JUKDO MARKET

On Saturday we took a trip downtown and to Jukdo Market. Jukdo has hundreds of vendors who sell fresh fish, sea creatures, veggies, fruit, nuts, clothes, etc. Jukdo is HUGE and crazy and we saw things we've never even heard of before. Enjoy the photos below. Check out our Vimeo page for videos. http://vimeo.com/user5582809/videos

In Korea there are tons of shirts, stores and restaurants with English slogans, names or sayings...and they are hilarious and usually make no sense. Perfect example above. "So I say a little prayer."

View from lunch.

A plethora of sea creatures. Jukdo.

Heart of Jukdo.

They were so big.

Crabs.

So many old ladies getting their sell on.

Lovely display.

One was getting away!!!! Check out or video on Vimeo to see it.

Ahh hugeeee!!!

These guys apparently didn't make the cut for the live show above.

This is what your sushi is wrapped in.

Cool.

TASTY.

Inside the tunnel.

See the restaurant behind the lady? You can buy fresh fish and go inside and eat it immediately. There were tons of these in Jukdo.

This guy is trying to sell Brendan crabs. The are pretty expensive. Starting at like $40 per kilogram.

Weighing a big one for us. No go...too much $. Maybe after we get our paychecks. Ah the life of a vagabond. Kidding :)

Veggies

More.

Seaweed.

Potatoes, potatoes and more potatoes. Wonder if those ladies are running a joint venture or are fierce competitors.

Don't you just want to reach out and grab them and make them dance?

The sock man.

Grains.

Don't you love it? Beer and freedom. Russell crow. They go hand in hand, duh.

I LOVE TOAST.

LOOK AT THIS!!!!!!! :) :) Nonna, make sure Nonno sees this one!

Our favorite restaurant.

So good!

There is a pot of hot coals cooking our beef.

Brendan making a lettuce wrap. Adding sauces, rice and meat.

Delicious, very lean.

We are becoming regulars there. We got the hook up, they bring us an extra side of special meat.

One Whole Month

This week we seem to be settling into a routine and getting more comfortable with our new home. Our latest obsession is scrabble every night before bed. We also found a great restaurant close to home that is cheap. Just our style.  There is never a dull moment when your day is filled with kids, especially Korean ones that frequently don't know what you are saying. Last weekend was good. Friday was super fun..Brendan and I went on a double date with Jenn (our co-teacher) and a young lad. We went for delicious samgyeopsal and to a couple bars afterwards. The rest of the weekend was spent cleaning the apartment (it surely needed it),grocery shopping...which is always an adventure, and watching movies. The hardest part for me when shopping is the lack of breakfast cereals to choose from at OK Call Mart. At home there is a whole aisle devoted to cereals, here I pick from about 5 or 6. Big bummer. Also, skim milk is super hard to come by. Boo.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of 2 packages, one from Grandma Jackie and Papa Norb, and the other from my Momma. CAN NOT WAIT to get them and also a special thanks again to Nonna and Nonno for our Brita filter..much needed!

As our time of stay lengthens in Korea, we learn more and more each day. Below are some interesting things you may not know about this lovely land.

• Children in Korea do not take care of their teeth. Our kids brush their teeth everyday after lunch, but they are brushing with sugar paste. Literally. Parents are not concerned because baby teeth fall out. Many of my kids have silver fillings and discolored unhealthy teeth. Yum.
• We do not have a garbage day here. I may have mentioned this in one of my other posts. Basically, we have plastic shopping bags for a garbage and when they get full, we walk downstairs and put them on the street. There are garbage piles and junk yards everywhere in the neighborhoods. 
• Korea is huge about respecting elders. Whenever you see an older person it is considered rude if you do not smile or bow or show some nice gesture. When old ladies get on the bus and there are no seats, someone's ass is getting up..quick. And if no one gets up, she will get someone up. 
• Many Koreans, especially the younger generations are obsessed with looking white. A common stereotype is that everyone from America has blonde hair and blue eyes. There are commercials all over TV about creams to make your face whiter, many of them with bleach to lighten the skin. Perms..or "permas" here are huge because Korean hair is so straight. 
• A common superstition among Koreans is "fan death." Meaning, they honestly believe if you go to sleep with the door closed and a fan on you will die because the oxygen will be sucked out of the room. Yep. 

Oh I almost forgot... on the fun news front we have a few trips up our sleeves. The Lunar New Year is a nationally celebrated holiday here, which starts February 2. So we have Wednesday, Thursday AND Friday off that week. SCORE. A big trip like Japan is not in our budget yet, as we have yet to be paid (we get paid each month here, not every 2 weeks) so we are planning a trip within Korea to Busan. Busan is about a 2 hour bus ride from Pohang. Temple By The Sea is a big deal there, as well as many great mountains, parks and attractions. The last week of July we have an entire week off so we are planning a trip to Thailand (Phi Phi Island to be exact) and possibly Cambodia. We also have sprinklings of 3 day weekends here and there, and in one of those we plan on visiting Japan. Can't wait!

Tomorrow marks one month in Korea!! Can't wait to see what the rest hold! We'd also like to make a couple extra special shout outs to 2 of our cousins taking big steps within the next two weeks. Jaclyn- We wish you so much joy and strength upon the delivery and arrival of baby Olivia. I am so happy for you and Michael and I can't wait to see her. Jessica- We hope you have the most magical best day of your life. I know you will be such a gorgeous bride and we wish we could be there.
We love you both and are thinking of you. 

Below are some pictures from the week

Sally is stoked about this picture.

(Hansu) They were supposed to draw what they looked like when they were babies...

Smile...that's his name :)

In front of their arts and crafts work

Silly

Ria and Kaylen..I did not have photos of them before. Ria is a sweetie and Kaylen is...well..not (looks can be deceiving) They only come to school 2 days a week for one hour and they are learning the alphabet. It's hilarious to interact with kids that seriously have no clue what you are saying.

Recent artwork

Hell yes letter V

Three Weeks

Not that we are living in a third world country or anything, but being in Korea theses past three weeks, and knowing we'll be here for another 11 months 1 week has really opened my eyes to the comforts and luxuries of home I took and most people take for granted. For instance, when I took a shower at home, I did not have to wear shower shoes and my entire bathroom did not get wet. When I had to go pee, or enter the bathroom for any reason I did not have to put on shower sandals and pull up my pajama pants so the bottoms did not get wet. I had an oven. After I washed my clothes I threw them into the dryer, I did not have to take out each item individually, hang them and wait days for them to dry. My clothes were also soft and nice when I put them on, not severely wrinkled and stiff. I had a car. I had my choice of anything I wanted to eat whenever I wanted it.  I knew how to order in a restaurant, what I'd be getting, and the server usually understood me. I could chose from tons of beers. I had a comfortable mattress. I had my mom and dad and family and dog nearby. I knew how to read the language of the country I lived in. I knew my address. I had more than three english channels on tv. I went and saw a movie as soon as it was released in theaters, not weeks later. The list goes on. Obviously I knew I'd be facing a lot of changes and challenges and I hope the above mentioned does not make me seem ungrateful, spoiled, or like I'm bitching. I'm not. It's just you don't every really think of all the little things that make life so cozy until they aren't around anymore. 

There are also a lot of things I've got goin here that I wouldn't at home. I actually think its cool not to have a car, we walk a lot, I'm sure I'll really love it in the summer. There are some pretty interesting characters (esp. old ladies) and stuff that happens on the bus, as well as trying to get home in a taxi, and I don't have to pay for gas or fix breaks or get speeding tickets. There are restaurants and convenience stores all over the place. I walk out the door and if I'm hungry there is a restaurant 15 seconds from me by foot. That was definitely not the case home. Korean Tv is funny and the commercials are hilarious. I'm learning to love crime scene shows just as the Koreans do. I will be a better runner by the time I get home, as I do not have to drive 40 minutes to a park to find a good hill workout. I can't go 300 meters without a tough hill here. I live within a couple miles of a beach. I live by mountains and waterfalls. I could go to a temple every weekend if I wanted. I will meet people from all over the world. I get to be around a bunch of crazy kids all day..and most of them are really cute. How stressful can that be? My floors are heated. I try new foods all the time. A giant beer is like $2 here. Soju aka weird vodka stuff is like $3.  We can say pretty much whatever we want in public places and no one understands us. This list also goes on. 

As you can see, there a pros and cons to living in Korea, just as there are pros and cons to almost everything in life or anywhere you choose to live. We are doing quite well so far and I'm sure we'll be totally adjusted in no time. We miss you though. 

Pancakes, Andy and Our First Package

It's Wednesday in Korea and we are in the middle of our second week at work. Each day it gets easier to learn about each student and where they are at with their english. It also gets easier to learn about their common behaviors...more on that in a paragraph or two.

One of the best parts of our week so far has been....pancakes. Yes pancakes. You see, the town we live in has no breakfast joints nearby. And Koreans eat things like rice, soup and kimchi for breakfast. If it's Sunday mornin and you've got a hankering for some french toast..maybe even biscuts and gravy, at home you just hop in your car and head to Bobby E's (Bob Evans) or the Hop (IHOP) or maybe even a little Coney breakfast. You get my drift. Here we do not have that luxury. So yes, I will pay wayyy more than necessary for a box of pancake mix and yes I will flip my pancakes with a spoon because all we own are chopsticks, 2 spoons and 2 forks, and yes I will not measure anything because we have no measuring tools. We were a bit reluctant to try Korean pancake mix, after all they usually eat rice for breakfast..but we did it anyway and to our surprise they were quite delicious. They did not taste the same as at home, a bit more cake-like and sweeter, but they sure did get the job done. So, I will continue to pay enormous amounts of money in order to have Sunday morning pancakes, unlesssss someone(s) needed an idea for a care package item :)

Now lets move onto Andy. Andy, Andy, Andy. We've all met our fare share of little shits. Yes, the little monsters that know all the right buttons to press and make you want to stomp around like a 3 year old because they frustrate you so. Center stage: Andy. Andy is a high class pain in the ass. He never pays attention, disrupts class, makes faces, noises, mocks me and simultaneously makes faces while mocking me. You know, when they move their mouths while you talk and have a scrunched up nose and are thinking "I am Lia Teacher and I'm talking about bullshit bullshit bullshit. Yep. Every single day. Oh, and Andy is 5 or 6 in American years. What a gem.

Isn't it funny that I moved to a country 6,500 miles from home, and even here I have an ANDY busting my chops. :)
Today was also a great part of our week, as we receive our first package from home!!!!! Nonna and Nonno shipped us a much needed Brita filter along with delicious home made Italian cookies. SCORE. We were sooo excited when we got it and it was just in time, as we have one water bottle left to our name. Thank you SO MUCH!!!

Here is our address:
Kids college
Attn: Lia/Brendan
1378-8, Jangsung-dong, Buk-gu, Pohang,
Kyung-buk, South Korea
zip code : 791-851

This ships to our school as we are not home during the day to receive packages. If we are not home to receive a package they do not leave it at our door, and then we have to travel 30 minutes to get our package. School it is.

Back of the pancake box.

Syrup. Pretty good actually.

Finished product.

Sally, my smallest most precious student.

Smile. He is in the same class as Sally and one of my youngest students. His hair has a perma.

ANDY. Little shit. In the process of sticking out his tongue for the picture.

Lia Teacher and Brendan Teacher

Our first week/semi week of teaching (snow days, remember?) is coming to a close and everything feels pretty solid. Our school isn' big so we get to have smaller classes with more one on one attention to the students, which is super helpful becasue of the whole Korean vs. English thing :) Our kids are really cute...some are pretty rowdy and others are very sweet, especially the little girls. I don't think we mentioned this before but Koreans are younger in American years than Korean Years. For example, Koreans are already 1 when they are born, and everyone turns a year older on New Years..everyone. But then they celebrate their actual Birthdays on their true date of birth as well, they just don't get older. Kind of confusing I know. So, we have 5 and 6 year olds, but they are acually only 3 1/2 to 5 in American years. Soooo little! Oh and all of our students have American names, one of our kids is named Elvis, another is Prince, you get the idea. If we get some new kids we might get to name them, or they'll pick themselves.

Yesterday, I had a class of only two little girls, one of them cried before class even started and another peed her pants 2 inces from the toilet and proceeded to cry, loudly. Don't worry, everything was fine once she changed and we finished class with storytime.
There is a lot more to teaching than going to a class and talking in front of a bunch of kids...along with class time goes a good amount of preparing, copying and lesson planning. This month, our lesson plans were made for us but after this month we're on our own.

Well, so far so good. Oh fun tidbit of the day...we went out to dinner tonight with Jenn (one of our co-teachers) and her friend. In Korea, they do not give you the bill to pay from your table..all restaurants work like a diner or Coney Island restaurant and you pay at the register. When we went to pay, we did it separately...and the old lady (aka Ahjumma) which is not a nice word...was apparently super pissed we payed separately and proceeded to slam her palm on the cash register very very loudly and hard when she went to open it. Yep. Sometimes Korean people are not very subtle with us from the good old U S of A.

Below are pictures of some of my kids, couldn't get everyone today. Will add more soon. Enjoy their Korean cuteness...

love love love love love