Sad but true.

Lately...

When my co-teachers open all the windows in the winter I'm just like:

 

Kikinitinkorea.tumblr.com

So...it's been awhile.

Things have been going pretty well lately. I have so much to write about and I don't have the time because I'm too busy desk warming (playing on Facebook and Pinterest). But good news: I'm over the homesickness I've been feeling this past month. I'll explain more later when I have time to give details!

As for the photo above, well let's just say I miss Western logic. Here in Korea 'fresh air' is the answer to everything. Well not really since the subways and buses are hot as hell because no one opens any windows. In schools the windows are left open (AND DOORS!) so that fresh air can flow through the rooms. I'm not really sure why, I've tried to ask and didn't get a clear answer. Some of my friends say it's so the students don't get sick from all the germs getting stuck in the classrooms. I can't imagine that being the reason since kids are forced to come to school with masks over their faces when the have the flu! That's right, the flu. 

So I freeze. I wear all my normal winter teaching clothes plus my coat, gloves, and sometimes my scarf if it gets really bad. By January I'm expecting to wear at least four layers and have adhesive hand/foot warmers stuck to me as the first layer. My Tuesday school allows the teachers to use their heat when they want. This is awesome! - I foolishly thought, because thirty minutes after my co-teacher turned on the heat the room was a stuffy oven.

Patrick's school told him their heat will only turn on when there is snow on the ground. This will be every other hour.

Oh did I mention that the doors are open to the outside even if the heat is on?

There is no happy medium.

Enough complaining. That's the last time, I promise. I have so much to post. Life here is so exciting and challenging. I'll make time!

Something to Think About.

Went to Seoul this weekend (trip #3)

Paper folding with little Yeo Won. The Keunsaem School for North Korean Defector's: English Outreach Program.

These are the best weekends.

This is a great video I borrowed from my friend. Take a minute and watch it!

Presidential Election 2012

I've been listening to the debates via internet with my coteacher when we have down time. They make me feel really uncomfortable! I have been asked some pretty weird questions about Obama and I never know how to respond. The best question was "is this a normal voice (accent) for a black person?"

It's really nice being away during the election. Seriously. And no I'm not voting. I blink and Monday suddenly becomes Friday evening. I'm not even sure what day it is right now. I missed my deadline for an absentee ballet. Sorry!!! I was distracted with life in Korea. I do care. I promise.

It's Fall in Korea

It's that time of year again. Except this time, I'm in Korea. The trees are beautiful and the mountains (are everywhere I look) are not too bad. I love this weather.
Patrick and I have completed our "everything here is novel" stage and we're in the middle of the "homesickness" stage. We're fine, don't worry. The days are long and our pillow talk has been about school and how to deal with..........things. The picture above describes the way I feel. Ha... which I don't even know what I feel anymore.

We'll be home in August, Missouri (ixnay on the extending our contract thing. Ha!).

I reblogged this gif from a friend in KC. Please visit his Tumblr.

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It's Pay Day in Cheonan!

My plans for this weekend in Seoul.

Source

Free Gangnam Style Ringtone

I can't deny my love for Psy. I think it's pretty awesome that we moved to Korea as soon as he hit it big. Because of his video our friends back home realize how modern Korea is now'a'days. They thought I was moving to the country and roughin' it in Korea. Oh no friends, it's hoppin'. I think it's time I honor Psy by using his song for a ringtone. You too!  

 

Download it here!

 

 

P.S. 

As you're reading this I'm making a Gangnam Style "Bomb Game" lesson for the midterm review. I'm using someone else's genius template from Waygook.org :D Korean elementary schools really know how to motivate students!!!

Cheonan World Dance Festival 2012

Cheonan rocked it this weekend. There were over twenty countries represented and everyone brought their A game. The parade Saturday night turned into a giant dance party in the middle of one of the busiest streets in the city. I was on a bus home while this was going on since the wedding drained me.

But the best part was seeing groups from different countries dancing to Gangnam Style. I think I heard the song thirty times in two days.

I'll post about the wedding later this week!!

Food Friday (birthday edition)

I completely forgot to mention my brother's birthday! It's weird... I feel like time stopped in America as my time in Korea picked up speed. I just have this feeling each day that nothing is happening at home. I'll return to Missouri in a year and our family will be on the couch watching the Olympics like they were on our last night in Springfield.

But that's not the case. It's 3:29pm right now and Missouri, you're sleeping (1:29am). Life is in fact going on. I'm missing you every day. Things are getting a little harder since I discovered Magic Jack. The more I call my family the more I wish I could pop in and visit them. Maybe I'm homesick... maybe that's why I've been making trips to Baskin Robins?!

My brother, as a derp cat,  enjoying some Fancy Feast.

Anyways as I was saying before, Missouri is not standing still. In fact my brother had his 28th birthday. Then my Grandma had her 89th!!!!! I talked to both of them on Magic Jack. I interrupted a family dinner and then I interrupted a game of beer die. Guess which birthday person cooresponds to each location? Well, this has been a good train of thought post. I think it counts as Food Friday since it includes Fancy Feast. **Speaking of cats and cat food; I miss Nuni so much I am extremely tempted to adopt a Korean Nuni. That's a whole new story. Next time.



See ya!
안녕히 계세요 
an-nyeong-hi gye-se-yo

JANGO

Dear foreigner friends,

Missing Pandora and all your favorite music? Korea has pretty good music. I mean Psy is epic. But if you're missing your collection of Western music since Pandora isn't supported in Korea, you need Jango.
The other night I was visiting with friends and commented on the music playing in the background. Sounded like my Pandora radio station back home. Well it was Pandora's cousin, Jango. I like it even better. Now, when I come home and help Patrick with dinner, we listen to Ryan Adams and Andrew Bird and all our indie bands and all is well again. Mornings are better too. Music is food for my soul. I'm so thankful I was introduced to Jango. Check it out! > Jango.com

Sign in with Facebook and create stations. They'll ask you to add artists to the variety, rate independent artists, and they'll even ban a song if you don't like it. Currently I'm listening to Rogue Wave Radio and... K-Pop Radio. Couldn't resist.

This is the current K-Pop obsession, besides Gangnam Style, of course.





Love,

Bucket List

Psy on Ellen

You know you've made it big when Ellen makes you dance on her show! So proud of Psy right now!




Love,

Dear Friends and Family

All is well in Cheonan. Wish I could share this adventure with you. Love and miss everyone.

Love,

Fun Fact: Typhoon Bolaven heads toward Korea

Massive Typhoon Bolaven slams Okinawa, heads for Koreas

By the CNN Wire Staff                  ^Click^

                                          

After poking around CNN I realized that Korea is in the path of a walloping typhoon. Fun! Bolaven is "roughly the size of France to Poland in land mass," -Sater (CNN). 

Click for typhoon Bolaven tracker>  Stormadvisory.org  <

France to Poland > Korea

Love,

Hello Missouri

Dear friends and family,

I apologize for starting this blog so late. Patrick and I have been in Cheonan for almost a month now and we have been really busy! After facing every hiccup possible we settled with 'free time' until our orientation (which is TOMORROW ^^). 'What do I mean by free time?' you ask!?!?! Well, turns out one thing after another happened to us and our visas were processed a day late. This caused our contract to start a month late. Now we have been given an awesome opportunity to relax and enjoy our new city while our fellow teachers face the responsibility of TESOL training each day. Cameron and Lisa, who I knew from Missouri State, have been great with showing us the ropes. The four of us returned from a Jeju-do anniversary/honeymoon celebration Thursday. I'll post pictures tomorrow! Stay tuned as I fill in all the details from these last weeks!

Love,