And they're off!

Once again, I'll be taking a short break (even though I just took one) from blogging. We are spending the new year in the Philippines!!! We are also planning a trip to Thailand in a couple of months, so if it pans out, there will be lots of pictures to share! I'm beyond excited, because I've been wanting to go to the Philippines for a long time. We won't be staying at any of the island resorts this time around. We'll be sticking to Manila. Hopefully, everything goes well and we'll come back somewhat rested.

Oops

I didn't realize it had been so long since I last popped my head in here. Sorry.
I've been taking a lot of time to just relax and enjoy my life without wedding drama/stress. I am so happy to be able to take my weekday nights and weekends and do whatever I need to do with no money issues. That being said, I went a little overboard, and now I am left with nothing until next Friday. My bad! Other than a big purchase I have in mind, December should be a quiet month, to just focus on myself, my husband, and my life here in Korea. I should make one of my resolutions to drop a line here every day. But usually resolutions are broken within the first month, if not the first week. So I'll just say I'll try to be more regular about writing, and just be patient while I get all this freedom out of my system ;)

The Good Life

I had the best weekend I've had in a while in Korea. I am loving life, and it is good!
The whole contract thing with my school didn't work out quite the way I wanted it to, but it was okay. At least okay enough for me to stay. The husband and I went out with his coworkers on Thursday night, we went to the local bar on Friday night, and we went out to Seoul on Saturday night. I haven't had a weekend like that in what seems like forever, and it was definitely something I needed, without the worries I would have had in regards to money. This is all because the wedding is over, and it was the first time in over a year we just picked up and went without rationalizing the cost and what not. So it was definitely a GREAT time. On Sunday, we went to get new cell phones, and I found myself smiling for no reason, just because I was so happy. I totally felt cheesy and kind of ridiculous for it, but I just went with the flow. I felt like smiling, so I smiled! Of course, it came tumbling down once 6 p.m. hit, because the weekend was coming to an end. But now I am definitely looking forward to the rest of this year, and I am more at peace with the whole 'staying longer' thing.
The only thing I'm not at peace with is this weather. It is COLD! We are planning on getting a little tabletop oven soon, so I'll be making some warm cookies to make the chill go away. Overall, it has been a good few days, and I can't wait for Christmas.

See-Saw

There is some back-and-forth going on in my contract negotiation for this coming year. It may mean I am not staying any later than March, and if that's the case, I don't really have a back-up plan. Because the Korean law changed (once again!) in regards to work visas--specifically English teaching visas, I would need a good four months to get the stuff I need in order to get another job elsewhere in Korea. So that means I either suck it up and stay until next December, or leave in March. I was planning on staying for sure another year, and I was so happy about that, but then leaving in March kind of makes me feel weird. On the one hand, it would be a great chance to figure things out immediately, but on the other hand, I was hoping this year would be the "planning" year. So things are kind of up in the air, and we are waiting another day or so to hear the final decision on their behalf. Then the ball's in our court, and we may have a decision by tomorrow night or Thursday.

Reorganizing

I am struggling with being in this country each day. Because I've grown so jaded on this place, I've decided to change that around.
I'm about to sign a new contract for another year, and it leaves me feeling a bit unsettled, confused, and a tiny bit sad. This is SO not good. I want to make myself take full advantage of what drew me to the culture and being here in the first place, because I really don't want to leave for good with a bad taste in my mouth. This is kind of like a new year's resolution I am going to follow through. I am going to take each week and embrace the changes that come with time, along with the little quirks and uncomfortable moments that make living here so unique. Otherwise, I'll end up even more bitter than I already am, and I don't want that to happen. I want to leave here and miss it. I want to tell people about the great things they can do here, and not scare them away like I did when I went home a few weeks ago. As long as I take it one day at a time, and make a conscious effort to be happier in my everyday life here, I think everything will work out.

Homecoming

Woo!
It has been For.E.Ver. I'm back in the S to the K, with a little extra bling on my finger...

It was so great being home after so long, and I really did NOT want to come back to Korea. It seemed like the plane ride over here wasn't real, and it didn't hit me until we were walking from our plane to customs, when I got really sad. I do not like it here at all anymore. It was fine for the first two years, and maybe I just got burnt out on the place, but the past two years made me so sick of being here. It's a combination of me not liking the culture, not speaking the language well, missing home too much, and feeling out of place all the time. It's also about convenience. You can make a somewhat comfortable life when you are away from your home country, but you have to make do without some other things. Or, you may have to substitute in order to make it more "home-like." For the most part, it's little things, like getting used to the taste of cake or pizza here. If you have a sensitive sense of taste like I do, you can tell the difference between the cakes and pizzas here and the ones in the States. It leaves a lot of room for cravings you can't satisfy.

But I've adjusted since getting back from the wedding. Knowing that we are now saving for our future makes the time we are going to spend here seem like it's going to fly by. We may end up in a different country, and at that point, I may realize that all I needed was a change of scenery. We'll see.

I did miss my kindergarteners, though. It is really great to see them every morning, happy and smiling because I'm there. I'm happy because they're happy, so it works! I'm also getting excited about Christmas coming up. My husband (!) and I were talking about how we wanted to celebrate it this year, and we want to keep it a private thing this time around. Last year, we have people over to his apartment and had a gift exchange. It was nice, but it didn't really feel like Christmas. Hopefully, this year will be slightly different, because we are making it about spending time with each other and enjoying our new married life, with no distractions.

Now if I can only figure out what to get for him this year. . .

Really Close

I am hoping the next two days go by a little faster. I am SO ready to be done here and not worrying or thinking about work!
I will miss my kindergarteners, though. One of them told me last week he was sad I was leaving, because I wouldn't be at school with them. He said that on Thursday, he would be holding on to my leg so I wouldn't be able to leave.
I am about to finish the placecards, fold up the ceremony programs, and put some pictures on a CD to take to the photo place tomorrow so I can put them in our guest book. So it's gonna be another busy one! Sorry :( I really want to make more time to blog, but it's a little hard now because of all the wedding prep. I will definitely be back after the wedding with more frequent posts.

Almost There

We are a week away from the wedding, and I am so ready. I'm ready to be away from work, ready to be back in the U.S., ready to eat tons of delicious food, ready to relax, and ready to be a wife. We had a pre-wedding party  last night here at our apartment, and it was great. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, and we got some unexpected gifts. It makes me appreciate the people that are in our lives and take care of us.

Being home after two years is going to be odd, I think. First, driving will be a little tense for me. I'm sure I'll get right back into it, but it'll still be strange to be driving. Speaking English all the time and being understood is also going to be different. Hopefully, it won't be overwhelming, since it's not like I've been away for twenty years or anything.

We just went to an all-you-can-eat meat buffet, and I am stuffed, so I just wanted to peek in and say hi real quick. I'll be back tomorrow with some updates and stuff.

MYOB

It seems like I am surrounded by people who can't mind their own business. Someone will ask me a question, and just as I'm opening my mouth to answer, someone who was not part of the conversation or the question will answer for me. I let it slide because it's not worth it to me to get worked up over a stupid and petty little thing, but it can get annoying.
I took the kindergarteners over to the library on a different floor of our building (different school, but same owner and we use their facilities all the time), and had them take one book to bring back to class. One of the teachers down there came over and was all in my business, not even polite or anything. She was kind of aggressive, being like, "you have to check those books out," as she made her way over to the check-out computer. I was like, "M told me it was okay, and I only need the books for this period. I'll bring them back later." All the while, I was thinking, I was already down here to get some books earlier today and yesterday, and I already put those books back, and why is it any of your business to be all in my face like that? Aaaand, I've been here longer than you have and I know how things work around here, and don't worry about it. Let me do me and get back to your desk.
Then she proceeded to count the number of books the kids had, like she was memorizing who had what, and I was like, "M said it was fine, and you can ask her." and I started walking away. SO annoying! Then she was like, "When will you bring them back?" Beeyotch, I'll bring them back when I'll bring them back! seriously? Are these YOUR books? Do you own these books?
What she needed to do was to mind her own business, because I wasn't stealing the books or anything. And it would have been different if she was the supervisor or the owner, but she's not. It just pisses me off when people get involved in crap that doesn't concern them, and try to create drama where there is none. It wasn't even like she approached me in a polite way, either. She came up to me with an air of bossiness/aggressiveness, like I was doing something wrong.

Anyway, Boo and I are having our pre-wedding extravaganza this Saturday, and I'm pretty excited. We are having some people over and I'll be making my almost-famous pizza dip. We went to Costco and got this chip and dip platter for 5 bucks. It is really nice, and I'm pretty happy with how great it'll look among the drinks. I know, I'm a dork for stuff like this. Who knew? I'm only making the dip, some quesadillas, and setting out chips and salsa and nothing else, because a lot of stuff didn't get eaten at the Christmas party last year. So it'll be a lot of drinking and little eating. We are also just having beer and probably gin and vodka with the mixers. So it should be pretty good.
I have to make sure to take plenty of pictures this time!

Wedding Nervousness

With less than two weeks to go until the big day, I don't feel any different. Someone asked me yesterday if I was getting nervous, and I had to give a vague answer. I really don't feel nervous. Don't get me wrong, I am happy and excited about the ceremony and the party afterwards, but I'm more looking forward to taking that next step with my soon-to-be husband. It seems like because we've been together for so long (5+ years), the only thing that'll change will be the legalization of our union. I feel like nothing will change, and it's hard to put into words that people won't take the wrong way. And because we've been together for so long, it annoys me when those same people asking the questions about our wedding and are so interesting in the planning give marital advice. "Oh, just wait. Everything will change when you're married." "He does that for you now, but wait until you're married. He won't do any of those sweet little gestures for you for much longer."
It makes me want to scream sometimes, because 1. You are not us. You don't have the relationship we do, and each couple is different. 2. In some cases, the people giving us this "advice" have certain cultural differences from us, which affects their view on relationships, or they have been together for less time than we have. This isn't to say that they don't know more than we do about marriage, but let US do us.
It's so annoying when these people don't really know us, and pretend to know everything there is to know about marriage. I know they might mean well, but it gets old after a while.

I am almost more excited about going home after not being there for the past two years. I get to relax and not thing about work for a solid two weeks, and hopefully come back rested and a little less bitchy than I normally am.

Guam

We're back from Guam, but I have a lot to do today--wedding-wise. So I'll leave you with a couple of shots, and I'll try to get back tomorrow.

It was amazing, and I hope we can go back sometime in the future.

Vacation time!

I haven't finished the flowers, and I won't post any pictures until they're all done. So it'll be a while. Especially since we are leaving for Guam in a couple of days, and we won't be back for a week. But by then, I should have the flowers done, and I should also have plenty of Guam pictures to share.

Steve's basketball friend Ian and his wife just had their baby today! He posted a picture up on Facebook, and he is so cute! You know how newborns come out all scrunched up and what not? This baby is totally not like that. He is really adorable. I'm really happy for them. When we go home for the wedding, I want to take some time and shop for a couple of things for the baby, and hopefully I can find something original and useful.

I may be back tomorrow to add some last-minute stuff, but I doubt it. I'll definitely be back next Friday, though!

Flowers and Football

We went to get some artificial flowers this weekend, and we spent a good two hours last night putting the boutonnieres and bouquets together. They look surprisingly great! I'm pretty happy about that, since I was a little concerned that they would look really fake and stupid. But they look really good. I'll post pictures up when I'm done with them.

We also received our first wedding present. My kindergarten class has ten students in in. Their parents all know I am leaving soon for the wedding, and they're being nice about the fact that I'll be gone for a full two weeks. One of the moms brought a present, and I'll post pictures up later as well. I'm waiting for Steve to get off work so we can open the box together, so that's why I'm not putting pictures up yet.

I am SO excited to go home! I'll be going to my very first Friday-night football game at Steve's younger brother's high school. I am going to be taking tons of pictures, and I am looking forward to the whole atmosphere--with the band, the food, the cheering, and the actual game itself! That is definitely one of the events that is at the top of my list of things to do while at home.

Hopefully, I can put those pictures up tomorrow, or even later tonight.

Shopping

I didn't want to skip a day of blogging so early in the game, but Steve and I decided to go shopping yesterday for some wedding stuff. We left at 8 (!) and got back at 5-ish, but I was exhausted. Shopping in Korea is not like shopping back in the States. You are literally on your feet all day. At least in the U.S., you get to sit and relax on your drive home, but the weekends in Korea mean everyone else is shopping. That in turn means you are fighting for standing room on the trains with all those other people, with your shopping bags. Not fun.

Anyway, we got his wedding shoes and suit jacket. We also got our flowers. Yes, we are going with artificial on this, for three reasons:
1. They're way cheaper than real ones.
2. We only need the bouquets and boutonnieres for pictures and to look nice.
3. Flowers are the least important thing for me to have. I'm only getting them to look nice in the pictures.

We also got our parents their presents. I'm not telling what they are just yet, just in case. But they're pretty cool. Today, I'll be working on table numbers, placecards, table arrangements, and hopefully, the flowers. So it should be a busy Sunday for me. I want to get everything done before we leave for Guam next week, so it might end up being a busy week here.
Guam, here we come (almost!)!

One Month

I was looking at my calendar today, and I realized that once we get back from Guam, we'll be here for a week and a half before it's time to leave again to get married! I didn't realize how close it was, but yeah, we only have one month to go. Next week, we have work. The week after that is our Chu-Seok break. The week after that is a regular work week. The week after that is the week we go home! I have a ton of stuff to finish before we leave, and I should actually get it all done this weekend, since the weekend after our trip to Guam will be the weekend we have our party with our friends here in Korea. I'm glad that all this stress and planning is going to end, because it will have been a full year and two months since getting engaged and starting the planning process.
This month is definitely flying by, and I am so looking forward to having no stress--with Guam and then again when we are home.

I did also want to add to the post from yesterday. That was my opinion about a matter which I have no control over. I don't have kids, and I won't know how to deal with behavioral problems with my own children until I get to that point. I have a good idea on how I want to teach my kids to act, but I haven't put that into practice yet. So yeah, my view may change once I have kids, but it may not. I don't know. I do want to make it clear that I am no expert, and it is only that--my opinion.

Crybabies

There is a kid at school who cries for every. single. little. thing. She once pulled a chair out from under another kid, making him fall to the floor, and when her teacher called her out on it, she immediately started to cry. It's not a quiet-tears-fall-and-you're-done type of deal, either. She throws an all-out tantrum. She punches and kicks the walls, the desks, and cries so loudly, you can hear her in a completely different part of the school (we are on one floor of a building, so not that big of a school, but big enough).
Today, she wasn't reading the page I wanted her to read, and I just waited for her to start. I want the kids to try to sound out the words and read on their own, with help from me. I don't want to give them the word and do the work for them. I think that doesn't help them at all, so I tell them to try to read and I'll help them along. If they won't read, I won't help them. She kept saying, "I don't know, I don't know." I just kept saying, "At least try to read it, and I can help you." Five minutes later, I told her she could go to a younger class to learn to read, because I was fed up with her not even trying to read. Even her classmates, who know how she is, were trying to help her.
Well, me telling her she could go to a younger class was the last straw, and she went off. I told her if she was crying, she could go to the younger class or stop crying and stay in our class. She said she wanted to stay, and I told her she had to read if she wanted to stay. She wouldn't read. So I started to gather her things to take over to the younger class, and that was when she started her everyday crying routine. Seriously, she cries at least once a day.
Then I got mad and started mimicking her, to show her how ridiculous she looked, and her classmates started laughing at her. That did not go over well at all, and she got even louder. Finally, I told everyone to ignore her and we finished the lesson, with her crying and freaking out in the background.

The point of this whole story is this: How do you, as a parent, allow your child to be so spoiled and relentless to get their way? Obviously, she thinks this is okay, because she isn't embarrassed by it, and I don't exaggerate when I say she does this every day. I know there are some kids that are just bad, but for the most part, I believe that parents have a good part in changing bad behaviors. This kid's mom must reinforce this type of behavior. That's the only thing I can come up with. I just hope that when I do have kids, I can teach them to not be little jerks who think the world revolves around them.
Another reason why this particular kid acts this way at school is because the Korean teachers let her get away with it. When I ignored her behavior during class, she calmed down, but as soon as I went to ask her a question, she immediately started crying again. So it's obviously an attention thing. That was also why I didn't take her to one of the Korean teachers, because they usually baby her and make her think she can do this all the time. She never gets punished for anything, and then us native teachers get blamed for being the mean guys. I really don't think I was being mean in that situation, because I was showing her how stupid her behavior was, and I was letting her vent and get her aggression out before I stepped in and calmly tried to talk to her. I think that if the Korean teachers simply ignored her during her freak-outs, she would chill out and not be such a little brat. But that's not going to happen, so I'll just vent my frustrations here. It was SO annoying, and I'm glad I only have that class twice a week. Believe me, she would not be like that if I was her everyday teacher.

So Embarrassed

Have you ever felt like one day was a different day of the week?Today, I thought it was Thursday!
At work, we have a schedule which changes every day, for both kindergarten and elementary school. On Wednesdays, I have a forty-minute class after lunch and then I have a forty-minute break. On Thursdays, I have a break after lunch and then a class. Because I totally thought it was Thursday, I left school and got something at the bakery, and then went home. I was standing there talking to Steve when his phone rang. It was someone from work, trying to let me know that I should have been in class this whole time! So I ran back to work, and only got there ten minutes after class had started, but I was so so so embarrassed because I looked kinda stupid, not knowing my own class schedule. The head teacher was sitting in the classroom with the kids, and I apologized. After that class was over, I went and got him some ice cream and a powerade, as a thank-you for watching the kids while I was gone.
This is the second time I've accidentally missed a class in the past two weeks, and it stresses me out a little bit, because I am SO not like that, at all. Hopefully, it doesn't happen again.

In other news, Steve and I are going to Guam for our Chu-Seok break coming up on the 18th. I am really excited, since we'll be heading home two weeks after that to get married!!!
Chu-Seok is a Korean holiday (a lot of people say it's like our American Thanksgiving holiday, but it's not.) I'm not really sure exactly on what the holiday is, but we get four days off of work for that. We never get those many days off for a holiday like this, so we needed to go somewhere. Yes, that money could go towards the wedding budget, but we are sacrificing some other things to make this trip happen, so whatever. We leave on a Saturday and get back on that Thursday. I can't wait!!

My Goals

I came to Korea a little over four years ago. I started a blog, and kept it up for maybe two months. I started this blog because I do want to share different things I've learned while living here. I also want to write about my everyday life in general, to keep my family and friends up to date. I think I am now ready and willing to be able to blog on a more consistent basis, and I know this will not be a two-month thing. I've been reading a ton of other blogs for a long time now, and it has only made me want to blog even more. I'm pretty sure this will be a slow start for me, but I'll get the hang of it :)