I'm a Liar

I feel terrible.

Last Thursday:

Leah - Julian, I am going to Canada August 26.

Julian - Why?

Leah - I miss my family. I want to see them.

Julian - For vacation?

Leah - ......yes.

Shit. I flat out lied. I couldn't stop myself. I think I would have cried otherwise.

This is how the follow-up went.

Last Friday:

Julian - Leah Teacher, when do you go to Canada?

Leah - August 27.

Julian - Leah Teacher, yesterday you said August 26.

Leah - You're right, Julian. I made a mistake.

(Man, he's swift.)

Today:

Julian - You go to Canada August 27?

Leah - Yes.

Julian - September what [date] you come back?

...moving along now. HE THINKS I AM COMING BACK.

Julian really started my final week off right. When I walk into Venus class this morning, he takes a board marker, draws a heart on the board, and says, "Leah Teacher, I love you!"

I had a great final weekend. Friday evening I had a drink with a friend. We stayed local and I saw a bunch of people that I knew; it's nice when that happens unexpectedly.

Insadong

Saturday Magda and I went into Insadong, in Seoul, this really awesome neighbourhood full of crafty things. I did some shopping, we had lunch, and went for tea at an old tea house. We didn't get home until around 7pm, so we were slower getting out the door to return BACK to Hongdae, Seoul, for my last night out. We arrived at my bar of choice, Exit, around 11:30pm, decked out in vintage dresses, and GIANT bows in our hair, Korean style. It was a really fun night. Again, I saw some folks that I wasn't expecting to; pleasant surprises. I didn't get home until 6:30am!! When in Korea, eh??

Drinking in public, because we can

Sunday I unsuccessfully attempted to clean my apartment. I did get some packing done, and some laundry. I also had lunch with Karen, and met for tea with an old coworker. The weather was FINALLY beautiful. Yes. Gorgeous sunny day.

Last Thursday, when I met up with Kammy, I wanted to get my hair trimmed, so that I look presentable when I get home. (Kammy ended up getting her hair cut too!) They straightened it for me. Koreans are so funny. The next day at work my coworkers all said, essentially, that "you look better now". Haha They are always so blunt. Earlier that day, for field trip, we had gone to Central Park in Beomgye for a giant water gun fight. I was SOAKED from running around in the fountains, along-side all the kids. I felt sorry for the hairdresser, having to go through the mess that was my hair.

This week is going to fly. I have plans every evening - dinner dates with friends. AND I still have to pack and clean! And I still have to work 9:30-6:30. Wish me luck! See you on the other side!!!

I'm Still Here...!

...but THIS is where I'll be soon!!!! Can you believe I will be starting SCHOOL in three weeks?! I am over the moon excited!!!! I am definitely feeling ready to return. I will miss my students and friends dearly, but it's time for the next adventure.

My desk at work.

Julian in the teacher room...on my break. Last Thursday at 12:55, "Leah Teacher. You come to Venus class in 45 minutes." "Yes, thank you Julian. I will be there. Don't worry."

Aka my boyfriend. Or Julian Teacher. I don't need to keep track of time. He does it for me. And he mimics things I say. "Leah Teacher, how about...?" when suggesting something.

Genius.

I would actually love to be his au pere. I would be so happy to teach Julian full-time, one-on-one.

Last Saturday (August 6), I treated myself to a Bikram yoga class in Apgujeoung, a neighbourhood in Seoul. It felt SO AWESOME. I haven't practiced regularly in two years, and my last class was about a year ago. The studio is lovely. My instructor told me she couldn't tell I had been out of the hot room for so long, and commended my practice, saying I didn't need any corrections. I thank my FANTASTIC instructors back at BYKW for my solid foundation.

I actually left my apartment to make it to the 11am class. I couldn't find the studio though. It wasn't a huge deal. I knew there was a 1pm class, so I went to a PC bang (computer room) to check a map. Man oh man...I made it to the studio JUST in time! 12:45pm!! Haha

Enjoying a "me" date after my yoga class...espresso and a smoked salmon sandwich. Sat down JUST before the rain came. I had the balcony to myself.

Saturday night was eventful...Selina's birthday AND the last Seoul Shindig/motown party!

Me and Karen

Family - birthday girl Selina, sister Elly, and hubby Jerry

Magda and me at the Shindig

Last Friday, we had another cooking class at school. We made Vietnamese spring rolls. Not such a hit with the kids - they mostly picked the veggies out of the rice paper rolls - but DEFINITELY a hit with the teachers!!

Pluto class at work...

This past weekend was a long one! Friday night Karen, Colin, Romo, and I had an impromptu Indian dinner out. It was nice. Karen and Romo surprised me with this beautiful stuffed elephant I've been eyeing since I got to Korea. I almost cried. It was so thoughtful of them. I love it so much and it is making a perfect snuggle buddy!

Saturday Christian and I went to Seoul for lunch. We went to an Arabic restaurant and ate the most delicious falafel I have ever had. Seriously. It was heavenly. Saturday evening the rain came and I stayed in for a cozy night, and watched a couple films. (I FINALLY watched "Life if Beautiful". Beautiful really is the only word to describe that movie. Wow.)

Sunday morning I got caught in the rain on my run (Saturday's run was dry)! Oh well. Then I met with Karen for lunch. Sunday evening Magda and I had a sleepover at her new place: wine, movies, pizza, and giggles. It was perfect. The next morning we moved a couch into her place, one she had spotted a few days ago at the side of the road. Purple, very retro, very cool. We had a slow morning, over coffee and another movie. It was really great. Then when I got home I started to PACK!

I love packing. I know it's a bit early, but my weekdays are busy with work, social things, and sleeping...so I thought I'd take advantage!

And here I am now, Tuesday evening. I ran the stairs after work. This rain just WON'T STOP! I think it's been all month so far? (Thank goodness Jeju was sunny!) Elly called and we ended up grabbing some kimchi jiggae (kimchi stew) for dinner together. It was really nice to have a chat and eat together. Her wedding planning is keeping her quite busy, so it had been a while since just the TWO of us had some time.

Only EIGHT work days left!!! LESS THAN TWO WEEKS until I'm home!!!

Kid at Heart

Trevi Fountain at Lotte World

Lotte World - the indoor section, view from the balloon ride

I made it back from my summer holiday - still feeling high on the wonderful sites, company, and memories made. After a lovely summer Saturday - outdoor patios, dinner out, lots of laughs - we headed to Lotte World on Sunday, for a day of amusements and thrills. Lotte World is a theme park - think Canada's Wonderland meets Disney. We entered the indoor section, and were blown away by all that we could see. The more we wandered around and rode rides, the more and more we discovered. I was thoroughly impressed with their space usage....There was a "Pirates of the Caribbean"-esque ride on rafts, but it had an Egyptian theme. Very cool. We decided to see what was outside. My understanding was that there was a carousel...HOLY SMOKES! The outside section was even better! Here's where all the GOOD rides are - big roller coasters and drop zone-style rides. We went on the Gyro Drop about 6 or 7 times because the line-up was non-existent. What a rush! There was a really great roller coaster that we got on three times throughout the day as well...through the mountain, over the water, all around. Excellent.

Outside at the castle

I think the scariest part for me was the haunted house. I get so jumpy. We actually had to walk ourselves through, and touch things to open doors. Thank goodness D led the way. He was my big strong protector. Haha So many laughs. Awesome day.

A few days before holiday, I told Pluto class that I called the police on them. A couple of the boys kept lifting up their shirts. I was so serious and told them it wasn't allowed and so the police were going to come and talk to the class about rules. The boys insisted that I call back and ask them not to come, and that they were really sorry. I told them to say sorry to the police. They finally convinced me to call them back, so I did. I returned with the message that if they lifted their shirts again, I would just call the police again and they'd arrive in five minutes.

I love being a teacher.

Today, Pluto class kept singing "Can't Take my Eyes off of You". It made me smile, a lot. In fact, I've been really good this week. I've gotten so much love from my students, after being away. I'm getting greeted with warm and welcoming hugs every day this week, and it's just what I need. Maybe kids know. They're smart. Today I whispered to Julian, "I love you!". His reply was, "Leah teacher! Me too. I love you!" He has actually memorized my afternoon schedule and shows up in the teacher room on all my breaks (he's supposed to be in the afternoon kindergarten program) - to play or to talk or to help me with my work. I always have a million things to do and can't have him there with me, but I secretly love that he comes to see me all the time. My Julian. My TERROR child when I arrived just under a year ago.

Jeju post to come!

Mr. Golden Sun

Harry Potter enthusiasts

We had a class field trip today to a local outdoor swimming pool. The weather was PERFECT and I may have had more fun than the kiddies, splish-splashing around. Sunny, one of my 6-year-old Venus girls, was very timid in the water, and always wanted me holding her hand or holding her in her inner tube. It feels so amazing to have a child put that much trust in you, to make them feel safe. Anyways, I got her laughing and she relaxed. When I took her for a washroom break, we were walking hand-in-hand, and she says to me, "Leah Teacher, swimming is fun!" These are the heart-warming moments.

All the kids looked adorable in their swimwear and mandatory bathing caps (yes, I had to wear one too). We had a yummy picnic after the swim, then back to school for the afternoon. I wish we could go swimming every week!

I returned from Mudfest a very red teacher. I told my students they could call me "Tomato" teacher if they wanted. Instead, they came up with some other ideas: Cherry Teacher, Apple, Strawberry, Fire, Watermelon, even Flower Rose Teacher (awww). The red has since gone down, as I've properly aloe-ed and after-sun cream-ed myself.

I blame the sunscreen. The brand was unfamiliar to me. I was very sun-conscious over the weekend. I applied, reapplied, stayed in the shade...and I was wearing SPF 40! Lesson learned: only use brands I know and trust!

Saturday morning started out very wet, and it wasn't looking good. Arrived in Boryeong/Daecheon Beach (Mudfest location) around 11am. The skies were threatening. We headed to the beach anyways. Went swimming - the water was SO refreshing! - then down came the rain. We danced in the rain, embracing it. It was a warm summer rain, after all. The wind was really strong though. We ended up taking shelter under a temporary wooden stall that was set up. It did the trick.

Threatening skies

Hiding out

When the rain let up a little, we figured it would be a good time to go check into our accommodations (7-person room, fun!). No kidding, ten minutes later when we came back outside, the skies were blue and the sun was shining. It looked like a completely different day and place. HOORAY!

Back to the beach we went, and then we headed to the mud festivities. There were wrestling pits and inflatable challenges and slides galore.

There was a prison you could stand in and people would just throw buckets full of mud at you as you stood behind bars. We did this one inflatable challenge where you were strapped by the waist at either end, and you had to race to the middle to be the first to ring the bell. I was laughing so hard. During the first round, I completely wiped out as soon as I took my first couple steps. Because you are tethered, you flail and bounce around. Being covered in mud makes it all the more slippery and hilarious. The wresting was fun too! SO MUCH MUD! There were stations with paintbrushes too, where you can just paint yourself silly. The mud was quite liquidy, but it's this special made that they make for the event, and it is supposed to be excellent for your skin.

The events close up around six in the evening, so we missed the chance to use the cleaning pool. Back to the beach we went! (The events were set up just up from where the beach starts). It's WILD how much the tide moves in one day. There is virtually no space later on in the day, making the beach significantly more crowded.

High tide (Saturday late afternoon)

Low tide (Sunday morning)

Day 2 in the mud

Saturday evening we chatted with people, mingled, had dinner, and enjoyed the outdoors. Sunday was another beach day and getting in another coat of mud. Definitely a unique experience!!

Random side note - on Monday morning, one of my Pluto boys, Buddy, wanted me to feel his calves. "Leah Teacher, I was jumping rope all weekend!"

It's nice having the sun back so I can run outside again! Got quite soaked last weekend when I thought I could beat the rain. It was a welcome change from the stairs though!

When I Grow Up, I'm Going to Be a Magician

Monday morning science class with Venus...I sneakily place a red plastic ball in a pencil case at the front of the room. We carry out our normal morning routine, and then I introduce the science lesson: a magic jar. I show them that there is a red ball inside the jar. Then, I dramatically cast a spell over the jar, saying the magic words, to make the ball disappear. I animatedly react shocked beyond belief that the ball is gone when I lift the lid of the ball. I search high and low for it, to discover it in the pencil case. My kids go absolutely NUTS over this, laughing in total wonder. Wow, Leah teacher is magic.

They wanted to see the trick again, but a magician can only perform their trick once. When I taught them how it worked (as they each got their own), they had lots of fun hiding their red balls around the room, to reveal to their audience where the ball had disappeared to. Good fun.

Last Friday we made patbingsoo, as I mentioned. It's a popular dessert - shaved ice with red bean. The kids brought in fruit, cereal, chocolate, rice cakes, and jellies to sprinkle on and make it their own. We had some fun with the camera, too. Julian, who used to be so camera-shy, wanted a Leah-Julian photo shoot! I have many more, but chose just a couple to post.

Silly time with Julian

Chef Matthew

Chef Scarlet

Pardon me if I have mentioned this before, but my Venus class has gotten into a bit of a morning ritual with me. The students like to take the board markers (with the lids STILL ON), and the board eraser, and pretend to do me up - brushing my hair, applying make-up - fussing over me and giving me the star treatment. It's quite cute, really. I feel so loved.

Despite the rain, I had a wonderful weekend in Samcheok. We caught at 9 bus on Saturday morning and arrived around 1:30 in the afternoon. First stop: Haesingdae park, aka the penis park. There is a story behind all the phalli. There was a Korean bride-to-be that was brought out to sea by her husband-to-be. He told her to wait there for him, and he would return soon. She drowned waiting for him, and her bitter heart significantly decreased the catch of the fishing village. To remedy this, the people of the village carved and erected wooden penises, pointing them seaward. Once again, the fish were in abundance. The penises eased the bitter heart of the poor bride-to-be.

The obvious silly photos...

The park was in a really beautiful location, as you can see!

Magda and me

Grey day, checking out the beach

Curious abandoned house

I can never resist testing the waters

On day 2 we checked out the Hwanseon caves. There were very few buses heading out this way, so we had to get our timing just right. As we were eating lunch in town, I joked that it would be funny if we missed the bus for not watching the time. We check the time...the bus is leaving in five minutes. Time to sprint across town!! We arrive in time, sweaty from the muggy weather, collapsing into our seats.

We take the monorail up to the caves, as we have to complete the course in a record 90 minutes, in order to catch the local bus back to the bus station, to get to the bus leaving for Seoul, early enough that we don't miss the metro. Consensus told us we would need two hours. Anyways, we get to the cave entrance, 1.6km of path. No problem! We're laughing. We don't have to rush through, but we also can't go too slowly. We emerge from the (AMAZING) caves. It's 4:15. The bus is at 4:30. The path down is almost 2km. It's raining. We run. We run the whole way down. Once it wasn't so steep and the ground leveled a bit, I was on such a runner's high. It felt really good. I could have kept running for a long time. We made the bus with time to spare (though it left earlier than the timetable said, so every minute counted)! We had a good laugh.

(It's now Wednesday morning as I complete this blog)...HARRY POTTER TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!