Something tastes different, maybe it's my tounge.

Thank goodness for the weekend.

This past week was a little bit rougher than my first few weeks here. I'm attributing to the fact that the kids started public school this past week as well... they need to release their energy some time, somewhere, that being my classroom.

I had a good start to my weekend. After work a number of the teachers from Seocho and Apgu went to Smokey Saloon. This is a burger place in Apgujeong. Very tasty and satisfying :)
Being the person I am, I didn't get a hamburger...I got a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. I was rather concerned about what the cheese would taste like, but it was good!

After dinner we all headed over to Kangnam for drinks. We found this "Hof" bar-I don't know the exact meaning of "Hof" but it's just a place that has REALLY cheap soju. A bottle of soju for 10 cents or 100 won. Flavored soju = melted popsicle juice...this too, was tasty. There were pretty fruit plates and some kind of spicy pork dish for our "anju." Anju is just another word for expensive appetizers.

We played a number of Korean games which was amusing...no, I did not get drunk or even feel woozy. I was surprised considering I had a number of soju shots.

Around 1am we went on a taxi search. None of the taxis wanted to take us because Kangnam is so close to Seocho (the subway was closed). So we all decided to stretch our legs and walk back. The walk isn't too long or bad, I had walked it before about a week ago.

More later...

Find a new reason, a new way of living...

This past Friday was payday and thank goodness it came when it did. Funds were getting low and I was getting worried. It is the beginning of cycle two at school which means I survived the first two and a half weeks. This job is pretty easy and enjoyable. Here are some photos of a few students I teach.

(top/left to right: Brian, Joseph, Duke, David, & Monica)

(middle/l. to r.: Heidi *sweet girl*, Asela, and Herry)

(l. to r.: Kyuri, Christine, Yujin, Jason, and Christina)

I haven't done anything too exciting since my last post that is worth mentioning, but it did snow this past Monday. It started snowing on the way to work and continued snowing through the night. Here are some photos:

(above)
I walk this street to and from work...


Playground on the way to work.

Went to the City Hall area, one Friday evening, in search of this little water-way in the middle of town. I will have to return when Spring and Summer arrive.

Under water lights

A few weeks ago I went to a bar opening. It's called the "Happy Bar" and is in the Gwangmyeong area. Some Koreans have two names, a Korean and English name. I met a guy named Kurt... Kurt Cobain. Yes, he named himself after the guitarist/singer in Nirvana. Slightly amusing. Even more amusing, he said that he knew who Alison Krauss and Nicklecreek were (fib).. Here are some pictures of me participating in the Korean way...

(yes that's a REAL pig's head)


Array of Food at Chu Ok's "Happy Bar"

How can I forget! I got my cool red 'hand phone' this past Friday (pictures will be available soon)! It's a pretty cool piece of technology and I only paid 90,000 KRW for it. It has this video conferencing tool on the phone where I can see the person I'm talking to. It also has the microSD card slot (still trying to figure out how to work it) that allows you to bring outside music, pictures, and videos to your phone.

A few last words...If you ever have to tinkle while you are in a Korean subway, HOLD it. Don't use the bathrooms...the "toilet" was covered in unidentifiable brown and red smudges...it was also very slippery and wet inside the stall because it had been raining that evening. I could not figure out how to 'use' this contraption with out making a mess. Too difficult to use...Needless to say, I was grossed out. FYI: a number of Koreans do not take the time to wash their hands after using the bathroom...take caution.

TO BE CONTINUED...STAY TUNED.
(photos and updates on apartment, daily ups/downs about living in Korea, and school).