News

As you have probably gathered from the lack of posts, my life is not as exciting in the US. Not that my life was super exciting in Korea, but it was different so I had something to write about. Now my life is pretty much the same as it has been for the 18 years I lived in Bartlesville. I like it though--don't get me wrong. There is something very comforting about high school football games and family "trips" to Tulsa.
For those of you few who still read this (and care), I thought I should give a little update. I am moving to Columbia, MO in January to start graduate school. Finding a place to rent has not been successful. I need a car and finding that hasn't been successful either. Taking a Dave Ramsey course simultaneously is apparently not a good idea. I am very nervous about moving to a college town, but excited for this next phase of my life.
Talk to you again the next time something exciting happens...

It made me smile.

I visit CandyBlog occasionally even though I'm "off" sugar (as my sister would say). I guess I like to torture myself with what I can't have. Today their post just made me smile. Check it out here.

This was my favorite line from the post:
"As you can already imagine there are some strange proportions at work here when dealing with gigantism."

P.S. Thanks for all the votes on the boots. I think everyone likes 1, but unfortunately that is my least favorite pair so I still need to make a decision...

New This Year at the Tulsa State Fair

Big Shoe Decision

I am still very in love with these boots, but I have decided I need to make a sacrifice. I have found similar styles in a more affordable price range. And now I need help deciding. So which one is better?

Number 1?


Number 2?

or Number 3?
Yes, 2 and 3 look the same, but they are different shoes. I promise.

New Boots

I L-O-V-E these shoes. They are like Uggs, but better. They are made by a European brand called Mou. The worst part of loving these shoes is the cheapest I can find them is for $265. I can't even find a similar style in a cheaper brand. I am so sad. If Dave Ramsey wasn't telling me each week I shouldn't be spending my money, I could have just bought them.

Eating at Wal-Mart

I have always been amazed by this phenomenon--eating your food before you purchase it. If you look closely, this women is sticking her hand in a bag of Sour Cream & Onion Potato Chips. I wish I was brave enough to do it because sometimes I do get hungry shopping, but I have the patience to wait until I get to the car at least.

The weirdest part was it started a chain reaction. The women in front of her suddenly opened up her Cheez Its and started feeding herself and her children. I think that is a little more understandable; kids get cranky at Wal-Mart.

So how many of YOU have eaten at Wal-Mart before paying? Don't lie.

Notice anything?

This is in the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise's ads for garage sales. Something really popped out at me so then it made me wonder, is it legal? And if so, WHY?

The Races

Last night Jonnie, my mom, dad, Uncle Joe and I went to the races in Coffeyville, KS to see my cousin Aaron. He races a kind of midget car, but I guess they call them "turf cars." Here are some cars going very fast. I have no idea how to take pictures of race cars at night that are kind of far away.


Here is what they looked like stopped for a wreck. (These aren't the kind Aaron drives, but the only picture I could get of a car NOT in motion.)


And here is a short clip of Aaron racing. He is the bright orange car. I tried to follow him, but he was too fast for me!

I'm back...

...to America and blogging. Sorry it has been so long! Being a college professor really takes it out of me! :) Not really, I have just been lazy.

I miss Korea a lot. I miss my teacher friends. I miss my Bible Study friends. I (sometimes) miss my Korean students. I miss public transportation. And I really miss the food.

I've been in Oklahoma for almost a month now and I can't recall seeing a single Asian. Wait--I take that back. Jonnie has a Chinese friend. Go Jonnie!

Being away from Korea is sad, but at the same time being back in America is pretty great. I don't miss out on great things like this...

and this...

Go, now!

This website is amazing. The link I provided is for an older post, but it is my favorite. The blogger does not post a ton, but you can see why it might take her awhile. My friend Jamie told me about this site, so I can't take credit. I definitely want to share it though! Seriously, go, now!

DMZ

Rachael and I went. It was very cool. Now I can "officially" say that I have been in North Korea. Here are the picture to prove it...

This is our extremely early train ride to Seoul. (This picture is mostly posted, so you can see I did try to fix my hair. I cannot be blamed for the soggy mess it turned into later.)

After the train, we got on a USO bus for our tour. On our way to the DMZ, we could see North Korea across the river. I was very excited. The picture does not express that feeling.


Our first stop on the tour was the viewfinders...also known as the Dora Observatory. We had to stand behind a yellow line and hold our cameras in the air to take pictures. This was my best attempt.


Rachael was using the viewfinder to look at the buildings. From this viewpoint we could see factories that are actually run by South Koreans. The workers cross the border every day. I think--the guide's English was a little difficult to understand.


There was a gift shop there, so we bought "DMZ chocolate." It was gross, but we were unaware when we took the picture. Maybe Rachael knew. She does not look as excited as me.




Next, we went to the 3rd Tunnel. It is one of four (discovered) tunnels into South Korea. We had to walk bent over for a very long time inside the tunnel. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let us take pictures inside.


And here it is...the Joint Security Area (JSA). The blue UN buildings are directly on the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). I learned so many acronyms! We went into the building on the left.


Mr. North Korean soldier was watching us with his binoculars. Apparently there is another one inside with a powerful camera taking our picture also. We could not see him though.


The South Korean soldiers are in a Taekwondo ready stance all day. They stand halfway behind the building in case North Korea decides to fire.


We are in North Korea! The door behind the soldier--South Korean, don't worry--leads to North Korea. I am not trying to stand like him. I just had my hands in my pockets because he scared me. Rachael was not scared; she is standing so close!


This is a North Korean propaganda village. No one actually lives there. They just make it look like a populated community. It also has a communication jamming device (just like the island on LOST!).


The Bridge of No Return--very sad. It was a very educational trip. Go if you ever get the chance.

Fireworks Festival

Sorry my posting isn't very prompt. I am struggling to finish my admission essays. I am trying to do nothing but write, but I keep watching Gossip Girl instead. I keep telling myself I do my best work under pressure...Anyway, here are the pictures from the fireworks festival in Pohang.

These are hands at the beach. The sun rises in one and sets in the other. This is a cute Korean group that asked me to take their picture.

And this is our group.


This is the other hand...and me.


The beach was COVERED with Koreans watching fireworks. It's hard to tell in this picture, but almost every single person had either their cellphone or a camera out taking pictures.


P.S. Has anyone else noticed that recently when you upload pictures to Blogger they lose a LOT of their quality?

Rental Car

Last weekend I went with four of my friends to Pohang for an International Fireworks Festival. Since it was at night, we would have had to stay overnight to catch a bus back to Daegu. It turned out being cheaper to rent a car. So we called our local Avis. As you can see from the key box, they had a lot of Hyundai cars.


It turns out we didn't even need a key because the car had an Intelligent Key. I don't really know what the benefit is, but it is cool! I was the only one with an International Drivers License, so I had to drive. If I looked a little younger, this could be my "just got my license" picture.


The rental lady had to come out and help us with the navigation. We made it safely to Pohang. It was nice that we were mostly on the highway. Korean drivers are very crazy, so I'm glad I did not have to drive too much in the city.

Rich Kids

I always knew that I taught in a wealthy neighborhood, but today it became very apparent.

For a presentation my middle school students had to pick a well known painting and discuss it. The first group chose the Mona Lisa. One girl commented she did not like it because it was so small. Another kid said, "yeah I didn't like that either." Five of my students (in a class of 10) have been to the Louvre. The next group picked The Last Supper. Three of the students have been to Milan and seen it!

I thought I had traveled a lot, but I have nothing on my students.

Waking Up

Don't you wish you could wake up to this every morning? It is what I get to hear many mornings. Make sure you listen to the end when it gets really good.

Blogging

I have not been doing a good job lately. Sorry to the four of you that read it (Big Dalene, Charissa, my mom and Marty). I only feel the need to write when I have pictures or something exciting has happened. And I only take pictures when something exciting happens. I guess that means not a lot has happened lately. So here are some random tidbits of my life for your enjoyment...

•I taught 10 year-old kids today the definition of "gangster." Yes, it was actually in our lesson.
•I went to Bible Study for the last time on Wednesday. Sad.
•Next Wednesday I am going to the DMZ. So exciting!
•In two weeks I will be helping with the Vacation Bible School on base.
•I started teaching morning classes for Tuesday/Thursday today. We got to watch an old episode of The Cosby Show and talk about it!
•My friends Jamie and Stefanie are awesome, and have been buying me Lean Cuisines at the commissary. (I told you these facts were random--and this one is pretty important to me.)
•Rachael and I had a taxi driver ask us with his broken English if all teachers "drink everyday?" Foreigners are really making a great impression here in Korea.
•Today a student told me Alexander the Great was all about alcohol, killing his friend and "hot love." How come they always catch the random stuff in the listening lectures, but never the important things?
•Apparently, there was a dead body by my house, but I didn't see it. (Email me if you want the full story.)
•I started my graduate school admission essays FINALLY.
•I leave Korea in exactly 40 days.

That is all for now. Hope you enjoyed it.

Acupuncture

Rachael decided that we needed to get some acupuncture before we leave Korea. I knew it was cheap and I'm always up for new experiences so I agreed. We found a place called "Oriental Medicine" near our apartments.


My friend Genie translated for us. The nurses thought it was a little strange that we didn't have pain, but wanted to get treatments anyway. Then they offered us tea.


We had to speak with the doctor next. He held our wrists, checking our pulses for a very long time. It seems like he was trying to be a fortuneteller. He said I had lots of stress and digestive problems. He told Rachael she had lots of stress and "waist" problems. So he treated my neck and Rachael's hip. The nurses gave us these lovely gowns and we had to lay down on marble slabs.


It was really uncomfortable. The doctor came in and put needles in my neck, back, ankle, forearm and head. The needles didn't bother me, but laying on the marble in an awkward position made my hands go numb. After the "treatment" was over I think I was actually starting to experience some pain. The doctor told me to come back, but I think once is enough acupuncture for me.

Tomorrow

I will post something. I promise. I had a small electrical fire, and was without a computer for about a week. I'm up and running now, so you'll see something soon.

By the way, thanks to all who posted ideas about my admission essays. Marty, yours was the best! You seem to have a lot of experience writing personal essays? And the last line is SO true! Haha. I'm either being too lazy or have extreme writer's block. Hopefully, I can get the essays finished soon.

Admission Essays

I have to write three essays for my graduate school application. I don't have any ideas about either of the topics. I am concerned about the "tell us about yourself" essay. I am supposed to focus on non-school experiences such as work, volunteer efforts, travel and professional endeavors. Thinking about this essay makes me realize how boring my life is. Yes, I was in the Peace Corps and I'm teaching in English in Korea, but neither of those things are as exciting as they sound. Any ideas on how to make me sound more appealing to a graduate school?

I'm back...

...to Korea. It was weird getting off the flight and feeling like I was at home.

For those of you that don't know, I went to Guam for vacation. Jennifer went with me. We had a great time shopping, eating and going to the beach. I was using SPF 50 and still burning, so we tried not to stay out in the sun too long. Also, I think I've been in Korea too long and I'm starting to develop a fear of the sun.

We rented a car and were able to travel around the coast of the whole island. It is a US territory, so it felt similar in many ways, but also had a very tropical, relaxed feel. I assume it's similar to Hawaii. Here is an album of our pictures. And here is an album of our food pictures. We enjoyed the food options a little too much.

I totally agree.

Today my students had to write what they thought about undercover reporting to reveal company secrets.

Jane wrote, "Revealing other's privates should be banned."

Smart girl.

New Apartment

I posted pictures on my facebook. Click here if you want to see them!

Moving Day

Monday at 4:30 pm I was informed I would be moving on Tuesday at 10:00 am.*** Since the movers pack most everything for me I didn't have too much to do, but a little more notice would have been nice.
Unfortunately, I accidentally packed my camera. I wish I had pictures of these movers. Two adjushis (old Korean men) showed up with a couple trucks and a bunch of baskets. They would throw all my stuff into these baskets, stack up two or three and then throw them on their back to carry down three flights of stairs. They did the same thing with my washing machine and my refrigerator. They were like pack mules.
When we got to my new apartment they brought it all in and I had to unload the baskets. I was emptying the food basket into my refrigerator and saw a single egg in the middle of it. There wasn't a scratch on it. These men are truly professionals. (They did break my fridge, but I was too impressed with the egg to care.)

***For those of you that don't know, my school moved in November. They kept everyone in their apartments until the lease ran up. Mine just happened to be the longest lease.

I'm not-so-smart again.

I have been studying for the GRE with a Kaplan prep book. I felt I was finally starting to master the practice questions. However, I finished it and still had a month left to study. I bought a Barron's study book to keep up the practice. This book is much more difficult. It makes me feel like I'm starting my studying over. The worst part is I only have two weeks left until my test!

So here it is...the most ridiculous analogy I've seen so far...

LAST : SHOE ::
a) cuff : trousers
b) finale : curtain
c) pattern : glove
d) buckle : belt
e) strap : slip

No cheating! The prize is my respect and admiration. :) Good luck.

Tuesday, June 2--Day 8

It's over. Today we had a meeting, and they cleared us to come back and teach. However, they still will be checking our temperature when we get to work.
It was a nice break even though I didn't get paid as much and didn't really get to go anywhere. I was able to do a lot of GRE studying. I only 20 days left until my test. Cross your fingers and say a prayer for me please. I have sworn off friends, food and almost any type of fun until I take the test. Hopefully it will pay off!

Friday, May 29--Day 5

I didn't report on days 2-4 because nothing exciting happened. Turns out when you're not allowed to leave the city, there isn't much to do. I think I'm actually getting too much sleep. Our school felt sorry for us so they scheduled a trip to Busan. Here are the highlights...

They rented a bus for us to travel away from the general public. A couple Korean staff traveled with us, so if parents ask they can say we were always under supervision.


We went to the beach. They were having a sand sculpture festival. I think every kindergarten and day care was at the beach with us. There was a whole class washing their hands in the bathroom. Rachael and I went in and received a lot of stares. I saw little feet in front of my door. I followed them up and realized a little girl was staring at me through the crack in the door. I guess it is okay for her to be curious since she is only four, right?




We also went to the Busan Aquarium. Rachael, Alpha and I all have new cameras. We spent forever testing out different settings. I took over 100 pictures in under an hour. I like my jellyfish pictures the best.


As we were leaving the aquarium, we saw a sign for Dairy Queen. We got really excited, but as you can see from the next picture it was just false advertisement.


And finally we returned home...and got our temperature checked. Just a normal day in the life of a few "at home" quarantined teachers.