Lotte World

Today I went to an Amusement Park with three of my friends and I had so much fun. It was decorated in Christmas stuff and it really put me in the Christmas spirit.

Hagwons possible closing

For all you ESL teachers who are reading my blog.............

I just got word from my principal that the Goverment is seriously talking about closing hagwons in apgujeong-dong, Seoul due to swine flue. Teachers will have paid time off during this time to hopefully ''ward away any flu virus in your body'' but this will most likely result in a decreased winter holiday.

Sorry to all the English teachers teaching in Apgujeong-dong (that includes me) because it might result in no christmas break.

What is a hagwon?

Hagwon (Korean: 학원) (also Hakwon, Hogwan) is the Korean-language word for a for-profit private academy or institute prevalent in South Korea. From Wikipedia

Here is a picture of my Hagwon and the students in thier uniform......

My first couch

I bought my first couch. I'm so proud of it!

When I got here my studio apartment had a bed, desk and a tv.

I've been looking everywhere for a second hand couch that is in great condition. I searched Dave's esl Cafe and Craigslist Seoul. Finally, one morning I saw this beauty on Craigslist Seoul and I knew it should be mine.

I raced to Itaewon that same night. I was meeting a guy for a first date so I dragged him along. The girl had over 50 emails for it but I was the first to get to her house. Thank goodness. A couch like this is so hard to find second hand here. Since there are so many ESL teachers here in S. Korea it's easy to find a cheap couch but they are all trashed and SO gross.

Getting it to my apartment on the other side of the city however proved to be challenging. The woman helping me arranged for a mover but I had to give my address in Korean! eeeek. I could not find anyone to translate it correctly. I had a co-worker attempt to translate it but she apparently failed as she kept calling me and yelling in Korean. All I could say was, 'I don't know.' I am a little too used to the italian way, if they can't figure it out then there is a good chance they will quit. I was desperate.

It's so nice to have somewhere to eat and watch tv other than my bed. I also feel like buying my first real piece of furinture is a rite of passage and I am so proud of it.

AAAAHHHH

KOREAN FOOD......SO FAR

Pork and sweet potato breaded and fried covered in a delicious red sauce. Along with rice, corn and mayonnaise. Every Korean meal I've had so far is always accompanied by tons of side dishes. The side dishes on this day were spinach and some sort of potato pancake. The whole meal above was only 4,000 Won or about $3.70. It is so good!

So, I do not claim to be any type of expert on Korean food but so far I'm really liking it. I love seafood but I hate fish. They eat loads of fish here. I tend to avoid the fish but I LOVE everything else i've tried.

This is so delicious and by far my Favorite thing so far. It is Galbi or Korean BBQ. It is so delicous. In the middle is the marinated beef cooking right in front of us and to the left is the next piece to cook along side the scissors for cutting the meat. Around it are all the side dishes, when I find out what they all are I will update this. I do know the red bean paste near my chopsticks is delicous! This is just meat cooked and wraped in a sesame leaf. There are no carbs at all in this dinner and it's so good. If you did South Beach this restaurant would be your safest place. All of this food is only about 8 dollars. I was with my friend so the portions are double.

This is one of the many many booths on the street. This guy is pretty famous as he is in all the travel books. He speaks very little english but his food is so good. It's just Shis Kebab marinated with vegetables but a whole skewer with meat and veggies is only about a dollar. It's so divine!

These are my co-workers and we went to this awesome lunch/dinner with these transparent noodles and octopus. I love octopus and this was so good.

Single Ladies

My current obsession is Beyonce's Single Ladies. Every time it comes on the radio, my ipod or at a club my heart literally races. I usually get 'stuck' on some song. In Ohio, I w stuck on Almost Paradise. In Italy, I was stuck on Evanescence Call me when you're sober. In California, I was stuck on Lady Gaga Poker Face. Now in Seoul, I am stuck on Single Ladies.

I literally listen and listened to these songs over and over and over for weeks at a time. I am so stuck on this song, it really speaks to me. Any single girl at 27, like myself, who has had a rich dating life understands this song SO well. I have had so many ex's call me after a few weeks to a few months and even a year or two after the break-up. I am so sick of taking these various men back. ''if they liked it then they should have put a ring on it.'' I am done taking back ex's.......for the time being. :)

I am sitting here in Seoul on a Friday night waiting for the man of the moment to pick me up and take me out. p.s. my man of the moment is so beyond great.

I love the beginning of a relationship, you know when you just can't get enough of each other. Emails and text messages all day long. Dying to rush home to talk on facebook or skype. Dying for the weekend when you finally get to be together. The kissing. The passion. The long late night chats. Holding hands, announcing to everyone that you are together. Actually telling everyone you are together.

I've never been married but as of now, there are not many things better than the beginning of the relationship.

Seoul

I have moved to Seoul. Much more to come on this blog........

Seoul is actually quite warm still and as I exhibit signs of this (sweating profusely) most Korean people I see are not sharing my discomfort.

Fact: Korean people have 75% less sweat glands than Americans.

Fact: 50% of Korean people don't even have the gland (apocrine glands) that causes body odor. They are among the least odor-producing people on Earth.

What seems to be fact: Kimchi (pickled cabbage), a common side dish in Korea, is the strongest smelling food in the entire world.

My life's a beach!

My life revolves around the beach.  I inevitably end up at the beach everyday.  I carry a swimsuit and a towel with me at all times.

Yesterday as I parked my vespa in a parking lot close to the beach, I heard some tourists talking.  The woman said, "Can you imagine living here?"  The man with her said, "I know, it's paradise."  

Just look at the coast five minutes from my house,  It is paradise!