Get-away weekend

Friday night, Marie and I met at Seoul Station to get on the KTX (fast train) to Busan. After a three hour ear-popping ride we arrived at Busan Station around 12:45 a.m. and thanks to some friendly locals we found the bus stop to Haeundae Beach. The bus ride wasn't too long. It was only about forty minutes. We hurried off of the bus and sank our toes in the cool sand. It felt good to be at a beach again. Then we found a convenient store to buy supplies and went to the kimbap place for some food.

Marie was waiting for me outside of the restaurant, where she started talking to a local Korean. To make a long story short they hung out with us for awhile on the beach. Although the language barrier made it a little difficult to communicate. They knew some English, but not enough to have very interesting conversation.

J (boy in hat): Unbelievable.
N: What?
J: You are from?
N: America.
J: L.A.? I have friend in L.A.
N: Nope, Mississippi.
J: Ah....moment of silence.....WOW.

J: Hi cutie boy..
N: what!?
J: CUTIE GIRl. oh, sorry. so sorry.
J: Do you have man friend? You be my man friend?
N: Excuse me?
J: Do you have man friend?
N: Yes, I have many man friends.Do you have man friends?
J: uh.? huh? oh ha ha. WOW. Sorry?

J: You be my man friend?
N: TO MARIE: I think I'm having an identity crisis.
N: You. Want me. To be your...man friend?
J: Yes.
N: I'm not a man.
J: Oh.....*moment of silence* You want be my man friend......

It was amusing to play with him for a little while. I knew what he was asking and I thought it was just silly.

Around 4 a.m we said goodbye to our Haeundae beach pals and went to a love motel. We paid 40 bucks for the night and got what we paid for. It was very ugly on the inside and the shower didn't have hot water. Sometime between 5 am and 9 am we woke up from some loud banging and yelling. I thought strange people were going to barge into our room and tell us to get out of there...they didn't and I fell back asleep.

After the cold shower, Marie and I went to the local Starbucks for some coffee and breakfast. Saturday was a busy day. We went on a Ferry ride, visited a temple that is on the coast line of Korea, and played at the beach. Later that evening, after listening to a variety of musical acts, Marie introduced me to her French Korean friend Jullien and his girlfriend. They were very nice people.

I even had my first hand-in-arm experience too. As we walked to find the restaurant, Soo Hyun ( I believe that was her name--I'm so bad at remembering Korean names) takes my arm in her hand. In Korea girls (and guys) hold hands or hold arms to show that you're friends or that you are comfortable with one another. It was a little awkward at first...

Towards the end of the night we saw fireworks and drank makju (beer) on the beach. We then played a game of rock, sissors, paper. The winner decided what the loser's "mission" was. It was a good bit of fun.


Marie and I planned to leave Saturday night because she had a prior commitment with a friend back in Seoul on Sunday. Due to lack of information we managed to miss the KTX back to Seoul by about twenty minutes. So we decided to go to jimjilbang (Korean bath house). This was Marie's first experience with jimjilbang and I felt a little awkward just because she is my coworker and I saw her naked.

The jimjilbang was really nice compared to the other one that I have been to. Bally Aqua Spa has seven floors and the women's shower room was a good size. Marie and I played in the PC room for a little while and then decided to go take a short nap before our trip home. Unfortunately, I only managed to get thirty minutes of sleep. I was uncomfortable because it was warm and there were people coming in and out of the room, "papa bear" snoring, and whispers. I didn't sleep on the train either. I was too busy looking at the Korean countryside.

The trip officially ended around 9:30 this morning. I went to sleep, as soon as I got home, and didn't wake up until 4p.m. Then I went on a Costco trip...pickles, yum.

I really enjoyed the beach and the Busan area. The people (especially the girls) in Busan, compared to Seoul, are friendlier and more laid back. The scenery is wonderful. In the taxi ride, on the way to the temple, I didn't feel like I was in Korea at all because I'm so used to seeing tall buildings, business suits, and a plethora of convenient stores in Seoul. There were so many trees, so much nature, and there was a constant breeze that made me feel so good.


Updates on my biological mother: I received the translated version of her letter.

The Picture

Whatever I am feeling at the moment is not what I had imagined I would be feeling after seeing my biological mother for the first time.

I feel a little disappointed. Possibly ashamed. Even hurt.

I imagined that I would feel relieved or happy...Not this.

The social worker says that she can see a resemblance between me and my biological mother. I haven't seen it. I'm trying to.

I'm even having second thoughts on whether I should meet her, since I'm feeling this way. We'll see what the letter says.

______________________________________________________________________

This past weekend I got this strange anxious feeling...It almost prevented me from leaving my apartment, but I overcame it.

I'm tired of this feeling..that comes. You would think, after feeling it for so long, I would know what it is. I don't. Emptiness? Sadness? Restlessness?

Being forgotten or let go. Struggling to let go and struggling not to let go.

I'm trying to plan a trip to London for my vacation in July. Let's hope it works. I think I could really use a get-away adventure for a few days by myself.

That's not what gets me...

A student told me that I looked 32 years old.

Another student told me that she is afraid of blue eyes because you can see the pupils (she didn't use the word pupils)...

Important Notice: My biological mother has written her letter to me. I have yet to receive the translation...Soohyun, the social worker, should be sending it to me sometime this week. The original copy will be mailed along with the photo.

To be continued.

Nostalgia

Last night, as I was washing my hair, I began to think about all the little things that I missed about home and random memories.

Driving the two and a half hour trip from Columbus to Hattiesburg. Driving the four hour trip home to Gulfport. Driving my standard silver Mustang. Heck, I just miss driving. Singing in the car to mixed CDs. Being a waitress. Sonic trips for Cranberry or Watermelon slushes. Watching and listening to Brook and/or Peppy after long rehearsals. Long late night phone calls on the couch in Jones Hall. Running to jump on my bed in the dorm room I shared with Calli. Late night Wal-Mart trips to get a DiGiorno cheese pizza and Pepsi. Late night drives around Hattiesburg to scope out houses. Playing the flute. Sharing an Eel box with my great ex co-worker. Driving past WCBI to get to my apartment. The red lights on Main St. Walgreens. Carrier Lodge. Waiting in the drive-through line at Wendy's. Edy's grape popsicles. Leaving Victoria's Secret with the pretty pink paper bag (yeah, so what). Wall's. Waking up on a staircase to find a cleaning lady looking down at me. Rush parties. Pledging. Profitt's Porch. Snow Cones. Going to Blockbuster with Rachel to pick out a new movie for her collection. Getting grapes thrown at me in Callaway. Painting on canvas. Shaving cream fights and playing in the fountains on campus. The friendly bald guy at the front gate. Working in McDevitt. Working in the Spectator office. Band practice with the girls. Grilling out. Eating dill pickle slices. Hot dogs in the face. Rides on the band bus to and from football games. Flowers. Eating breakfast burritos and sausage biscuit combos with him. Baking. That smell that I can't explain from the apartment. 3rd floor Callaway right wing, my Freshman year. Having Laura Hughes as my roommate. Getting late night phone calls to look out my window for a surprise visit. Getting my car stuck on the curb at Sonic in Hattiesburg. Wearing overalls. Mi Toro's shrimp quesadillas. Seeing the snow come down outside at work at Lowe's. Getting locked out of the dorms during Thanksgiving. Holiday Inn. Birmingham. Listening to Landed. Trying to skip rocks. Smelling Auntie Anne's Pretzels after work at Edgewater Mall. Little hugs from Cat and Zack. Playing scrabble. Theatre....

And more.

Someday I might know my heart

Reasons why I like teaching...

1. Getting random questions: For example "Teacher, how do you spell poo hole?" (no joke)
2. Receiving hugs from my students: Sunny came up to me before class this week and gave me a huge hug...instant happiness.
3. Little hands shaking eagerly in the air to answer a simple fill-in-the-blank question.
4. Reading my students' funny sentences, stories or essays in their journals or VE books and being able to laugh out loud.
5. Pretending I'm a secret agent with a special kind of "hand phone" that looks like a clock.
6. Random happies: Dried Mangos from Lucy (they were yummy)
7. Students that make me laugh
8. Being able to stun my students into silence.

Reasons why I need a break from teaching...

1. The incessant "Teacher, Teacher, Teacher" and interruptions
2. The constant repetition of everything
3. The moments when I feel like I'm not doing anything
4. Having to be the "bad guy"
5. The endless grading and corrections
6. The Problem Children.
7. Dealing with nose bleeds, drool, and nose pickers

I had a student (Jack) burning mechanical pencil lead with his cell phone battery on Wednesday. O_O

Can I dance with you? Baby, baby is there no chance I can take you for the last dance?

Warm ginseng drinks taste like a pumpkin spiced pie. The after taste mixed with strawberry yogurt is not so pleasant.

Today I took off of work because I am sick. First time I have felt this way here and it isn't pleasant. Ben (head teacher at Espirit) was nice enough to bring some Korean style medicine to me. I'm not too sure how it is going to affect me. I guess we'll see in an hour.

Yesterday (or today) is Teacher's Day in Korea. One of my students surprised me with a small bouquet of purple and pink carnations. Another one of my students gave a nice set of oriental spiced soaps. The most outrageous present I got from a student of mine was a $100 gift certificate from Shinsegae Department Store. Wow! They were nice tokens of appreciation and it made me feel a lot better yesterday.

A friend of mine from home, aka Ducky, has inspired me to write more about the everyday smells and sights I experience in Seoul.

"The smells are not very pleasant. When the subway is packed, the heat radiating from the people seem to "broil" the smells in the air making me gag. Yes, gag. The mix of soju, garlic, and kimchi is not pleasant. AT ALL. (Ok, so there was only one time when I gagged...) Other days, you are walking along the streets of Seoul and you get a whiff of something that has been decaying and rotting. The summer shall be interesting. In the spring, the weather is perfect. Some days, just walking outside feeling the breeze and the sun on my skin puts an extra pep in my step. The summers are going to broiling and the winter will be frigid. The joys of all four seasons!"(Memo: NOT trying to say that it smells bad all the time, just at certain moments)

On a typical day I Walk through the "Red Light District" of my area, Seocho, to get to work. It's not as bad as what a person would usually see at other areas (glass boxes with the girls on show, ready to be picked off). Usually cards or advertisements litter the streets from the night before. Large printed phone numbers and scantily clad girls appear on matted paper. There are a number of large barber shop poles that spin. We've all seen them, the ones that are red, white and blue. In an odd way, they look like candy shop signs to me. Those poles are everywhere and can't be avoided.

My mouth tastes like burnt rubber.

Three Day Weekend

Thankfully, I got a three day weekend because of Children's Day. I spent a lot of the time shopping and exploring other areas I hadn't been to. Friday night was the same as any other Friday; I spent it relaxing and thinking.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to the Jeonju International Film Festival. I was going to leave Sunday, but plans change.

Saturday, I went to Sinchon to eat at On The Border. YES! Burritos, margaritas, salsa & chips. My craving was satisfied and it was pretty good. After eating lunch, we headed over to Hongdae to check out the Free Market. It was relatively small but there were a number of vendors selling interesting homemade items. We also got to see a free street performance that involved a guitar and an accordion. A few hours later we took the subway to Dongdaemun. We spent most of the time wandering around the many shopping centers. I bought a white fur covering for when it gets colder.

On Sunday we headed over to COEX (has an aquarium, movie theatre, and kimchi museum). It is a huge mall, I think the largest in Korea, with a wide variety of stores. Then we headed over to the Sports Complex to see a baseball game. The Lotte Giants and Doosan. When we left, which was somewhat early in the game, Doosan was winning. Koreans really get into chanting and cheering at these games. It's a shame I didn't take any photos.

Then on Monday I headed over to Itaewon to find a tailor that could hem my pants. $20 for three pairs...would've been $24-25 back at home. So not a bad deal. They also make dresses, I might look up different patterns and see how much it will cost for them to make some. I also went to Gangnam to do some more shopping.

This coming weekend I will get another three day weekend. Woo hoo! I'm thinking about taking a short trip to Busan. I'll leave on Saturday and come back Monday morning.

I managed to start my letter to my "bio-parent." It is far from finished.