The Long Winter

We're off to Kyoto, Japan tomorrow for 3 nights and 2 days of site-seeing. We will be staying in a hostel with 3 more of our buddies. I hope we will have a fabulous trip, and I can't wait to bring back some great photos.

On a different note, I have been training for a transition into kindergarten. Anthony and I have both been teaching elementary school, while only dabbling in kindy. But as our year in Korea came to a close, we decided we liked it here, and resigned our contracts. The only difference is that now I will be teaching 6-7 year olds all day, for a year program. Cross your fingers!
Recently, our school has been losing students. We used to have more than 200 students and the kindergarten program was the money maker. But in March, 2 classes of students will graduate, and we will be left with only one class of 11 kids. MY class! The kindergarten program is all day, everyday, for a year (our other classes are on a 3 month cycle, and parents only have to pay monthly - no contracts).

The area we live in is pretty new. Apparently it has only been about 15 years ago that this was all farmland. Now, there are giant apartment buildings EVERYWHERE. It's a little awe inspiring (especially when looking at construction times). But with more growth, there has been more and more competition for English Academies (private after school programs). What used to be the only English school in the area for 6 years, is now one of 50. So lots of competition, and lots of fickle parents.

So in March, I will be starting kindergarten. Let's hope it lasts for a whole year! And as much as I like teaching elementary students, Anthony suggested a change in pace for us, seeing as how we live, work, eat, sleep, and vacation together. He says 24 hours a day for a year is enough.

I think it's just because he doesn't like watching Star Trek after work.

Sunyo-do Island

Here are a few pics of our Easter weekend trip to Sunyo-Do Islands. It was a small group of islands in the western part of Korea. The islands were connected by foot bridges, that only allowed golf carts, foot traffic and bicycles. We rented bikes and tooled around the islands for 2 days and 1 night. It looked like an odd combination of an ALMOST tourist spot, and working fishing villages. Maybe if I had a ton of money, I could be the first big investor and exploit the natural beauty, as well as clean up the islands (there were trash pits everywhere).

This is a typical Korean meal. The small silver bowls are full of rice. Each person gets a bowl of their own, and as you can see, there are many salads. The bowl of soup has tofu and local muscles. To the right of the soup, is the meat dish. This spread is for four people to share. You pick a little bit of what you want, and put it on top of your rice bowl, or eat directly from the small side plates. Most of this food is too spicy for me. I ate some of the soup broth on my rice, and ate a little bit of the spinach, bean sprouts, and a tiny bit of meat. Everyone else gobbled it up! It is acceptable to ask for seconds of everything but the main course (soup and meat). Pretty healthy meals, if you think about it....

Do you have anything simple, like soup? Hold the eye balls....

A little rental house on the side of a cliff. We wanted to stay here, but it looked pretty abandoned at the time....not the season?

Local fisherman mending his nets

These are small anchovies that they fish, dry, and sell to the rest of Korea. People are crazy for anchovies here. They sell them by bulk. They are served with rice, and somewhat crunchy. Sometimes they add peanuts, which I enjoy.

Low Tide

Anthony ate some local muscles on the first day. He said they were the best muscles he had ever eaten. Then we had a bonfire and he drank soju, beer, and makali. Needless to day, he wasn't feeling too well the second day. He is waiting for the ferry in this photo.

Philly Cheese Steaks

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Pittsburgh, where we lay our scene.
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny
Where civil blood make civil hands unclean

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,

And here, we attempt to recreate The Philly Cheese Steak - In South Korea

Back in the USSA

So as I am now back in the US, I have been getting used to consumerism again. I bought this cookie jar at a flea market in DC.

I've also got an appointment to get my tattoo colored tomorrow. I'm really excited. Other than that, I'm just hanging at my mom's house in Kansas City. Anthony flies in this morning, and we will begin our visit to the midwest. I think in a few weeks we will be driving to Denver for a visit, and who knows after that. But so far...I've eaten all you can eat pancakes, a superdog, went to the Smithsonians, and visited Carnegie Hall. I'll post some photos a bit later.

Next stop, Columbia

Well, I'm officially NOT a Peace Corps volunteer anymore. I am now officially a bum.

A bum going here:

San Augustín

Santa Marta

Cartagena

Ciudad Perdida

Bogota

I will be back in the states on the 22nd of December. I will be spending Christmas with Anthony's family in Washington DC, and afterwards we are heading to Kansas City around the end of January. I'm just a little nervous around a new family for the holidays. I mean, do they, TOO, celebrate Christmas Eve with povaticia? For the love of Pete, will they have a whoopie cushion?

We will soon find out....

Just a few random pics...

buildin my lean-to

SANTA!!! I know him!

San Telmo, Buenos Aires


Lujan, the day after my 31st bday

Happy New Year 2009!

Blog in Review

Since I have lately been ill, AND in the United States with WiFi, I have been pondering the internet lately. I have since being here, joined Facebook, which after a long hour trying to figure out how to upload the limited photos on my mom's computer (because yes..my laptop has finally died. I guess G3s aren't invincible like i once thought) I realized that I am the only person on the internet that wasn't on facebook. My mom even had a profile! WTF??? I too, have gone to the dark side. I will be adding my facebook link to my links section if anyone is interested, but seriously, it's just like myspace without all the bands. But you all know that.



I have also been trying to organize my blogs. Since I have been blogging since 2004 thanks to my ole favorite, Planetdan, I have a crapton of blogs before the invention of posting labels. While a labourous journey at first, I find the real reason for doing this is to take some time to review some of my favorite posts (or at least some of the most amusing).



As I was browsing I founds a few of interest:

scenarios

Read the comments, very concise



let's take a moment to reflect

These posts made me laugh as i now have concrete floors and call myself lucky, not to mention having had a real ant problem. To read the other apartment posts, just type 'apartment' in the "search this blog box"



rock bandana

This just made me laugh to recall my drunken discussion with Greg



what i did at school today

one of the few landscape plans online, but don't worry. this didn't even make it into my portfolio. Just an average day at the office.


i rant, therefore i am
I still believe this

and now for something completely different
i like the discussion this post got

apparently this programmer hates his job
still makes me laugh

class reunion to remember
cause my yearbook photos are hilarious

how many jello shots can i do?
because this made me laugh out loud (about the lip gloss)

i think my car is christine's evil cousin
ahh...when i miss the dart, i read this post

report: sci-fi fantasy movie seen as kid did not withstand the test of time
and of course, Krull

so a few for a read, but really I'm just sitting around being sick. So if you're bored take a look. If you're really bored, just search the for the word 'quiz' on my blogs, and do as many internet pop quizzes as you want. I used to belong to Quizilla.

it's a christmas miracle

It's not much, really!

This is it. The list of all lists. I have been in Paraguay for 1 year, and I am homesick for certain...shall we say...important items.

When I say items, I really mean food.

My mom asked me to put together a list of some food and things I wanted to do when i came home for a couple weeks. Oddly enough, the 'Things to do list' was a lot shorter than the 'Foods I have to Eat' when I get home.

Here are some highlights:

Things I haven't done in a year and would like to:

• Eat Tillamook Extra Sharp Cheddar (there is NO cheddar chee in PY)
• Drink good beer
  
• Go to the Movies and eat popcorn and hot dogs
• Go Bowling
• Take lots of baths
• Go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without squatting and getting a mosquito bite on my kashi*
• Get a pedicure (although I'm pretty sure my feet are far beyond help at this point)
• Get FAT

Food I must eat to accomplish last objective on things to do list:

• Totinos Pizza
• Coffee - I've been drinking Nescafe for a year, people!!!
• Sammiches
  
• BBQ - without the sauce. so just grilled meat without chunks of fat and gristle
• Dunkin Donuts
• The Feast at the Ameristar Casino
• a Chinese buffet
• Pizza Street
• Nachos
  

So there you have it folks. Just SOME of the things I've been missing. Trust me, I have lots more, but I only have 3 weeks....

*Guarani for Hoo-Ha

Friggin' Navidad, People!

William L.Doolittle to me, sneakypie9

show details Sep 13 (7 days ago)

Reply

Cassie,

The dates are now: Depart Dec. 16^th and return January 5^th. The total cost with cancellation insurance is $2,012.25. $670.75 each. I can’t wait to see you.

Love,

Dad

Wholly crappola! That's a ton of cash, but well worth it! I'll give up Madonna Buenos Aires tickets on my birthday - ANYDAY so i can come home and spend it with my family!!!