tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22339085945806315442023-11-16T21:49:42.325+11:00The Flip SideCarolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-32876153158781312652012-07-17T17:18:00.001+10:002012-07-17T17:18:16.317+10:00On a Tuesday AfternoonMy school has been pretty much silent for most of today. Grades 4, 5 and 6 all went to the Yeosu Expo and left us subject teachers behind. It's nice having a day to do nothing ... although, I think would have liked to use this day to clean up the apartment and do the dishes. They are all waiting for me in the sink with their groupie fruit flies (<i>gag</i>). <br />
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But instead of doing useful things around my house I spent some time loving on my sock yarn blanket, which has grown from the 3.5 squares I showed you in my <a href="http://supercareo.blogspot.kr/2012/04/gone-round-bend.html" target="_blank">last post</a> to a whopping 59 squares. Only 697 left before I'm done! I'm really hoping that Santa brings me a whole bunch of mini skeins this Christmas. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The toilet paper was the only thing I could find to use for scale.</td></tr>
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I also got to spend some time chatting with two of my dearest friends back home. Both of them have been dealing with some crap, so we talked about that. And then we talked about all of the overwhelming feelings I am having about packing up and leaving Korea. I love my friends so much ... no matter what is going on in their own lives they always manage to make time to make me feel better about all my first world problems. <br />
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As freaked out as I am by the thought of moving back home for good, I am also really looking forward to it. I will miss a lot of what Korea has to offer in the job world (low responsibility, low work load, afternoons free, no paperwork, great salary) but there are a lot of things that I am looking forward to never dealing with again. Like how this morning, the Office of Education sent out an email stating that they were going to change the way the end of contract bonuses will be paid and that it is going into effect for next month (when the bonuses are <i>supposed</i> to be paid) and will effect everyone who is staying regardless of the fact that they signed a <b>contract</b> 12 months ago that says they will get the bonus next month. Because who really wants to be able to <i>plan</i> on things like bonuses, anyway? Losers, that's who.<br />
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Also, I'm really looking forward to eating some good Mexican food.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-51495081119971831262012-05-01T15:14:00.000+10:002012-05-01T15:14:22.227+10:00It's raining, it's pouring ...Lucky for me there is no old man in my apartment snoring.<br />
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Even the baby across the hall who cries all the time (I feel <i>so bad</i> for both bebe and parents) is being quiet today.<br />
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I found out yesterday that my sinus infection has turned into bronchitis. On doctor's order I've stayed home the last two days to rest. It's been lovely. Other than the coughing part ... I could live without that.<br />
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I finished up my April knitting project ... a bebe blanket for another dear friend who is expecting. So today will be spent figuring out what to knit for May. Maybe some new hand mitts for my mom. Or a stuffed something-or-other for my god-bebe. I think it might be her turn.<br />
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<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-55873159189904670922012-04-26T12:18:00.002+10:002012-07-17T17:07:46.902+10:00Gone 'Round the BendTwo things:<br />
1. I'm sick again. (This should come as no surprise to anyone who has <i>ever</i> known me in real life).<br />
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2. I have gone round the bend. No joke. And I have the photos to prove it:<br />
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It finally happened. About 6 months after Stephanie started her sock yarn blanket (<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/aprilantipodal/sock-yarn-blanket" target="_blank">rav link</a>) I start mine. That Stephanie is a bad influence. Everything she does I end up doing. But, I guess if I'm going to get peer pressured into doing something I guess it's better to knit socks than do something stupid like get hooked on heroin.</div>
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So. This blanket is not heroin. So why do I think this is an insane thing?</div>
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Because these squares are about 7 centimeters across (just shy of 3 inches) and I want to make a blanket that will cover a big person. So, if the short end of my blanket is as wide as a twin bed (which is about 99 centimeters) that means that I have to knit 14 of these bad boys.</div>
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I know that you're thinking that 14 doesn't sound like a lot of squares. But let us also consider that a twin bed is 190 centimeters long which means that on top of those first 14 squares, I have to add another 27. And then I have to fill the whole thing in for a grand total of <strike>378 squares</strike> 756 squares. If it takes me an average of 30 minutes to knit a square (while watching a Downton Abbey, of course) that means that I will be spending approximately <strike>189 hours</strike> 378 hours of my life knitting this blanket.</div>
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That, my friends, is <b>a lot</b> of knitting.</div>
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So, let's recap:</div>
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1. Sickness = so not news.</div>
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2. Blanket = insane.</div>
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3. Super Awesome .GIF = made at <a href="http://makeagif.com/">makeagif.com</a> </div>
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4. Caroline = good at math today (woo!). </div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-88146492512197144002012-04-19T16:03:00.000+10:002012-04-19T16:44:39.612+10:00Looking Forward ...<br />
In no particular order, here are something things that I am looking forward to in the next few weeks:<br />
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<li>Consistently warmer weather.</li>
<li>Running more.</li>
<li>Finishing the baby blanket that I am knitting and ...</li>
<li>Shipping it off and ...</li>
<li>Hopefully knitting another baby something to go with it.</li>
<li>Keeping up with my newest project <a href="http://www.750words.com/" target="_blank">750 Words</a> (you should all get on that bandwagon)</li>
<li>Going through the apartment and packing things to start sending home.</li>
<li>Payday!! For obvious reasons and also because it means that I get to ... </li>
<li>Order yarn for my sweater knit along with my knitting friend <a href="http://aprilantipodal.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Stephanie</a>.</li>
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This is the sweater and the yarn I want to knit it in. GAH. Just even thinking about it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbz13xb2NpT38Vs1Yp9ZLzcTnUg7HZoCxJgd_w5FHQo9l6aJY-fLbhq9JHin5OxjA4gq3jQ2ELm0jhG2iIxgxhcsxU-Pe3mRmLqnKzycbRPIVHv-KzyTbJvwmsuooWpJkulbUMBG3jJs4w/s1600/levenwick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbz13xb2NpT38Vs1Yp9ZLzcTnUg7HZoCxJgd_w5FHQo9l6aJY-fLbhq9JHin5OxjA4gq3jQ2ELm0jhG2iIxgxhcsxU-Pe3mRmLqnKzycbRPIVHv-KzyTbJvwmsuooWpJkulbUMBG3jJs4w/s320/levenwick.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Levenwick (<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/levenwick" target="_blank">rav link</a>)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3SS571jBBP36HQVwbTm40SmZtCZQPemP8evRzWUcjqsj3l1Lf1Vw5LCRSPunqCw4mx8SbEv63C_Hg6GdLZX2X0iLvWtcc2P1DFxlpPG3aQhKtSK1XLOv5OKuIYJZDiEo_1jy361HGb1aL/s1600/well+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3SS571jBBP36HQVwbTm40SmZtCZQPemP8evRzWUcjqsj3l1Lf1Vw5LCRSPunqCw4mx8SbEv63C_Hg6GdLZX2X0iLvWtcc2P1DFxlpPG3aQhKtSK1XLOv5OKuIYJZDiEo_1jy361HGb1aL/s1600/well+water.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://eatsleepknit.com/cshop/product/Madelinetosh-Tosh-Vintage/3171/#" target="_blank">Madelinetosh Vintage Tosh</a> in Well Water</td></tr>
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Have you ever knit something with Madelintosh Vintage Tosh? Because if you haven't, and you happen to be a knitter, you really should fix that. It's is something of the most wonderful yarn on this little planet. SO soft and warm and the drape ... don't <i>even</i> get me started. Just don't do it.<br />
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Ryan thinks it's super itchy which is just so sad for him and also makes me so happy that I am not wool sensitive at all. This is the same kind of yarn I used when I knitted Brian's sweater and I have been <i>dieing</i> to knit with it again.<br />
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I mean look at that. LOOK AT IT. The color ... the drape ... the fabulousness of it all. And for anyone that's interested, that sweater is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/SuperCareo/cobblestone-pullover" target="_blank">The Cobblestone Sweater</a> (rav link) by Jared Flood with Madelinetosh Vintage Tosh in <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/people/SuperCareo/stash/tosh-vintage" target="_blank">Fig</a>.<br />
<br />Yup. That's what I'm looking forward to the most. New yarn. And also getting to knit that sweater while watching quality programming like Downton Abbey. Really, the only thing missing from all of this about 16 cats.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-76982258473911460402011-10-21T10:49:00.000+11:002011-10-21T10:49:12.735+11:00Korea is a Silly Place Episode 2: You Want What Now?This is an actual conversation that I had with my co-teacher the morning I ended up going to the doctor about the <a href="http://supercareo.blogspot.com/2011/10/ouchy-stabby.html">stabby hurty</a>:<br />
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<i>Caroline</i>: "Hey, are you doing anything this afternoon?"<br />
<i>Mrs. Kim</i>: "I have a meeting after our last class, why?"<br />
<i>C</i>: "I have a pain and I want to go to the hospital." (For those of you who don't live in Korea, they go to the hospital for everything. It's like when we go to the walk in clinic at the doctor's office.)<br />
<i>K</i>: "You have a pain? Where is it?"<br />
<i>C</i>: "It's here. It hurts when I move certain ways and when I cough or sneeze and I want to make sure it's not my appendix."<br />
<i>K</i>: "Your what?"<br />
<i>C</i>: "It's a thing on your intestines. Anyway, I want to go to the hospital."<br />
<i>K</i>: "Ok, do you have an appointment?"<br />
<i>C</i>: "Uh ... no. I don't speak Korean." (She knows this.)<br />
<i>K</i>: "Well, which hospital do you want to go to?"<br />
<i>C</i>: "I don't know. I was hoping you could help me with that."<br />
<i>K</i>: "Do you want to see my husband?" (Her husband is a surgeon.)<br />
<i>C</i>: "No, I just want to talk to a doctor to make sure that I am ok."<br />
<i>K</i>: "So ..." She looks confused. "You want to go to the hospital but you have no appointment?"<br />
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<i>Pause while I think about how to rephrase my request for her to help me go to the hospital.</i> <br />
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<i>C</i>: "I know an English speaking doctor. I will just go to him."<br />
<i>K</i>: "Yes, I think that would be best."<br />
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END SCENE.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-29217549824204663582011-10-12T14:25:00.000+11:002011-10-12T14:25:12.448+11:00Love/Hate/Overworked/Look what I got!There are days when I am absolutely, madly in love with Korea. Days when it can do no wrong. The weather is perfect, my kids are happy, my co-workers make me laugh.<br />
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There are days when I am not so in love. Days when I would give anything to be able to walk into a store and buy come frosting in a can. Or maybe some vanilla extract. Or some black beans. Or green beans. Good beer. Pork chops. Or being able to find nice specialty shops, like {nice} yarn shops. OH THE YARN SHOPS.<br />
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This week I have been overloaded with work from a special project I have volunteered to help out with. I didn't realize that it would be this much work when I signed up. I have been feeling slightly under valued while being horribly overworked. I'm pretty sure that I have already worked over 40 hours this week - normal working hours plus all the extra time I'm putting into this other project - and it's only Wednesday.<br />
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I asked the other people who are involved to help me out - that I am on the verge of being burnt out. I'm sure they will come through. They are good people. This is a good project. I'm jazzed to be a part of it; I'm just hating the amount of work that I have had to do in <i>one week</i>. <br />
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The work has made me horribly cranky. I have no patience for some people ... some students too. I feel angry and sad and tired and empty all at the same time. But I know that this week will never repeat itself (I am going to make <i>damn</i> sure of that). This is a one time push and then it's easy street for the rest of the project.<br />
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I will show you what I've been working on, I promise. I am too impressed with myself to not show you. But that is a post for another day because I'm still not done working on it.<br />
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On a happier note, I got a fish! She is a betta. Her name is Star Shine. She lives in a big jar. She likes to stare at me when I eat breakfast. Long story short: she totally rocks.<br />
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<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-68904240242950666792011-10-05T16:44:00.002+11:002011-10-05T16:44:36.102+11:00Ouchy StabbyLast week I had a bit of a health scare.<br />
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The short version of it is that I coughed one day and it hurt. <i> Really </i>hurt. Like, stabby pain in the area where my appendix likes to hang out. When the pain didn't go away after a few days I took myself to the only English speaking doctor I know of in Gwangju (he's in the university backgate area - email me if you need the info) to see if I <strike>was going to die from a ruptured appendix</strike> needed to worry. I ended up getting a sonogram of my entire torso and the happy news that my appendix was <i>totally</i> not trying to kill me. <br />
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As of now I still don't have an official diagnosis of the stabby pain. But Ryan (being the sporty guy he is) had me do some stretches and we are both pretty sure that I just pulled a muscle.<br />
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<b> Fact</b>: When you are an expat in Korea you will drink. You will drink like you have never drunk (drank?) <strike>before</strike> since university. <br />
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<b>Fact</b>: Drinking like you are still at university won't do much for your girlish figure.<br />
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<b>Bonus fact</b>: You will also start calling college university because no one from outside the US will know what you are talking about if you don't.<br />
<br />
I decided that I didn't like the direction my waist was going (out and over the top of my pants) so a couple of weeks ago I decided that I would join a bootcamp. I'm pretty sure that the super intense ab workouts we did were the cause of my stabby pain.<br />
<br />
The best part of all of this? The doctor declared that my liver function is normal. Which I wasn't worried about but is <i>always</i> reassuring to hear from a medical professional. Especially when you live in Korea.<br />
<br />
AND I now have a foot long print out of crappy sonogram pictures of my insides! I'm thinking I might frame them - but I'm open to suggestions.<br />
Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-17615442134302109732011-09-30T12:47:00.002+10:002011-09-30T12:47:54.077+10:00I am in South Korea?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9UPFRC7E0xQ-doTupg5N7nwhldc8FwQHZmLLFCyV__Rf6vtj2EcKrnFAxfwqpJKO8NTp76XCaHMNYdvd7PQC1tvl58sWWxS179RjFmBETFL8Qx7aCBWIejWL7Wk1mYL8HTAhnbk5Hsjw/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-09-30+at+10.52.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9UPFRC7E0xQ-doTupg5N7nwhldc8FwQHZmLLFCyV__Rf6vtj2EcKrnFAxfwqpJKO8NTp76XCaHMNYdvd7PQC1tvl58sWWxS179RjFmBETFL8Qx7aCBWIejWL7Wk1mYL8HTAhnbk5Hsjw/s320/Screen+shot+2011-09-30+at+10.52.36+AM.png" width="319" /></a></div>
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I like that there are some websites that feel the need to let me know where I am located in the world while I am viewing their website. <i> At least now I know why no one is speaking English around me anymore.</i><br />
Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-77357087873420232362011-09-26T10:11:00.000+10:002011-09-26T10:11:41.539+10:00The Day AfterWake up. <br />
<br />
Take asprin. <br />
<br />
Consider getting in the shower. Decide that going back to bed is the better idea.<br />
<br />
Wake up later.<br />
<br />
Remember last night.<br />
<br />
Get in the shower.<br />
<br />
<br />
Think about last night.<br />
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Worry about that one thing.<br />
<br />
Make coffee. <br />
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Think about it some more.<br />
<br />
Become convinced your friends hate you.<br />
<br />
Freak out quitely.<br />
<br />
Continue to think about last night.<br />
<br />
Berate yourself for being stupid.<br />
<br />
Continue to think about last night.<br />
<br />
Berate yourself for drinking more than you should have.<br />
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Try to convince yourself you had a good time in an effort to make yourself stop freaking out.<br />
<br />
Freak out more, less quitely.<br />
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Swear to never drink again.<br />
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Ignore friends who tell you it was FINE stop WORRYING (because they are your friends and clearly biased to you and your crazy behavior).<br />
<br />
Think about that one thing some more. <br />
<br />
Continue freaking out.<br />
<br />
Write vaguely worded blog post about last night.<br />
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Worry about not having friends anymore. <br />
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Realize that you are being ridiculous.<br />
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Feel better.<br />
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Move on.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-80794496275376589912011-09-14T17:23:00.003+10:002011-09-14T17:23:50.355+10:00Belated thoughts on ten years of 9/11This is my second year being out of the country for 9/11 and to be honest, the only reason I spent any time thinking about it this year was because of the fact that it happened (now, over a) decade ago. Which, holy cow, <i>ten years</i>?<br />
<br />
Ten years ago I was running around as a junior, dealing with all that nonsense that high school throws on everyone that passes through those doors. I had a driver's license but no car. I was on the swim team. I was dating a guy I don't date anymore. I'm pretty sure that I had a solid D in physics and was thrilled about it.<br />
<br />
That morning Tanner walked into my first hour and said that a plane had crashed into a building in New York, which my teacher brushed off as a joke because Tanner was late to class (again) and was known for saying things that were only based loosely on facts. By my third class I was being told that the White House was on fire, a plane had also been crashed into the Pentagon and that we were being invaded. After third period everyone in the school was glued the news, only tearing ourselves away to go to our next class or to run to the bathroom.<br />
<br />
Ten years later, I have grown up. I pay my own bills. I have to feed myself and do my own laundry. I moved so far away from my parents that I live half a day ahead of them. I date a different boy. I have dogs that are all mine instead of family pets. I have had office jobs and quarter life crises and broken hearts and hangovers. Flying on airplanes turned into a test of patience and a game of wills. Suddenly people were scared of other people for no reason. There have been times of love and unity and times of people pointing at each other screaming lies because they are scared of something they can't see. Osama Bin Laden was killed.<br />
<br />
That is a lot of stuff.<br />
<br />
Ten years later, I found myself in Fukuoka, Japan. Half a world away from those white high school hallways, drinking cocktails out of cans with new friends. We held our drinks in the air, said a short prayer of goodwill to sky, tapped our cans together, took good long swigs to be sure that our good vibes would travel far out into the night. We told each other about where we were when we learned about the history that was unfolding that day.<br />
<br />
Ten years from now I can only hope that I find myself in another place with cocktails and friends. Maybe our memories will be a bit more fuzzy. Maybe there will be kids running around screaming, making it hard to have a conversation. Maybe we will also get to talk about when the war ended. Hopefully we won't have another infamous date to talk about as well. Where ever that place is, I hope it's full of the good feelings and love that we tried to articulate in that toast.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-7024707934019606672011-05-24T23:30:00.011+10:002011-05-25T00:16:12.315+10:00A Brief Hitory of May (Part 1)Well, the most important thing to mention is that it is finally starting to get warm here. FINALLY. I walked home from knit night tonight with bare legs and was totally comfortable and not even a little cold. That's pretty remarkable for me since I have somehow turned into <span style="font-style: italic;">that person</span> who is <span style="font-style: italic;">always</span> cold.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFHDoY-TJQh5UuT2_anGBbzevg9tvW0jtuccF5wfjX5Qilnp784VtYhRD1yY-9iZIcLsD8HrHFw8kLjfGGlabfq4GocU1E_DDfdiQVUeTay06eVE3hHc-UNpqUMlXRY-XB_XcWgkcMC1Q/s1600/IMG_5329.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFHDoY-TJQh5UuT2_anGBbzevg9tvW0jtuccF5wfjX5Qilnp784VtYhRD1yY-9iZIcLsD8HrHFw8kLjfGGlabfq4GocU1E_DDfdiQVUeTay06eVE3hHc-UNpqUMlXRY-XB_XcWgkcMC1Q/s320/IMG_5329.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610275722675858210" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pretty, pretty Spring flowers.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Next most important thing to mention is that Ryan's little sister came to visit us along with her wonderful friend.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGi_eNOR2CVATuVAKBgLoCmeSbVxbaSHJy9znWjkgnw2Fnr-BgTuucp_2_T6KBbUcUs7PioIO8hwOPKdlWbhrThjJHgCP0KAMLUQACAQAEOiowgZU7v1l7zAZeQRdNwzv6ZyTRe-0CkNt/s1600/IMG_5322.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGi_eNOR2CVATuVAKBgLoCmeSbVxbaSHJy9znWjkgnw2Fnr-BgTuucp_2_T6KBbUcUs7PioIO8hwOPKdlWbhrThjJHgCP0KAMLUQACAQAEOiowgZU7v1l7zAZeQRdNwzv6ZyTRe-0CkNt/s320/IMG_5322.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610276630581976274" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge96ArSQMbLHVjQieGLmkzU0mGc38QbtFBEGzEGUSi5EjrjokESFEq_WNuIJ2vUSbEZT_X4GApGWUEB3jxf7zlNFnfBPS-tNVys5FTlmeU0bMxweD1XoDO4tZS9CpuWZAIwPjCkGAv7YGB/s1600/IMG_5293.jpg"> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge96ArSQMbLHVjQieGLmkzU0mGc38QbtFBEGzEGUSi5EjrjokESFEq_WNuIJ2vUSbEZT_X4GApGWUEB3jxf7zlNFnfBPS-tNVys5FTlmeU0bMxweD1XoDO4tZS9CpuWZAIwPjCkGAv7YGB/s320/IMG_5293.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610276621376231154" border="0" /></a></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ms. T is going to not like me much for putting that Dunkin' Doughnuts picture up but really, how could I not? It would be a crime, I tell you.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Too cute.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We did all sorts of crazy stuff with them ...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LJvu3H1tg2soPEW3q_00uz1nxaUqG-KQe5Mi_dnXH45J_juLwkijlErEOqWFNQFDNJMh4Teui0iwdZ8SCdPk5XlrfY0OkXW9LnbaXuBhYeciJ3xNc53A1Fdhh4qpJoUOo4FvL8uOCTsS/s1600/IMG_5179.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LJvu3H1tg2soPEW3q_00uz1nxaUqG-KQe5Mi_dnXH45J_juLwkijlErEOqWFNQFDNJMh4Teui0iwdZ8SCdPk5XlrfY0OkXW9LnbaXuBhYeciJ3xNc53A1Fdhh4qpJoUOo4FvL8uOCTsS/s320/IMG_5179.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610277756673322434" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">We went to Jinju to see Korean bullfights.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Which, just in case you are wondering, is an extremely humane sport. I was expecting the worst since Koreans are pretty well known for how poorly they treat animals. I once was at a festival petting zoo where there were two rabbits, a skunk having a panic attack, a tortoise and the saddest monkey in the world <span style="font-style: italic;">all in the same cage</span>. It was heartbreaking. I have have teared up a bit and run away.<br /><br />Anyway, this is how it works: they bring two bulls into the ring and put them face to face. If it looks like one of the bulls is just going to run away, they call the fight and move onto the next match. When the bulls do fight, they just sort of rub their heads together until one of them gets tired and turns tail. The most exciting match we saw was the first one and those two bulls kept taking breaks to give each other kisses. Not to mention these bulls are some of the healthiest looks animals I've seen in Korea. True story.<br /><br />But enough about Korean bullfights.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo47O8EfegbmdujZ6OqETpLXiNbkh-waxY6O9lgPJoVJwpJIwhaRaPnJ6wU1Tb8JjceCjkvMvbsAvN0dQqg-mJ_cn7OT0Oqh0-5iBh23isY-XD_23H5L_BU0HLuSp8dyiFqawCx0jPgcgc/s1600/IMG_5137.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo47O8EfegbmdujZ6OqETpLXiNbkh-waxY6O9lgPJoVJwpJIwhaRaPnJ6wU1Tb8JjceCjkvMvbsAvN0dQqg-mJ_cn7OT0Oqh0-5iBh23isY-XD_23H5L_BU0HLuSp8dyiFqawCx0jPgcgc/s320/IMG_5137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610279853935937266" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Green tea fields. Purdy!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We also took them to the green tea festival in Boesong. If you are ever in Korea and want to go to a festival, I would tell you to come to this one. It was the most un-Korean festival we've gone too since we got here and therefore was the best. Because I am a lazy blogger and Ryan does all the heavy lifting when it comes to blogs <a href="http://partialunderstanding.blogspot.com/2011/05/green-tea-fields-forever.html">you can check out his post here</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKm91XtS3ewGz8xNMo2tHoJbnD0YfDBVk1IzRGhlDxe0v93mImzh7sRTNpq7bI8yifIFiPlXIpJEIj-Gh4KlfdktJDxDCWnnJVRrU6_9UwX8DgaP8LwD94wHwymGwJFbXfqRZ1LfoiSA0/s1600/IMG_5281.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqKm91XtS3ewGz8xNMo2tHoJbnD0YfDBVk1IzRGhlDxe0v93mImzh7sRTNpq7bI8yifIFiPlXIpJEIj-Gh4KlfdktJDxDCWnnJVRrU6_9UwX8DgaP8LwD94wHwymGwJFbXfqRZ1LfoiSA0/s320/IMG_5281.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610281019297056722" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />We also spent some time on an Island called Namhea-do (I think. But that's probably wrong. I can never remember the name of this place. Hopefully Ryan will blog about it soon so that you can have accurate information) that was caked in fog the entire time we were there. But even covered in fog the island was beautiful.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpz6lbglCbc9e8LPV9iIAxhpZgAwRIIb0tQpz5gGaVi8_EwN_KwnlombgN5xSFBjwmsqFQBASEQO-LeKNH4pyuK7EOP8svtrzBBhlLSYD4h0BEUspUjH2lZGtT4H1I2cAIip66zhJER9n/s1600/IMG_5241.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpz6lbglCbc9e8LPV9iIAxhpZgAwRIIb0tQpz5gGaVi8_EwN_KwnlombgN5xSFBjwmsqFQBASEQO-LeKNH4pyuK7EOP8svtrzBBhlLSYD4h0BEUspUjH2lZGtT4H1I2cAIip66zhJER9n/s320/IMG_5241.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610281960181127954" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jm3BiAKDwTcJbJILHVuY628A3oTTxs8NUc91KE2QyAhvPJKdfxxWUoVyNQaHu7jzLCNCy-geWjh76YlmB0bYGlXzjRGHqMLGs-3zKcGtuNReC1TNQRHiCGosizznc0jowMMP4B_38D0Q/s1600/IMG_5249.JPG"> </a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Roman candles</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">In Korea beach = fireworks at night. So we did as the Koreans do. In fog of course.<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jm3BiAKDwTcJbJILHVuY628A3oTTxs8NUc91KE2QyAhvPJKdfxxWUoVyNQaHu7jzLCNCy-geWjh76YlmB0bYGlXzjRGHqMLGs-3zKcGtuNReC1TNQRHiCGosizznc0jowMMP4B_38D0Q/s1600/IMG_5249.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jm3BiAKDwTcJbJILHVuY628A3oTTxs8NUc91KE2QyAhvPJKdfxxWUoVyNQaHu7jzLCNCy-geWjh76YlmB0bYGlXzjRGHqMLGs-3zKcGtuNReC1TNQRHiCGosizznc0jowMMP4B_38D0Q/s320/IMG_5249.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610281956174063522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sparklers</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On this island there is a German village, populated by German speaking Koreans, and an American village, populated by Koreans who lived in America and then moved back to Korea to live in stucco houses next to the ocean and make tons of money by having home stays.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUU5CqsPWPWgCxVwTshtsfJ3uwGfWLr1rCuzolSPcvU7YrS3VJ2ujWTAfcwBpfxpHFBw596o4-kWUtDq4ya2EIJduVmOJxunXTTwy-sl4E5XTCkpaWMN4Fg6mdc2J1fErvXet3bOdb7Xss/s1600/IMG_5296.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUU5CqsPWPWgCxVwTshtsfJ3uwGfWLr1rCuzolSPcvU7YrS3VJ2ujWTAfcwBpfxpHFBw596o4-kWUtDq4ya2EIJduVmOJxunXTTwy-sl4E5XTCkpaWMN4Fg6mdc2J1fErvXet3bOdb7Xss/s320/IMG_5296.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610281947740825458" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And who also happen to be Redskins fans.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We saw some beautiful rice terraces.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvbF1RLMoTyVavd5zIoJr0LeaUI6bw8mrILuPC8gCwM5wowBp2SrRzbkamsBpTTiJU9sN8NvWzmArNALgRcVQ-DSqYN1cCm8sS5FPBC8w0ifJcxIGgVu3W6xpW8jSWzBBtEr_DUQx-0H8/s1600/IMG_5299.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvbF1RLMoTyVavd5zIoJr0LeaUI6bw8mrILuPC8gCwM5wowBp2SrRzbkamsBpTTiJU9sN8NvWzmArNALgRcVQ-DSqYN1cCm8sS5FPBC8w0ifJcxIGgVu3W6xpW8jSWzBBtEr_DUQx-0H8/s320/IMG_5299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610281949795486626" border="0" /></a></div></div><span style="font-style: italic;">In fog.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And drove up the steepest driveway ever ever EVER to see a really interesting monastery all decorated for Buddha's birthday.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5w1HPXDH9YY-JvRe8Zj_e9FFEEEmTzEYwx-hY7Q2ynkIIJEKMEBM6H407p39D8WS7Xm28ndLfc0GVDuIcvFuHgH9EuSHfmgYB6GmtGduoE9sA7aR8VeSQcssp6Nc0Dt3UkVyqzmV-hWak/s1600/IMG_5374.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5w1HPXDH9YY-JvRe8Zj_e9FFEEEmTzEYwx-hY7Q2ynkIIJEKMEBM6H407p39D8WS7Xm28ndLfc0GVDuIcvFuHgH9EuSHfmgYB6GmtGduoE9sA7aR8VeSQcssp6Nc0Dt3UkVyqzmV-hWak/s320/IMG_5374.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610284260032356002" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4eeE5C-HoBsRUjKP4KLSENOkDQ3mcq352wpGu-R-5GfX7qF-VyK8M07EGrHGViVI3XPHy550B7EO78xE3g0wZ1eAQGV1u79eA9cFlrTMzHum8cVHahKg4K12CVwR4fFg07HLflbyrdSu/s1600/IMG_5388.JPG"> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4eeE5C-HoBsRUjKP4KLSENOkDQ3mcq352wpGu-R-5GfX7qF-VyK8M07EGrHGViVI3XPHy550B7EO78xE3g0wZ1eAQGV1u79eA9cFlrTMzHum8cVHahKg4K12CVwR4fFg07HLflbyrdSu/s320/IMG_5388.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610284266449512194" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;">Nice view, right?</div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">By the end of our time on the island we were all starting to wonder if the rest of the world was covered in fog. Good news though, the world is <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> covered in fog. Hooray!<br /><br />Part 2 is coming soon. Keep your eyes peeled.<br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-51308949752321411862011-05-04T01:16:00.001+10:002011-05-04T15:36:16.670+10:00Anatomy of a Night InMy <a href="http://supercareo.blogspot.com/2011/03/health-day.html">nasty cold </a>has turned into a truly nasty cough which kept me in tonight despite the fact that my boyfriend and my friends are downtown at this moment drinking St. Patty's Day beers and enjoying their evening. But I stayed home because I wasn't really in the drinking mood and also because my pharmacist friend from university has told us many times about how taking cold medicine after a night of drinking is like dropping a bomb on your liver.<br /><br />Not like I'm doing my liver any favors with the amount I'm drinking these days<span style="font-style: italic;"> anyway</span>, but I choose to ignore that fact.<br /><br />Back to the point. I spent my evening:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2s9AXJEbiMPSm2XalPiOhFBryi2hCJv-dNaHoVwb333O7zf78I8fII-YANI0ahWUbSuqKKcf2FnVlEANxuXoTdneYJLtP4Auc9RHFQRw3t2WqfKeq4yjdHVTraki6Ezkvt1tKQ6Jp-vP/s1600/IMG_4696.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2s9AXJEbiMPSm2XalPiOhFBryi2hCJv-dNaHoVwb333O7zf78I8fII-YANI0ahWUbSuqKKcf2FnVlEANxuXoTdneYJLtP4Auc9RHFQRw3t2WqfKeq4yjdHVTraki6Ezkvt1tKQ6Jp-vP/s320/IMG_4696.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602726214392258050" border="0" /></a></div><br />Wasting time on the internet. Also, my new internet obsession is <a href="http://www.pintrest.com/">Pintrest</a>. <a href="http://pinterest.com/supercareo/">You can find me here</a>. This website is pretty much the coolest (and prettiest) website ever.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5w7LHYlacBPAnsYCxbzw2FD7lpoHVwyF4zXpCZ3DJhtNEoBWytR1e-kLM9-pATDEUV2b00zgBqCvY8sXpkuxN6Tbg4NsBQHmZzFDgAbnDO9nEQ2Ik81F3lOxyYEDQJxjKnzDc-u4qjNL/s1600/IMG_4690.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5w7LHYlacBPAnsYCxbzw2FD7lpoHVwyF4zXpCZ3DJhtNEoBWytR1e-kLM9-pATDEUV2b00zgBqCvY8sXpkuxN6Tbg4NsBQHmZzFDgAbnDO9nEQ2Ik81F3lOxyYEDQJxjKnzDc-u4qjNL/s320/IMG_4690.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602726217375208242" border="0" /></a></div><br />Boiling water for my Theraflu and letting the kettle whistle just a little more than normal as a thank you to our neighbors for that time this afternoon when someone stood outside and <span style="font-style: italic;">rang their doorbell non-stop for about 10 min</span><span style="font-style: italic;">utes</span>. We can hear <span style="font-style: italic;">everything</span> that goes on in the hallway.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrFKPJ98Q-WW4dcvkUAxPYMKeOD7sc5mrBKQUplgDpfx8yGqPKFXUueZoBj-Wo9doxuB-Fu2FYFDkYAktiNDdebbLqxJYt1uCjoaFvcbF6oGr8O8aNxsAAURX2LDqTFCjD487f00nwhCh/s1600/IMG_4694.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcrFKPJ98Q-WW4dcvkUAxPYMKeOD7sc5mrBKQUplgDpfx8yGqPKFXUueZoBj-Wo9doxuB-Fu2FYFDkYAktiNDdebbLqxJYt1uCjoaFvcbF6oGr8O8aNxsAAURX2LDqTFCjD487f00nwhCh/s320/IMG_4694.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602726223271136002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>A cup of medicine and a good book.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUbwxIsITNmMHUDekW26EZPcipDPyNFLhP1oYTFeYY4NKIQ1OjBXG2sIZQjDiPARBpXlE59tLUj8gJTVjwZoSl66W-tCaQ3yqGxPBGvsHHYxqqQzdeKSJrW51vbWF9T5zIsex1MrUBK7N/s1600/IMG_4703.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUbwxIsITNmMHUDekW26EZPcipDPyNFLhP1oYTFeYY4NKIQ1OjBXG2sIZQjDiPARBpXlE59tLUj8gJTVjwZoSl66W-tCaQ3yqGxPBGvsHHYxqqQzdeKSJrW51vbWF9T5zIsex1MrUBK7N/s320/IMG_4703.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602726226628432210" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Snuggling under the covers on the futon. I have been kicked out of the big bed with Ryan until I can make it through the night without waking up coughing like I have TB. And believe me I am looking forward to moving back in because our neighbor in the building opposite ours leaves their light on full blast all night long so that when I wake up at 3 every morning the room looks like this:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcangK1qvot_ronSGu2jYxBmJsfaOUG_farNFFrdo0aZXQilhDmoi6YTLGztddHyOW-rJDz_eF63kj_sh1ERzhGAXn9kvydP_YT9p2t3X69unjqqxBpv_MPI6CEhbR1Z9bDTQaH8ACgj8s/s1600/IMG_4705.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcangK1qvot_ronSGu2jYxBmJsfaOUG_farNFFrdo0aZXQilhDmoi6YTLGztddHyOW-rJDz_eF63kj_sh1ERzhGAXn9kvydP_YT9p2t3X69unjqqxBpv_MPI6CEhbR1Z9bDTQaH8ACgj8s/s320/IMG_4705.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602726228601384482" border="0" /></a></div><br />No joke. The only nice thing about it is that I can be sure that no monsters are climbing out from under the bed. It's like the biggest night light ever.<br /><br />PS - I forgot how much fun it is to take pictures that are black and white or sepia.<br /><br />PPS - Just in case you were curious I wrote this post about two months ago and yes, I am just posting it now. It's partly due to not thinking about it and also partly because my Macbook got very sick and erased everything on my hard drive including all the fun pictures that I had been taking for posts like this one.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-5416229481865605222011-03-24T12:30:00.006+11:002011-03-24T13:22:35.230+11:00A quiet morning ...My 5th graders went on a field trip to our <a href="http://www.aplf-planetariums.info/index.php?onglet=planetariums&menu=sheet_planetarium&filtre=740">local planetarium</a> (a place I plan on taking myself soon; who cares if I won't be able to understand anything? Stars are still stars, no matter the language) which means that I have had a fairly quiet morning all to myself in my shared office.<br /><br />So far today I have been hard at work cleaning out my Google Reader, checking out <a href="http://pinterest.com/supercareo/">Pintrest</a> and debating the merits of baby girl guinea pigs names with my cousin via Facebook photo comments.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbh1kPMv-dXXTAgZiluQxnjJTvk3WhpSeUvcHBPACzm3uxVzwLgzSPH42UOtL6pg7zL73Lrj7GrulhQf0arzPc_VFeQEoLjp1YGwN6FdyfMkv3o0suitwbCnFXfzTx8DmJV7kAe9WrOqk/s1600/189917_724122914984_27316551_38386855_1937806_n%25282%2529.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbh1kPMv-dXXTAgZiluQxnjJTvk3WhpSeUvcHBPACzm3uxVzwLgzSPH42UOtL6pg7zL73Lrj7GrulhQf0arzPc_VFeQEoLjp1YGwN6FdyfMkv3o0suitwbCnFXfzTx8DmJV7kAe9WrOqk/s320/189917_724122914984_27316551_38386855_1937806_n%25282%2529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587455647142452834" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">So far the main contenders are Maxine and Ginger. Isn't she cute??<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I also recently acquired the entire Beatles discography and have been listening to it on shuffle for the last two hours. <span style="font-style: italic;">Auditory bliss</span>. The White Album is my favorite cooking/baking music. I have also realized that my cooking and baking habits have some very specific rituals attached to them. Ryan is just glad that I'm going to start playing something other than Ghostbusters (another cooking time favorite) when I cook dinner. <br /><br />This afternoon should be a little more productive, however. I (hopefully) will have all my lessons planned and worksheets made and emailed to my co-teachers, will have made it to the bank to get a piggy bank's worth coins turned into cash and have Skyped with BFF Hilda - who I have been missing more than normal lately. I really hate not being able to call her whenever I want to, stupid 8 hour (or so) time difference.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioDMa9M2Tc-F4GKLgYZvGOHlHupBTDiOlahQK0Ix-OvoacI-15FoIm4dCtEtLdv-d3DlpqS1vqPhp1mwfXDADqclbRJCVv2ZY3cbkcBfbrIUcRAc-SZbAvAe1mlqwsX4jIRXIpe-FKVb8/s1600/bourdain+133.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioDMa9M2Tc-F4GKLgYZvGOHlHupBTDiOlahQK0Ix-OvoacI-15FoIm4dCtEtLdv-d3DlpqS1vqPhp1mwfXDADqclbRJCVv2ZY3cbkcBfbrIUcRAc-SZbAvAe1mlqwsX4jIRXIpe-FKVb8/s320/bourdain+133.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587462848922934290" border="0" /></a><br />I would be a much, <span style="font-weight: bold;">much</span> crazier person if it weren't for Hilda.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On a completely unrelated note:<br /><br />I think I'm going to change the format of my blog posts a bit. I've realized that when I feel like I have to write about something, I can't (won't?). For example, I've taken two HUGE vacations in as many years and have written a total of 2 posts about them. Combined. That's just sad.<br /><br />So look for this space to evolve into a bit more of a weird stories about my life/weird pictures of my life/hobby type things rather than the life journal type thing that The Flip Side has been up until this point. The beauty of this being my blog and all is I get to change it up whenever I feel inclined to do so. HOORAY!<br /></div></div></div></div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-59511507071924678392011-03-16T18:16:00.007+11:002011-03-16T18:43:27.924+11:00Health DayI have a terrible cold and as soon as my co-teachers told me we were going to climb the Mudong Mountain (our local mountain - a 30 minute bus ride gets you to the base) for our health day, my nasty cough suddenly got nastier. I'm not really one for <a href="http://supercareo.blogspot.com/2010/11/wholecusan-park-home-of-bitch-mountain.html">climbing mountains</a> and, just so you know, Ryan and I climbed Mudong during another little break we had from school on a day when the weather was nice.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKDBkG3mn7LBrJfyLlOpjj6zrefN21sadfLUWDlwiivoQi6hTZhk5DiCkFrz58kJRaaABRfqkt1LMyfGkOCALGx1N156MTr9W51HYLdhWNVBJtjfVkRvIVIH9vmpzF3TLYL5hDyXN7AYy/s1600/IMG_4625.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKDBkG3mn7LBrJfyLlOpjj6zrefN21sadfLUWDlwiivoQi6hTZhk5DiCkFrz58kJRaaABRfqkt1LMyfGkOCALGx1N156MTr9W51HYLdhWNVBJtjfVkRvIVIH9vmpzF3TLYL5hDyXN7AYy/s320/IMG_4625.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584574328375889922" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">See? We even made it all the way to the top!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Even though getting back <span style="font-style: italic;">down</span> from the top almost killed us. The path up there was <span style="font-weight: bold;">caked</span> in ice and if a nice Korean man hadn't stopped to give us his hiking spikes we would have ended the day black and blue and with me in tears. But! I didn't cry even one time! In fact, I would go so far as to say I enjoyed it. Weird right? I don't even know who I am anymore ...<br /></div></div><br />Anyway, I opted to come home and rest. And by rest I mean clean. I don't know what has gotten into me but I have become obsessed with getting our hamper to be empty for at least 15 minutes before we fill it back to overflowing with dirty clothes.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfkDbxFrqC3z3ND2By_JlRXTiw8v-LHWzCLXkwSNks-uwexkIwVj7hkEMBANKDV7HafRxyG_oLC5y1lUytXvfNRMOEj3nZMYt-_n9u1tJmcKEK5cLXruZN4VJ2dXTyDIFjjg4gOgWDNvj/s1600/IMG_4680.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfkDbxFrqC3z3ND2By_JlRXTiw8v-LHWzCLXkwSNks-uwexkIwVj7hkEMBANKDV7HafRxyG_oLC5y1lUytXvfNRMOEj3nZMYt-_n9u1tJmcKEK5cLXruZN4VJ2dXTyDIFjjg4gOgWDNvj/s320/IMG_4680.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584576038879655954" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I don't think that's too much to ask for, do you?<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">And when you have to hang up all your laundry to dry it, you're kind of limited in how many loads you can do in a day. And while I'm all for saving electricity and line drying your clothes (I used to do it all the time in my apartment back in the states) it's a <span style="font-style: italic;">smidge</span> depressing/aggravating when you're really motivated to wash and fold everything that's in the hamper you can't because there just isn't enough space on the rack.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienibPSlnHHNYlanG3uSk8IgLmqfvu3YgRhc-k5Up80cVXaSQI-KAvUfdwoiv14AEeR_GmsWriL812mp_865a-BQVdZkSUAxl66bcO3xAD-2bkW8-1ITVnBaL_m4NggLU32Kej2DcjmDL0/s1600/IMG_4679.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienibPSlnHHNYlanG3uSk8IgLmqfvu3YgRhc-k5Up80cVXaSQI-KAvUfdwoiv14AEeR_GmsWriL812mp_865a-BQVdZkSUAxl66bcO3xAD-2bkW8-1ITVnBaL_m4NggLU32Kej2DcjmDL0/s320/IMG_4679.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584577110490063810" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Black and white makes pretty much anything look interesting and arty.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And I would totally invest in some extra floor drying racks but there is just not enough floor space. So instead of being a crazy laundry lady, I settle for washing as many clothes as I think I fit on the rack at once. And usually that's too much. But I look at it like a challenge. Usually I end up the winner. <span style="font-style: italic;">Take that laundry.</span><br /></div></div></div></div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-9600100072343690352011-02-09T20:10:00.004+11:002011-02-09T20:40:41.608+11:00The Return of Zombie CarolineAfter 3 weeks of vacation and 3 days of being back at work (which means staying up because you can't sleep and getting up at 6:30 - <span style="font-style: italic;">gag</span> - to go deal with kids who don't really understand what you're saying and don't care because they are only in school for two weeks before we have another 2 1/2 week break) I can honestly tell you that I am tired.<br /><br />So tired that I don't really remember the walk from the bus stop to my apartment. I <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> remember that I wrote about 6 different blog posts in my head about my vacation and how wonderful it was and my birthday and also about how I have a list of things I have to do tonight and about the kind of blogs that I love to read because they make me laugh ... and now I don't remember what this post was supposed to be about.<br /><br />The long and short of it is that I am (dead) tired (heh) and that I have many wonderful things to tell you about my vacation and about how I did <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> have a breakdown on the morning of my birthday even though I am now the oldest <span style="font-style: italic;">I have ever been</span>.<br /><br />... I just re-read that sentence. I am now going to bed. Here are some pictures of said (much missed) vacay in hopes that they will lure you to come back when I have have recovered enough to write a post with fewer (possibly none but I'm not promising anything) parentheses and run-on sentences.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMAAzlJ-oS2ZeRzfOxPAwYJzLcc4u8jzjSe1rCmPxdu8KMnOHlR_2OiEN9srMXUF17clZSnJNowAZl9WY4v1oqiDLAwUYcfRVEEXCHTgAfB34USPq96jlHnqEsdW6tZC_T4a2VeOBzX0X/s1600/IMG_3807.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMAAzlJ-oS2ZeRzfOxPAwYJzLcc4u8jzjSe1rCmPxdu8KMnOHlR_2OiEN9srMXUF17clZSnJNowAZl9WY4v1oqiDLAwUYcfRVEEXCHTgAfB34USPq96jlHnqEsdW6tZC_T4a2VeOBzX0X/s320/IMG_3807.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571619846649642002" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Entrance to the Bantu Caves, Malaysia</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZx4gsARXo4Dp0LSwTtjSKdPd4-9wdxYly8qOHrDXHk_ztjI7ZIv6g2NZ7KLpULa8fV03Xy5qI2z7Xlr5bs7jNE-YfjonB3Q4FwQoWHQyn8i8KGnZZOznFI-j7ijev6cCMGdSkgYaCgyF/s1600/IMG_4252.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZx4gsARXo4Dp0LSwTtjSKdPd4-9wdxYly8qOHrDXHk_ztjI7ZIv6g2NZ7KLpULa8fV03Xy5qI2z7Xlr5bs7jNE-YfjonB3Q4FwQoWHQyn8i8KGnZZOznFI-j7ijev6cCMGdSkgYaCgyF/s320/IMG_4252.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571619863026531346" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Boys in skirts.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4eRkQtwAZ_E2ICHmoxVsP6G_AticISoX9_DoyBL8bEX-0NahNZROcR92HbAZJN0jakThFpPUj7fRPpQBfWEUWVxYL0QU8HvAw7FOWoYSGjKAL2Vm2gF-ZQRR7boCrOUWe9rdMe9u-tZm/s1600/IMG_4165.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4eRkQtwAZ_E2ICHmoxVsP6G_AticISoX9_DoyBL8bEX-0NahNZROcR92HbAZJN0jakThFpPUj7fRPpQBfWEUWVxYL0QU8HvAw7FOWoYSGjKAL2Vm2gF-ZQRR7boCrOUWe9rdMe9u-tZm/s320/IMG_4165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571619856386176482" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Monkey friends!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">P.S. - I realized as I was putting captions for these pictures that they sum up my vacation quite nicely: we saw some temple-y type places, there were boys in skirts and <span style="font-style: italic;">lots of monkeys</span>. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Awesome</span>.<br /></div></div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-52783599905348271932010-12-17T16:29:00.006+11:002010-12-17T17:05:55.889+11:00Cultural DifferencesThere are a number of things that Koreans do differently than Americans. Which, <span style="font-style: italic;">duh Caroline</span>. Anyone with a brain in their heads can tell you that different cultures do things differently. For the most part I like to think that I am a pretty easy going person. I'm not <span style="font-style: italic;">so set</span> in my ways that I can't be a little flexible. Besides, it's kind of fun to do things the Korean way (I have the rest of my life to do things my way, <span style="font-style: italic;">amIright</span>?).<br /><br />Since I got here I have tried extra hard to be patient and to try new things. I have tasted foods I never would have otherwise (hello, kimchi!) and have had experiences that I would <a href="http://supercareo.blogspot.com/2010/11/wholecusan-park-home-of-bitch-mountain.html">never have been open too</a> a few years ago. But, there is always another side to each story. Along with the good that being here brings, there are still a few things though that I just <span style="font-style: italic;">can't deal with</span>:<br /><ul><li>Constantly being asked to explain myself.</li><ul><li> I have to explain my opinions (<span style="font-style: italic;">Do you like this? No? But why?</span>). Or why I don't want to eat a particular food (<span style="font-style: italic;">You don't want it now? <span style="font-weight: bold;">But why</span>?</span>). Or if I had breakfast that morning (<span style="font-style: italic;">No? <span style="font-weight: bold;">BUT WHY</span>?</span> - also, this is always followed by a sad shake of the head. You always eat breakfast in Korea, apparently).</li></ul><li>Fish.</li><ul><li>For every meal. Sometimes with their heads still attached. And the bones.<span style="font-style: italic;"> All the time forever and ever, ugh ... can we please just eat some chicken for lunch?</span><br /></li></ul><li>Leaving the windows wide open while the heat is blasting.<br /></li><ul><li>Or leaving the windows open without the heat on at all. Really, the whole idea that I have to wear <span style="font-style: italic;">a coat and scarf</span> while I'm in the school building.</li></ul><li>There are no sick days until you are actually dieing. For real.</li><li>There is no toilet paper in the bathroom stalls.<br /></li><ul><li>You have to get it from the community roll that is next to the sink. Not taking enough paper is a huge pain in the ass (also, gross).</li></ul><li>Speaking of bathrooms, they aren't heated.<br /></li><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">At all</span>. In fact, the window to the bathroom on my floor was open up until last week.<br /></li></ul><li>There are still mosquitoes in this freaking country.<br /></li><ul><li>MOSQUITOES! Don't they know it's <span style="font-style: italic;">DECEMBER</span>?!</li></ul></ul>But for all the little things that bug me (or make me really, really cold) I still am having a super awesome time here and I wouldn't change it for the world.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-66924488625038607902010-12-12T11:04:00.000+11:002010-12-12T18:38:06.646+11:00Baskets and BabiesIt's that time of year again, folks. The time of year when you put all your pocket change into the little red kettles (because the ringing bells make you feel like they're calling you out if you don't). The time of year when you get phone calls asking you to give to a good cause. The time of year when just about everyone is trying to get their hand into your pocket.<div><br />And I'm here to toss my cause into the mix as well. I promise it's a good one. It involves babies. And you love babies, don't you?</div><br /><p align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnSaZXvXtwOasQ_oI43ZFRJu_QvShWebI1fuJtLd7fHiDGSZrW_vY3rCB9quvqyd7llohDHneVYe6Lv37CNx1RINsSJzAFCcyz96XcO5s7M3qmPrROg5nfsWVUtJEwzanyB_eTbHvFmQo/s1600/lilly.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnSaZXvXtwOasQ_oI43ZFRJu_QvShWebI1fuJtLd7fHiDGSZrW_vY3rCB9quvqyd7llohDHneVYe6Lv37CNx1RINsSJzAFCcyz96XcO5s7M3qmPrROg5nfsWVUtJEwzanyB_eTbHvFmQo/s320/lilly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549693471485687922" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Midwife Lilly and my god-daughter</em><br /></p>When my friend Ashley found out she was pregnant, she decided that she wanted to give birth in the most natural way possible. So she went out and found the <a href="http://www.womenshealthandbirthcenter.com/">Women's Health and Birth Center </a>in Santa Rosa. They provided her with pre-natal care as well as emotional support to make sure that she was ready, both physically and mentally, to have her baby.<br /><br /><div>Due to some complications during labor, however, Lilly (her midwife) made the call to have her transfered to the hospital. It was a call that ultimately saved the lives of Ashley <em>and</em> the baby. Lilly even was kind enough to stay with her during the rest of the birth to help out however she could.<br /><br />But, because Ashley was transfered, the center will not be getting the delivery fees from the state for Sephie's birth. Belly Baskets for Babies is a way for us to give back to the Women's Health and Birth Center for everything they have given us.</div><br /><p align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQy6lC9Jjtld4kqRVdIDxfP77KKQMYsucq4Q8pt897u0ecdKpWaKJzLUE1UzugrPMZNuuuTsfloErw1RFrW8uPdOLxmTnuGA8roa83-_PciD2rcgQ3rcUs-oasygx4iKQ3zIE-shZvluG/s1600/USE-THIS-FLYER.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQy6lC9Jjtld4kqRVdIDxfP77KKQMYsucq4Q8pt897u0ecdKpWaKJzLUE1UzugrPMZNuuuTsfloErw1RFrW8uPdOLxmTnuGA8roa83-_PciD2rcgQ3rcUs-oasygx4iKQ3zIE-shZvluG/s320/USE-THIS-FLYER.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549693478724733986" border="0" /></a><br /><em>My totally sweet flyer.</em><br /><br /></p>Please consider buying a Santa Belly Basket this Christmas to help the babies. And you can't help, please send the information along to someone who might be able too.<br /><br />15% of every basket sold between now and December 20 will be given to the center. Plus, the Santa Belly Basket is adorable and will last you (seriously) forever. Adding assecories to the basket, like a lid and protector, will increase your total donation!<br /><p align="left">To order, just go to <a href="http://www.longaberger.com/carolinepaul">Longaberger.com/carolinepaul </a>and type Santa Belly Basket in the search box. Or you can shoot me an email at cjepaul [at] gmail [dot] com and I will take care of you. </p>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-17434432934206595672010-12-10T16:28:00.003+11:002010-12-10T16:32:52.836+11:00Thoughts on a ThrusdayThis is my actual journal entry from yesterday:<br /><blockquote><br /><div align="left"><em>December 9, 2010</em></div><div align="left"><em></em></div><div align="left"><em>I hate this day.</em></div><div align="left"><em></em></div><div align="left"><em>- Caroline</em></div></blockquote>Pretty much sums it up.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-47335336547816749282010-12-09T07:30:00.000+11:002010-12-09T09:34:35.452+11:00Korea is a silly place episode 1: Attack of the Recorders<div>In between the last two classes I teach at my main school, my co-teacher and I go and sit in the music room. It happens to be on the same floor as the 5th graders that we teach and at that point in the morning we are too tired to walk down <span style="font-style: italic;">all the stairs</span> to our office.<br /></div><br /><div> </div>The other day, however, instead of coming in and sitting to stare at the kids who are cleaning up her classroom during the 10 minute passing period (child labor builds character!) we walked in to find the music teacher seated on a piano bench while two students were taking turns smacking her back and shoulders. At first I was completely shocked, but the look on the music teachers face made it pretty clear that she was actually enjoying getting beat on by her students.<br /><br />My co-teacher later explained to me that she was getting a massage. I guess she had had a rough morning and needed some TLC ...<br /><br />After about 5 minutes of non-stop back slapping, the boys were clearly tired (smacking your teacher is hard work, yo). They grabbed their books and their recorders and started to head out the door.<br /><div> </div><br /><div>But then their eyes locked and they slowly glanced down at the recorders they had in their hands and (I'm not even kidding) both their heads swiveled, horror movie style, back to their teacher, who was still sitting on the piano bench waiting for more of her "massage". They grinned at each other as one of the boys walked over and tapped the music teacher to see how she'd react. When she didn't say anything, both of the boys started to wail on her (and I mean<span style="font-style: italic;"> wail</span>) with their recorders.<br /><br />And she was <span style="font-style: italic;">smiling</span>. She actually looked <span style="font-style: italic;">relaxed</span>.<br /><br />And that's when I almost fell out of my tiny, Korean desk chair <span style="font-weight: bold;">crying</span> from laughter.</div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-69773522068610620232010-11-24T17:30:00.007+11:002010-11-25T16:55:06.672+11:00Bombs over Yeonpyeong Island or HOLY CRAP WE'RE GETTING BOMBED.First I would like to take this opportunity to point out the obvious fact that I was not blown up by North Korea. Second, I would like to let you know that there was no kind of military activity of any kind going on in my city.<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Vt9yT9trCSKsz0lm9fiLTYUB9u5RoZftVhMSM6LjdKfpI1D3gdTw7E1GaG73j02Y_9oHZI2-n4FLF_O6w9AveILaM9YFnNsU8hqaKoljkvvEUG814gTMtq-UZgHJjH3B8xcs4T1pfumb/s1600/south-korea-map.gif"><img style="WIDTH: 286px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543299466847150946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Vt9yT9trCSKsz0lm9fiLTYUB9u5RoZftVhMSM6LjdKfpI1D3gdTw7E1GaG73j02Y_9oHZI2-n4FLF_O6w9AveILaM9YFnNsU8hqaKoljkvvEUG814gTMtq-UZgHJjH3B8xcs4T1pfumb/s320/south-korea-map.gif" /></a><br /><br /></div>In fact, I didn't even know that mortars had been fired until a fellow expat teacher wrote about it on Facebook because her students had come to her class yelling about bombs and going to war. None of my co-workers have mentioned it to me or asked me if I will have to leave the country, so I'm guessing from their general lack of <strike>alarm</strike> interest there is nothing to worry about right now.<br /><br />That didn't stop me from registering with the embassy though. And also after <a href="http://koreabridge.net/post/life-korea-emergency-evacuation-plans-south-korea-chrisinsouthkorea">reading this</a>, I think I am going to make myself a SHTF bag. But beyond that, I really haven't given this latest North Korean temper tantrum any thought.Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-37393776719580973882010-11-16T00:54:00.003+11:002010-11-19T17:44:05.790+11:00Things I've Learned Thursday(ish)I was sitting in my office today thinking about how I should write a blog post and couldn't really think of anything and then it hit me: <em>Things I've Learned Thursday</em>. Even though it's Friday afternoon as I am writing this, it's still <strong>technically</strong> Thrusday in the states and I am totally using that to my advantage.<br /><br />International date line FTW!<br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">Things I've Learned Thrusday(ish)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;">South Korea Edition</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;">TaDa!</span></div><ol><li><div align="left">When eating fish in Asian countries, it is in your best interest to chew very, <em>very</em> slowly.</div></li><ul><li><div align="left">Related: fish bones <strong>hurt</strong> when they stab you in the mouth.</div></li></ul></li><li><div align="left">No matter how many times you eat lunch with your coworkers in the cafeteria, someone is going to comment on how well you eat with chopsticks.</div></li><li><div align="left">(This pains me to say ...) Mom was right when she told me to pack long johns.</div></li><li><div align="left">The reason that Koreans eat rice and soup for every meal is because for thousands of years the Asian peoples ate rice and as a result their stomachs became smaller and their intestines became longer. Because of this, they can only have meat as a side dish (as opposed to the main dish of the meal) because if they eat too much it will get stuck in the intestines and cause cancer. </div></li><ul><li><div align="left">That little tidbit is brought to you by my (totally wonderful and sweet) 6th grade co-teacher Sumi.</div></li></ul></ol>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-67990634455017525332010-11-12T12:15:00.000+11:002010-11-12T21:27:11.350+11:00Wholecusan Park ... Home of Bitch MountainHere is a bit of advice for you: If you ever go hiking in Korea (or really anywhere, I suppose) and you notice that the other people getting ready to hit the trail are dressed/equipped much differently than you are, you might want to consider re-thinking the hike you are about to go on.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DlInmuuwGLgzuMpYOFbcu6WBC6-_joMhNkS2hsnSznlHBGFcL2HFL1Ovdj7Ytw1-ZcKI9bsYkIZ05e9cSSluxh8NQ0_qzA8d-gtv8Up0mWrXCXGm_-AGKhhAzLNEdUsO8lDzwkmgGbUp/s1600/IMG_3225.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7DlInmuuwGLgzuMpYOFbcu6WBC6-_joMhNkS2hsnSznlHBGFcL2HFL1Ovdj7Ytw1-ZcKI9bsYkIZ05e9cSSluxh8NQ0_qzA8d-gtv8Up0mWrXCXGm_-AGKhhAzLNEdUsO8lDzwkmgGbUp/s320/IMG_3225.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538553371082082594" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-RvQRMHRuazlBJ2xR5t3b6HovK_ctBISA5SauTLQxclLElOmVuwfZrtnDUdEbltEEpDtyJQddQmZ_ucR9-9HkodFH7vishIWNAq9FORqBYDs9qYBkK-ql19Q_MhxEu0Ol5MpVHoxzn40/s1600/IMG_3215.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-RvQRMHRuazlBJ2xR5t3b6HovK_ctBISA5SauTLQxclLElOmVuwfZrtnDUdEbltEEpDtyJQddQmZ_ucR9-9HkodFH7vishIWNAq9FORqBYDs9qYBkK-ql19Q_MhxEu0Ol5MpVHoxzn40/s320/IMG_3215.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538553937571411074" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">1. Some beautiful colors from the start o</span><span style="font-style: italic;">f the hike.<br />2. Our little group of adventurers making their way to the start of the tail.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Yes, the scenery is <span style="font-weight: bold;">amazing</span> and the misty morning really makes you feel like you can do anything. But mist and pretty leaves will not give you the ability to hike especially when you are out of shape. And carrying a pack on your back? <span style="font-style: italic;">Forgetaboutit</span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXQO1FrqP5kGQd8ypjJixMuDMel2V71g7bWImRpVofzPXmjunKUxI0WRhkaX9fRl5BjTe-ztEjGQDUGcnhsuRReRwDE-FgfTwYX52H0LKOBJHSdQu4Cp-hYFYMU8cmnWYuGWhyuXW7BQ3/s1600/sad+caroline.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXQO1FrqP5kGQd8ypjJixMuDMel2V71g7bWImRpVofzPXmjunKUxI0WRhkaX9fRl5BjTe-ztEjGQDUGcnhsuRReRwDE-FgfTwYX52H0LKOBJHSdQu4Cp-hYFYMU8cmnWYuGWhyuXW7BQ3/s320/sad+caroline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538555596621003298" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I guess was making some version of this face all morning,<br />every picture taken before the hike looks like this!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">When the Koreans are all walking around with teeny tiny packs and, not one, but TWO walking sticks ... that's when you know that your hike is probably not going to be the leisurely stroll that you may have been imagining it to be.<br /><br />Although, to be fair, I probably should have realized it wasn't going to be a gentle slope when Ryan informed me that we were going on a 6 hour hike (someday I will learn ...).<br /><br />However, despite almost collapsing on multiple occasions and laying down to take naps every time we stopped for more than 5 minutes (read: lunch time and when we got to the top of the <span style="font-style: italic;">first summit</span>), I am really glad that I did it. Why?<br /><br />One part insane views:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6D3KECMnkb94tCmIbS0FiS0T2XUXPK9y9hXbm_D7u0gj6XXovEET6K3FebD9hW_jUD1aues5ABP-e5Acek4AUb_4xsHMHJNTXcrF6TvQfZJFc9_OP65QjzXYABXAZuoZpS1pAsv0bOs5v/s1600/IMG_3258.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6D3KECMnkb94tCmIbS0FiS0T2XUXPK9y9hXbm_D7u0gj6XXovEET6K3FebD9hW_jUD1aues5ABP-e5Acek4AUb_4xsHMHJNTXcrF6TvQfZJFc9_OP65QjzXYABXAZuoZpS1pAsv0bOs5v/s320/IMG_3258.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538559789774165362" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKWyErMShNP-u_gNXwrDqdhd9P5y03H1CqCOys3KDna4Q-qVOb_BvSSa8uGPOCFMKvJVxUTQsFbAtwvAikKLTgm8MgWuKXZ5nBxKucwDcvdc1YSDrPoSTWBAMQWvCV27NdADYrbcG6y4U/s1600/IMG_3231.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKWyErMShNP-u_gNXwrDqdhd9P5y03H1CqCOys3KDna4Q-qVOb_BvSSa8uGPOCFMKvJVxUTQsFbAtwvAikKLTgm8MgWuKXZ5nBxKucwDcvdc1YSDrPoSTWBAMQWvCV27NdADYrbcG6y4U/s320/IMG_3231.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538559795079113394" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">One part awesome hiking friends:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lGtBGIx6rWjkcDRyqTGLg_cNUqHGBdaQJ63GBwO7obpYQszZgso6x_tfLpLUzbl5DUpj8jXoYek_ZpIdlRmOlcvQW0OzW-1J0oNGHUm526ErhIehtu2H0EcpGpHtoQOe8CABDnFuYmnv/s1600/IMG_3238.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lGtBGIx6rWjkcDRyqTGLg_cNUqHGBdaQJ63GBwO7obpYQszZgso6x_tfLpLUzbl5DUpj8jXoYek_ZpIdlRmOlcvQW0OzW-1J0oNGHUm526ErhIehtu2H0EcpGpHtoQOe8CABDnFuYmnv/s320/IMG_3238.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538561497084434994" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFhq7BM3y-agb7udXlm-HPgigSjMZKzXYplEG7eOVHOF8BnKjUBqQ3cdGhC2yvo8QYUmOZ0_gNl7TLO-IJdnwTA61GIM1a-0Qvb4mXTfAeqmv5REo8kpjx24zdNSWq21pVwVfTo3onPyw/s1600/73997_883267892030_12929728_46048559_857034_n.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFhq7BM3y-agb7udXlm-HPgigSjMZKzXYplEG7eOVHOF8BnKjUBqQ3cdGhC2yvo8QYUmOZ0_gNl7TLO-IJdnwTA61GIM1a-0Qvb4mXTfAeqmv5REo8kpjx24zdNSWq21pVwVfTo3onPyw/s320/73997_883267892030_12929728_46048559_857034_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538561502247167442" border="0" /></a></div></div><span style="font-style: italic;">You know you have a solid group of friends when<br />1. they let you sleep on the hike and<br />2. still hang out with you after wards (I was pretty slow)</span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">One part being able to say that yes, I <span style="font-weight: bold;">did</span> <strike>hike</strike> climb a mountain and yes it <span style="font-weight: bold;">did</span> take 6.5 hours (!!!) and yes I only fell down <span style="font-weight: bold;">once</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">thankyouverymuch</span>.<br /><br />And then also this totally sweet bridge:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IjsCJdrHXWdhX-N7cjrqHSCISpweffms4B2Hc8SrqDHt-TTdbcnrOnLHmppJfhAhWPWpDHOaqtztK8USCYVVRFPyhN0aaXUWug0fY-DmGZSqqccer26nLZOmwFRqt_zayYlktdSPYY0t/s1600/IMG_3246.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IjsCJdrHXWdhX-N7cjrqHSCISpweffms4B2Hc8SrqDHt-TTdbcnrOnLHmppJfhAhWPWpDHOaqtztK8USCYVVRFPyhN0aaXUWug0fY-DmGZSqqccer26nLZOmwFRqt_zayYlktdSPYY0t/s320/IMG_3246.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538572743943247746" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9WNg_a56AViRCTnSuFdghftqHnXiv2uHS5I31CK4cF9fkQOuSSH5x5rGQcA6n8mSJ_3O_yKqBqthx8I5eMVMkaXZ_BTg8k6PeT69zmliQNgzXIuDL6vjm13449Uw-VkvcG8Ib-qklYS1/s1600/IMG_3240.JPG"> </a></div></div></div></div></div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-2791956179950024542010-11-05T19:34:00.006+11:002010-11-08T08:49:00.023+11:00I wrote this on Friday ...Hi internet friends!<br /><br />I am going to skip the part of this post where I go on and on about how I haven't posted one single thing in almost two months (which, ps, I've been living in South Korea for 3 months already. WHA-?) and just give you the quick and dirty of why.<br /><ol><li>When I want to post something, I'm on a bus and no where near a computer.</li><li>When I sit in front of a computer, I can't think of a single thing to write about that isn't whine-y and complain-y.</li><li>I have been home sick for the last month and a half or so (see #2).</li><li>Sometimes I just don't feel like posting.</li></ol>That being said, I am in a fabulous mood today for a few reasons:<br /><ol><li>It's Friday.</li><li>I am in the process of packing up for a <a href="http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264286">fun little weekend trip</a>.</li><li>I love to make lists that are not of the "to do" variety.</li></ol>I also wanted to get some "housekeeping" out of the way. Armini has started blogging (you can find him <a href="http://partialunderstanding.blogspot.com/">here</a>) and he is blogging under his real name and happens to use my real name as well. So there really isn't any reason to keep my name a secret anymore.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hv3mxRfP0UHi1mYMIFiFCISjaLnrQo2sW0VS2Iam12zSall867Yh60CyhbOfCW27vwh6n8zM39V_mNz0pFywluzLhHbBhENCN8nVoZv_Cumv_rFful965GXBV0wDQn8oZYO4YScYwUDR/s1600/intro.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2hv3mxRfP0UHi1mYMIFiFCISjaLnrQo2sW0VS2Iam12zSall867Yh60CyhbOfCW27vwh6n8zM39V_mNz0pFywluzLhHbBhENCN8nVoZv_Cumv_rFful965GXBV0wDQn8oZYO4YScYwUDR/s320/intro.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535992312693188418" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ta da!</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />(That's what Seoul looks like, if you're wondering)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Other than that, I just really wanted to share this dumb little video of Ryan telling a joke to our new friends Becky and Zach (who are also bloggers! You can find them <a href="http://www.thelittlebackpack.com/">here</a>) because it's Friday, I'm in a great mood and it makes me laugh every single time I watch it.<br /><br />Here is the bit of the joke that I didn't get on video:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"So two whales are swimming in the ocean and one whale says to<br />the other whale ..."</span><br /> <br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzJkqSaacLew2lACgFUDo61yznaiLEVZhl18ACoBNboYoG3dk_1d1zgP1pdhbfBSYEpkPQvZ0KyIDsU4_bKiw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-41267837731061828622010-09-20T10:48:00.004+10:002010-09-20T11:15:10.006+10:00Greetings from South Korea!I know you've probably been wondering what happened to me since the last time I talked about moving out of the country.<br /><br />Well *spoiler* I moved out of the country! I am currently living in South Korea. In a town called Gwangju. It's in the southern part of the country. Also, I live down the street from the World Cup stadium. It's pretty sweet.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9JWNNKnYjdyMJZylc7mobpyeY9DDvLpFhouY96QYH6BcU1YW_dZhV6HCFGqLZVWQTeN4drV2xJM7BDCwd3FLSfn_KzkvtR7OuEBStCGif-MAg_YEv90uYxpT3iwnrIAlJDq-NyKAaaYE/s1600/map_gwangju.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 253px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9JWNNKnYjdyMJZylc7mobpyeY9DDvLpFhouY96QYH6BcU1YW_dZhV6HCFGqLZVWQTeN4drV2xJM7BDCwd3FLSfn_KzkvtR7OuEBStCGif-MAg_YEv90uYxpT3iwnrIAlJDq-NyKAaaYE/s320/map_gwangju.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518792570910420242" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This is where I live now. GAH.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We haven't done anything worth mentioning since we've been here, which I cannot believe has already been a month. Teaching has its moments of awesomeness (like the other day when I student read a sentence and realized that yourself should have been yourselves. I wanted to kiss him) and it's moments of total despair (like when I'm teaching almost totally by myself and I ask the kids a question and get nothing but blank stares as an answer).<br /><br />I also really want to learn how to speak Korean. Mostly so that I can tell taxi drivers where I want to go and then have them understand and take me to the place I want to go. Also, knowing what is going on around me would be nice.<br /><br />I've already learned the lesson that when someone rings your doorbell and you aren't expecting people you shouldn't open it, or if you do <span style="font-style: italic;">don't let the people inside</span>, because it will probably be crazy church people who will preach to you about God for an hour (in broken English) after you already started the conversation by telling them you were a Christian. Also, then you will have to lie to get them to leave. Sorry, God. <span style="font-style: italic;">It was the only way</span>.</div></div><br />At this point in the post I would love you be all, "LOOK AT THESE PICTURES". But they are on my laptop, which is not at school with me today, and I forgot to bring the little thingy that lets me read the spanky new mini USB card I got for my camera before I left the country. So instead I will leave you with promises of pictures and this picture of the back of me taken in a pretty sweet cafe/bar thing in downtown called The Ethnic Cafe:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwf99KcyEPk_Q1Eapu8KOymrokPa6v_j0L3G3cJZuIk49BeApkX2dlnOQHlhMmnOBj2MbTYwtH8ubErzsRX0mIAzh0YSEmla5m-mcw_JUfwf2yetBWEZ1TWOU2QKut0zqR2DCgdGsnOyi/s1600/ethnic+cafe.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwf99KcyEPk_Q1Eapu8KOymrokPa6v_j0L3G3cJZuIk49BeApkX2dlnOQHlhMmnOBj2MbTYwtH8ubErzsRX0mIAzh0YSEmla5m-mcw_JUfwf2yetBWEZ1TWOU2QKut0zqR2DCgdGsnOyi/s320/ethnic+cafe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518795973682635234" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">There are also lots of nooks and cranies for making out.<br />Armini and I are totally going back on date night. RWAR.</span><br /></div>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2233908594580631544.post-24246797787090965312010-08-14T14:27:00.003+10:002010-08-14T15:18:14.189+10:00Tagline Shmagline (and French techo-rap!)With all the super fabulous posts I've been reading about <a href="http://www.blogher.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">BlogHer</span></a> this year (which, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">OMG</span>, I totally want to be there next year) I have found myself thinking a lot about things I don't normally spend my time thinking about. Like <span style="font-style: italic;">creating my brand</span> and thinking about what sort of content (it sounds <span style="font-weight: bold;">so smarmy</span> in my head) I should be creating to get my <span style="font-style: italic;">target audience</span> involved and engaged and what my <span style="font-style: italic;">tag line</span> should be.<br /><br />Especially my tag line. It's not that I don't like <span style="font-style: italic;">adventures of the world's oddest super hero</span>, except that I have never claimed to be a super hero and nothing in any post I have ever written has referenced the fact that I may or may not be a superhero and therefor, it seems that it is a tag line that totally doesn't work.<br /><br />I told you I've been thinking about it a lot.<br /><br />But today I read something that really made me stop and think about why I'm blogging. Leah, over at A Girl and a Boy, wrote a post called <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.agirlandaboy.com/journal/archives/002635.html">My Brand</a> that totally sums up why I started blogging. To share my feelings and to tell stories. A place to come and write words every day (or once a month) in the hopes that maybe something I say will make someone else laugh or resonate with them.<br /><br />Some of my favorite blogs are the ones that are about nothing at all. I've noticed that the blogs I tend to skim are those that are about one thing only. Personal finance, cooking, photography. The blogs I check my reader for the most often are written by people my age who are dealing with the same things I am (sometimes almost exactly) and can tell their stories with humor and courage. Those are the blogs that I want to be like and I'm pretty sure they don't sit around wondering what people think of their tag line.<br /><br />I hope that's not the case, anyway, because I really don't think I can dedicate any more time thinking this without people starting to worry about me.<br /><br />Now for the French techno-rap. Hilda sent me the link to this and I literally cannot stop listening to it. I've already listed to it 4 times since I started writing this post. <span style="font-style: italic;">It's playing right now</span>. It's like crack for my ears.<br /><br />Anyway, it's awesome. Also, don't blame me when the next time you go out dancing all you want to do is shake your shoulders (I already know that I am doomed to this. Someday I will tell you the story of how I know that). Enjoy:<br /><br /><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XNDaMRkz7q8?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XNDaMRkz7q8?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01323986750035976264noreply@blogger.com0