Uh-Oh...MY Bad! ; )

Yes I am slacking in the worst way and no I have no excuse whatsoever!!! Poor me... Anyway, things are good in my life and I really have no complaints. The weather is continuously getting warmer, the Korean kids are still wild as ever, the air in Korea still smells horrid and yes, I am still keepin the wig done!! hehehe!!! Lately, I've been trying out new eating spots and that has worked out great since the food has been scrumptious almost every place I have visited. I ate at this spot called I-Dam and they served Korean dishes that were excellent to the taste. I also tried out the Holy Grill and that menu consists of more westernized food. The other spot is located right here in Gumi and although I knew about it prior to my journey here, I never got the chance to go until a little while ago. Since then, have loved the hell out of it and the people there too!! Luv ya Derrick and Su-ge!!!(spelling...not sure of) Anyway, I'm getting hungry talking about the food spots, so moving on... I'm suppose to be going to Everland and Lotte World before it gets too hot and I'm really excited about that. Kisha, what's that? I'm glad you asked. These are two well known amusement parks located here and many kids go during the summer so I can't wait and i am such a theme park junkie . Check out this website, http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/seoul/403, for more info on Lotte World and this site, http://www.everland.com/htm/MultiLanguage/english/htm/ for Everland. I'm sooooo GEEKED!!!! School is going pretty good also and at this point, we're prepping our kids for a major test they have to take really soon. It's called the PELT exam and I think many of them are in pretty good shape for it but then there are those that really need some extra attention so good luck to them. Hopefully, all of them will do pretty good so keep my kids in your prayers~!!!

Other than that, your word of the day is "kawng-won" and that means "park". Well until next time, be blessed!!!

Life/World Troubles

Hello everyone, I know I've been slacking but I sincerely apologize. Lately I've been thinking about so much stuff to the point where I don't even know what to think, if that makes any sense. First the presidential election, then the recession, then the Olympics and the drama that China is experiencing, the never-ending war, and now my career and individual life!!!! WHEN DOES IT END?!!!!!

As for the election stuff, I'm hoping things start to look up in the near future but of course, who knows how long that will take. Every since BUSH has been in office, it seems as if the economy has gone nowhere but downhill...thanks a lot!!! Oh yeah and thank you sooooo much for the mere $600 to assist. What a crock!!!! I recently returned from China and shortly after, they experienced a devastating earthquake. Talk about scary. The crazy part was, we were actually considering a later date for our trip around the same time the quake took place. I don't know what to even think about that situation right now but my heart goes out to the people. Not only in China, but there was a massive "cyclone" in Myanmar that killed over 22,000 people. What's really going on? I don't know what the world is coming to at this point, but I know it's not good.

I hope the Olympics bring hope to the Asia region and I hope things start to look up for everyone very soon. As for me, I hope when I return to America, things will start looking up my way and I can find a job that will be career status and not something to where I'm starting and finishing as just a gig of some sort.

I know things will start to get better though b/c I serve an awesome God and no matter what, he has all power and he knows what's best for me!!!

As for everybody else, get your house in order b/c tomorrow is not promised and unless you know him for yourself, you can never understand the blessings that he continues to pour upon me and those that he can pour upon you!!! I' m not perfect by far, but I love the Lord and I love the things he does for me!!!!

I truly believe everything happens for a reason and these casualties are a part of the big picture that we need to wake up and see!!!! i do have pics from the China trip, but I've been so desolate at this point that it really didn't bring much joy to talk about them so I'll just post them. Your word of the day is, "para-gonde" and that means "hopeful". God bless!!!

Lately

Ok so I haven't posted in a minute but there really hasn't been anything exciting going on in my world. My kids are crazy as usual but that's nothing new and I've just been studying and working out really. I went to Osan this past weekend and had a great time partying but that's nothing mew either. Just an FYI though, Osan is the place to shop for just about anything foreign related or just for souvenirs. I think that will be where most of my gifts come from. They have lots of clubby spots as well and it's a lot like Yongsan whereas, you don't really have to speak a lot of korean b/c the english is pretty widespread there. On another note, I'm heading to China this weekend. I leave out on Saturday morning and the flight is about an hour and twenty minutes. We're headed to Beijing and the tour includes the Temple of Heaven, the Jade Carving Factory, The Great Wall, the Summer Palace, the Pearl Shop, Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Yashow Market. These are just to name a few and I return on Tuesday so it appears to be pretty jam packed. I'll get more info on this blog for ya when I return. We have a holiday coming up Monday, that's why I get to go on vacation and this day is Children's Day. Check out the link by clicking the title(Lately) for more info on this. This post is brief b/c I have to get ready for work. Your word of the day is, "oreenee" and that means child(ren). Be BLESSED!!!

"BALLIN"...In more ways than one!!!

Hello world out there!!! I'm behind I know but it's all good. Deal wit it!!! So to give you an update on the insane life I'm experiencing out here, listen up:

I last blogged on the 7th and today is the 16th, hmmm, "what has happened?" Ok, so the following weekend I went to Seoul and had a blast!! I went to the Kappa Black and White Ball on the military post and yes I was gorgeous!!! As a matter of fact, gorgeous isn't even the word..I really don't think there is a word...I was "speechless"!!! Ok so I'm a little stuck on myself right now, what can I say...I LOVE ME!!! Anyway, my date was my college classmate and he was pretty handsome too s that made us a great power couple there!!! YEA!!! Anyway, nothing much to that but a great time, an awesome speaker, and great food...Ya girl got steak and chicken!!! No complaints my way!

Moving on, I experienced my first Korean baseball game and talk about excitement!!! You remember how back in the day, the high school football games were all riveting and loud and just straight up crunk when the band was really good?(Well, at my school anyway, back in the day of course) That's how this game was and both teams were pretty good. We cheered for the LG Twins and their opponents were the Doosan Bears. Our team won of course...hehehe!

Anyway, they had the booze, they had the food, they had the mascot, they had the go-go dancers/cheerleaders, and they had us, which made it even better. The pics reveal more. I mean, it was not your typical baseball game in the states. I'v'e been to several Atlanta Braves games and none were as crowd involved as this!!! It was a great time and I was with great people and I plan to go again. As for baseball in Korea, the league is called KBO. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) of South Korea is the country's professional baseball league. It was founded with six teams in 1982 and currently has eight.

The teams are named after the companies or conglomerates which they belong to. They consist of the two I mentioned, Woori Heroes, Kia Tigers, Samsung Lions, Lotte Giants, SK Wyverns, and the Hanwha Eagles. Unlike Major League Baseball in the U.S., but similar to Japan's NPB league, games are limited in the number of extra innings played, and are considered tied if no result eventuates after 12 completed innings. In official standings, tied games are recorded separately, but are not included in the calculation of winning percentages. I found this information pretty interesting so I decided to share. Not only that, but they had the thunder sticks and all!!! I was in rare form at this game and it was the highlight of my trip. So those were my "BALLIN" experiences!!!

Now after all this, we attempted to go on a boat ride...AGAIN on the Han river, but that was unsuccessful once more so we ate dinner and said our good-byes. I did get to experience "pushing" the 63 Building though. Hey Kisha, "what's the 63 Building?" I'm glad you asked. The DLI (Daehan Life Insurance) 63 Building is a skyscraper on Yeouido Island, overlooking the Han River in Seoul. It is the 3rd tallest building in South Korea, the 122nd tallest building worldwide, and is a Korean icon among skyscrapers. 63 of course, refers to the building's 63 official stories, of which 60 are above ground level. In 1985, the 63 Building was the tallest building in Asia; it lost this title to the OUB Centre one year later, but remained the tallest building in South Korea until Mok-dong Hyperion I, Tower A surpassed it in 2002. When I previously said "pushing"I was referring to a way you take the picture that looks as if you're really pushing the building. Check out the pic. Well, that sums up this posting and I'll get back with ya later. As for your word of the day, it's "kawng" and that means ball.

Post Drama=Happiness!!

Yea!!! So this past weekend was a blast and the week went by pretty fast to get there. It began Saturday with me and my girl, Angelica heading up to Seoul. Not for sure if we would even be attending the Ne-Yo concert, we went to get away and just have fun and shop and in the end, it all worked out in our favor..well, maybe except for the boat ride. When we got to Seoul Saturday morning, my intentions were to basically get a dress for a ball I am attending next weekend and finish up some souvenir shopping. The dress encounter was a success and so we continued shopping for everything else. Later that evening, we were suppose to go on a boat ride but unfortunately we missed it and we had to settle for dinner and partying, which kinda balanced out...hehehe!! So we ate dinner at this spot on the street where basically it's set up like hibachi(Japanese) and instead of the workers cooking it, you cook your food yourself and sit around the fire bowl. If you're not familiar with hibachi cooking, LOOK it Up!!! Gain knowledge and try it out if you can!!!!I do!! LOL! I promise you, google is my best friend when it comes to learning about new stuff and old stuff!! Once you learn about it, experience it if you can!!!! WHY?! B/C you only live once...DUUUUHHH!! and why not live life to the fullest?!!

OK so enough with the geek route...after dinner we went to this club called the UN and it's basically a club/bar where foreigners are welcomed with open arms but of course if you're in the military, welcome to hoochie heaven!!! Let's just say some single military men go back home husbands and fathers once visiting here! Not all...Just some! LOL! And this is just one spot of many where this takes place. Overall the night, was great and we past out watching movies at the crib. Sunday morning we woke up hungry so of course that meant lunch/brunch and then more shopping. The concert began at 7:30 so we headed out for that. In route, I managed to to see the Olympic Stadium and other venues associated with the Summer Olympics (1988) in South Korea.

I did a little research on this and found out more info on it and it was actually pretty interesting. I think i'm gonna go back and take more pics at some point to get the full effect b/c I got roadside feedback. We got to the concert and I was in Ne-Yo heaven at that point.

It was great and the performances by him and Sean Kingston were well worth the trip. Check out pics on FaceBook if you have access to my page. Well, to end off the posting I have to provide you with more knowledge and that being your word of the day! It's going to be, "yonjoo-hwe-jang" and that means concert (hall). PEACE!!!!

Drama!!!

Ok so since the last time I posted, I threatened to leave my school, I attempted to go home, and I cried myself to sleep. It was rough this past week and a half. I'll be brief with details but still informative. Just a little background on my school: We have less than 100 students/the students are from a more reserved community/ their parents aren't the richest/there are 5 teachers total(4 english and 1 math and of course, I'm the only foreigner)/ we are limited to school supplies and sometimes I have to make my own purchases for school...no biggy! Anyway, I said that to say these kids sometimes get little attention at home b/c they're never there and they take it out on us, well me of course being that I'm a foreigner. They're in school from sun up to sun down and sometimes it can be pretty rough. That's no excuse for behavior in my opinion but hey, it happens. The reason for my explaining is because I tried to punish a student last week and he hit and kicked me and left me with bruises on my leg. He was being very disrespectful and he tried to defend himself when I put him out my class. It was crazy and that made me very mad. I told the staff I was leaving and I was heading home that next day. That was just unnecessary and the child had no respect for authority. The other crazy part was that his mom came to the school that night and apologized profusely and cried and said she has a hard time controlling him at home as well. I told my co-teacher that's serious and maybe she needs to beat his A$#!!!(that's how we get right anyway!!)She laughed and thought I was joking but I told her I was so serious. Their way of punishing is making the kid stand in the corner, pinching their cheeks, or pulling their ears.....NOT!!! So anyway, the past couple of days were crazy b/c they begged me to stay and they said they didn't want me to go to another school, b/c that would've made them look bad and they really liked me. I talked it over with my boss and he agreed to make some changes so we'll see how these next 30 days go. If no improvement...I'm OUT!!! I've never experienced anything like that in my time of teaching here and in America, but hey, the unexpected happens everyday right?!!! I'm past it now and since then, things have gotten better so hopefully it will continue. Other than that, things have been good socially. There's a concert in Seoul this weekend with Ne-Yo and Sean Kingston but I don't think I'm going. I don't know exactly what I'm doing this weekend but of course I'll find something to get in to. This past weekend I went to Seoul again and hung out with my friends but we just chilled and went to dinner. Oh yeah, I met this guy that's an actor on Korean TV and he's in this drama show that comes on daily. I forgot his name but he was really cute.

Just an FYI to anyone considering teaching overseas: Do your homework, research your company(recruiter) before signing or agreeing to anything, make sure all your contract needs and requests are met and don't settle for stuff that's not accurate, check out other blogs from other teachers' experiences in foreign countries, talk to other foreigners at the school(if any) before you leave, check the stats of the area you're going to be in to ensure safety, and make sure there are no changes to your contract after you arrive. These are just a few pointers, but there is info all on the internet to assist with this. I just thought I'd share some of my dealings. To end the night, your word of the day is, "taw-wa jooseyo" and that means HELP!!!

Pisces Love

An-nyong haseyo!! I just want to spread a little PISCES love to everyone celebrating their birthday around this time. I must admit, I've had my share of gatherings this month for birthdays and it feels great. It's been a pretty good week and my kids seem to be coming along more with their english. I'm heading to Daegu tomorrow to celebrate my soror's birthday so I'm looking forward to that. Just so you know I made the purchase of a lifetime and the gift that I really wanted for my birthday was my guitar. It's a six string acoustic guitar with the electrical option w/ amplifier. I'm so psyched!!!!! I don't really know how to play that well, but before I came to Korea I was working on it so we'll see how much I progress.

Thanks to you tube and other sites, there are videos and other learning material to help me along the way.

The weather is warming up and the Koreans are getting crazier so we'll see what the spring has in store. Maybe I'll get out more and try to open me a bar-b-q spot!! I'll have this place on lock when it comes to good eaten!!! Anyway, your word of the day is, "dwejee gaw-gee" and that means pork. EWWWW!!!!! Holla!!