past weekend, Eric and I went to the Seoul folk Flea Market. I feel strongly that everything I lose in Seoul will eventually end up here (for the low, low price of 2,000 won). I'm not sure what makes it 'folk.' From what I saw, the only major difference between this and other flea markets I've been to was its scale. This was a massive warehouse of people selling random junk, and any kind of random junk you could possibly want. Earmuffs, golf clubs, authentic U.S. military meal rations, Japanese swords, old trombones, and butterfly knifes (illegal in the U.S., if you feel the urge to smuggle home a neat souvenir for baby brother).

Random Korean Figurines. I want the Tae Kwon Do fighters!

Or how about some business card holders with Korean pop stars on them? Rain B is pretty dreamy.

Inappropriate pigs. We found these at a stall that sold smutty videos.

It was refreshing in it's lack of touristy build-up, actually. I bought some earmuffs for Eric (since I lost his the night before) and a cinnamon-sugar filled pancake at the food court.

Peppero!

I'm very late in posting this, but November 11th was Peppero Day here in Korea. What is Peppero?

This is peppero. 

Peppero may look familiar to you if you are a fan of this Japanese snack.

Mmm. Pocky.

On Peppero Day, kids give each other boxes of Peppero, a little like Valentine's Day. It probably says something about the market domination of Lotte, the company that makes Peppero, that they've manufactured a holiday for their snack. It's on November 11th because of the date - 11/11 looks like Peppero sticks.

I got five boxes - I love this holiday.

My New Duvet...

...is awesome. For the first time in five nights, I didn't lie in bed, wearing a long sleeve, shirt, sweatshirt and jacket, shivering. That is all.

I'm a Monster

"We must buy you underwear," Kyeong said. Mr. Shin nodded seriously. It was a strange Tuesday.

I came down with a cold over the weekend and called in sick to work on Monday. Today, when I returned, my co-teachers asked if they could take me shopping to buy warmer clothes. I am very obvious in my cluelessness about how to dress for weather more severe than 60 degrees farenheit and partly cloudy.

Since it's so cold here, everyone wears long johns (thermal underwear. Possibly only my family calls them 'long johns'?). So, Mr. Shin and Kyeong agreed that I should get some also and took me to the underclothes department.

The saleswoman there tried to help us find the right size. There was a lot of debating in Korean between she and Kyeong, then gesturing to me (arms stretching outward in an attempt to show my measurements), then debating more. Finally, Kyeong showed me a size 100 and asked 'is this alright?' Which she probably asked because a size 100 is a size XL. Hah. I'm a monster.

"It's just for the arm length," she said, though I couldn't help feeling I'd just been called many unflattering euphemisms during the sale and was glad I understood none of it.

My feeling of giant-Godzilla-esqueness only increased when Mr. Shin suggested I also needed to buy shoes. 'They don't have my size here,' I told him, 'I'm a 270.'

'Oh!' he said, 'that is my size!'

Rawr.

I can't complain, though. They bought me a duvet! And they fed me! They even tried to buy me Ugg boots. They are so great, even if saying these things makes me feel a little bit like a 14-year-old girl.

Conversation Class & Relationship Advice

I teach a conversation class once a week for the other English teachers at my school. This week's class was on giving advice and suggestions. So, I found some hypothetical situations on the web and we all discussed advice we could give.

In one situation, Barbara and her boyfriend both work long hours and have difficulty finding time to see each other. Yeong Deuk said that everyone emails now and it is too easy and impersonal. He suggested that the couple write each other love letters to keep in touch. Everyone else agreed this was very romantic.

Kyeong followed this by offering her own advice. "Have you ever heard the saying 'out of sight, out of mind'?" Hah.

I was amused at the gender stereotype reversal. Although, it's hard to say exactly what the gender stereotypes are in Korea. Traditionally, women are supposed to be submissive. But, it's also traditional for Korean women to handle all of the family's finances. And, this is the land of men riding around together on pink mopeds. I never sure what what to expect.

Afterward, Kyeong asked me if Eric and I ever wrote love letters to each other.

"Uh, no," I said, trying to picture what kind of love letter I'd receive if Eric ever did send me one. This is a guy who has never bought me flowers but has, 'out of love,' shot me with his airsoft gun multiple times. We aren't really 'Hallmark your love' type people.

I pondered all this for a minute, then told Kyeong I agreed more with her advice. There are fewer chances for a stray BB to hit you in the teeth.

Demo Classes & Shabu-Shabu

This blog has been embarrassingly devoid of posting lately. I had a demo class last week which kept me very busy and was very scary. I had to do a lesson in front of a bunch of other teachers from my district who assessed my teaching ability.

The assessment was funny, though. Sometimes you feel like you might be getting discussed in a foreign language and its uncomfortable. It's much more so when you know you're being discussed. Usually when my korean colleagues talk about things in Korean, I just smile and try to look pretty without letting my eyes glaze over too obviously. I wasn't sure if this would be the appropriate response when a bunch of women were possibly telling me how awful I am.

The good news is that I'm apparently not awful. Although, I think this is mostly thanks to Kyeong. Our principal was happy though, so he took the entire English department out to shabu-shabu.

If you have never had shabu-shabu, that is very tragic because it is delicious. You get platters and platters of meat and a huge pot filled with broth to cook it at. We got the seafood and beef combo. I ate fish intestines! Surprisingly, pretty good. After you cook all your food, the server uses what's left of your broth to make jook (rice porridge), which is pretty much my favorite thing ever.