go ahead and make yourself...

I saw this hanging from a store in Itaewon and I was shocked! I couldn't not help but laughing really hard when I saw this. A lot of the signs here are pretty funny because the meaning tends to get lost in translation or there is no meaning at all. I have seen countless numbers of shirts or other items with the most random English words written on them. I'm going to try and take pictures and post the funny stuff I see. Here is another one...
Remember, "cigalettes" can kill! =o)

bob barker would be very pleased...

to find out that Seoul is going to undergo a project next year that will try and neuter as many stray cats as possible. The neutering will quiet down the cats during mating season (they can be extremely loud, trust me!) and will also attempt to serve as population control. According to the Korean Herald, Seoul has about 30,000 stray cats!

I read that today in the waiting room of the doctor's office. I found it quite amusing. I'm starting preparations for my big trip after my contract. Some friends and I are planning on visiting quite a few countries as cheaply as possible. Today I got my Hepatitis A and B booster and also my Japanese Encephalitis vaccine. The doc also said I should think about getting my rabies vaccine due to the nature of the traveling we plan on doing. We'll see...

pee pressure

I would like to take a moment to discuss bathroom situations in Korea! One might think that a blog dedicated to something so personal as bathroom habits might be a little crass. However, I think the title of the popular children's book, "Everyone Poops" (and pees, for that matter) puts things into perspective! The picture below is a typical toilet in Korea, aka: the squatter. Please note that this picture is an abnormally clean squatter stall. I have seen much worse! Since being here in Korea, I have become quite good at squatting. I know that I should pull up my pants legs while pulling my pants down in order not to get the bottoms dirty (you never can be too sure of the aim of the person before you). I also know that you should face the doorway when you squat. Toilet paper, if there is any provided for you, goes in the bucket or trash an next to you. I have learned my lesson and now always carry tissue with me! Usually you step on some sort of button or lever to flush. Also, please note that there are many Western style toilets as well.

Also, a few other bathroom oddities I've noticed here in Korea. If you don't want anyone to hear you using the restroom, many stalls have a "courtesy button" you can press while you go. When you press the button you will hear the sound of running water or a flushing noise instead of whatever noises one usually makes as they go. I think it's funny because if you press the button everyone obviously knows what you are doing anyway!
There are also many unisex bathrooms here in Korea. I've been so surprised to walk into a restroom and find a stall for a man and a stall for a woman both in the same bathroom. Sometimes there is just a stall and a urinal against the wall. The other day my friend Morgan and I both had to use the restroom and we ended up in a unisex bathroom together. I definitely experienced some "pee pressure" knowing I was using the restroom with a guy in the next stall, especially a friend of mine. I would have to say the experience was more humorous than anything.

This weekend I also went to a DVD bong. I can't write it using Korean figures on this computer, but the Korean word for "room" is pronounced "bong" in English. There are many types of "bongs" in Korea. The most popular would have to be "norebongs," which are karaoke rooms where you sing karaoke with all your friends, "PC bongs," which are rooms filled with computers, music, snacks, and tons of people usually playing video games and I use them when I want to get work done and can't focus at home on my own computer. There are also "board game bongs" where people play board games, and then the "DVD bong." I think the reason that all these different rooms are so popular is because they are all used for social purposes. Most apartments here are small studios that aren't necessarily good for entertainment. Also, most Koreans live with their parents until they get married, so it is a good way to get out of the house.
When you walk into the DVD bong it looks like you are walking into a small video store. You pick out your dvd and pay for the rental. The attendant takes you to your room and you are all set up. There are cheap rooms, small rooms, big rooms, and really nice rooms, depending on the group size or how "romantic" you want your movie experience to be. Morgan and I opted for the cheapest room. It had a little reclining couch big enough for two, nice sound system, and a screen that took up the whole wall. It was like our own personal theater!
At school we just had our pajama party! The kids all came to school at night in their pajamas. Their mothers brought dinner for everyone and the fathers came into the classes with the kids for crafts, games, etc. My kids all went a little crazy because of all the commotion and the excitement of spending time with their fathers.

This weekend I also got the opportunity to go to a fireworks competitions. I had no idea that there were fireworks competitions, but apparently there was a competition in Seoul. Japan, USA, China, and Korea all had a 10 minute display of fireworks. I have never seen so many people turn out for a fireworks show before. They were all lined up along the river. We took a cab and ended up getting out on the bridge because the traffic was so bad and so many people were standing on the bridges anyway. That is where we watched the show. I have no idea how judging works or who won, but below is a video of one of the teams grand finale. I think it was the USA team, but I can't be sure. I didn't get China's show on tape, but I liked it the best. It was very unique, using color coordination and movements to create their show.


Ok, hope everyone is doing well. I hope you have a day that makes you go, "Oooh and aaah!"

mosquitos

Hi everyone! Not too much going on lately, I've just been extremely busy with school! Over the past weekend the rooms in the older part of our school, mine included, got new wallpaper. The room looks great, but now I've been busy all week rearranging the room and redecorating as well. We have a big event coming up at school, the Pajama Party, which also is requiring a lot of preparation. My boss is really stressed about it and wants everything to be perfect. I'm sure it will go well. At least her worries have given me good motivation to rearrange, organize, and clean my room, which is always on my list of things to do, but somehow never gets done. I have found that I'm an extremely messy teacher! My desk is always full of anything you could possibly imagine! To me it is organized chaos, to my Korean co-teacher, however, it is just a headache!

Other than school, my back is doing well so far. I went and got acupuncture in my back last weekend. It is an ancient Chinese medicine that is supposedly good for everything. I got 13 needles in my back and a couple going down my leg. I'm not exactly sure what I was supposed to feel from it or how it is supposed to effect my body, I suppose I need to do some research on that. I would have asked the doctor, but she didn't know too much English and didn't really give me too much information. At least I feel good, and I guess that is the important thing.

I took my kids to the park today because it was such a beautiful fall day! They are just so dang cute that I had to include some pictures of them!


I'm going to end on a completely different note. Some of you might know that I really dig spoken word poetry. I've recently come across a poet that I really enjoy both listening to and reading. His name is Tshaka, you can check him out at www.naturalkink.com
This is just a few lines from one of his poems, "Mosquitoes" that really made me think. Go ahead and chew on it for a while...

Cuz nothing matter anymore

Unless it affect us at the core

We forget what we just saw

adore making love to life In Nano seconds

ignore our responsibility to remember life

lessons get lost from the truth no less than 2 seconds after we've held its hand and claimed it as our own.

Don't ignore it

a mini history lesson

Although Korean schools don't get much of a summer break, we sure do get quite a few holidays spread out throughout the year, which is nice. Today is Foundation Day- similar to our 4th of July in the States, minus the fireworks, camping, and barbecues. Foundation Day honors the day that the Korean nation was founded back in 2333 B.C. by king Tan-gun. To celebrate my day off, I decided to visit something historical in Korea. I decided to check out the Seodaemun Prison History Hall in Seoul.
Obviously the history is much more detailed, but here is a simplified version. The Japanese took rule over Korea from 1910-1945, when Japan surrendered to the Allied forces at the end of WWII. The occupation was severe. Many people fought for the indepedence of Korea from Japan and most of those people were put into many prisons. The Japanese forced everyone, especially Korean children in the schools, to quit speaking Korean. The children had to write and speak Japanese in school. They were also taught and semi-brainwashed about the superiority of the Japanese and all the traditions and history of Japan as opposed to Korea. Japanese holidays and customs were to be adopted as well. People even had to change their Korean names to Japanese ones. Those who did not adhere to the new regulations were taken to prison. I actually read a really good book about this back in college, for an adolescent literature class. It is called, "When My Name was Keoko" by Linda Sue Park. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good read.
I have been anxious to visit this prison for a long time. It was really interesting to see the old buildings, pictures, artifacts, and recreations of old events. It left me wondering if I would be able to fight for my country and risk going to prison like so many Koreans did back then- even like the millions around the world that are fighting for their freedom today. It got me thinking about how lucky I am to have been born into one of the world's "superpower" countries. My visit also left me with a stronger desire to keep myself updated with the current happenings of the world. It was a good reminder that history is in the making each day and it is so easy to forget about it all and just live your life day to day.

This is just one of the three wings to the main prison building. There are many buildings on the prison ground.
This is another wing of the prison from the inside of the building, standing outside the gate to the wing.
This is one of the many pots used to make rice for the prisoners.

Ok, onto some new pictures.
This is grill at a restaurant that is used to make galbi- a grilled beef or pork. Usually the grills are flat pans, this is pretty unusual for most restaurants.
Sorry, I had to do it... I thought this was pretty funny!
I went shopping at an underground shopping center in Seoul. I've never been in one before and I never ever expected something so crazy. Imagine a really really long hallway crammed with stalls and vendors on each side. Each vendor's selling space is just packed with different trinkets and items for sale. There are people everywhere! Some walk very slowly and others are in a rush and just push right past you. I don't think you can walk five feet without bumping into someone. This picture is from the flower/plant section. There were so many different sections: plants, dishes, lamps, art, rugs, knickknacks, shoes, bags, jewelry, and other random things. I think the shopping center was probably over a half mile long. I was nervous to walk into most stalls because they were so packed I thought I would turn around and break something.
This is a special ice cream treat that I forgot the name of, but it is really good. On the bottom of the bowl is shaved ice. On top of the ice is red beans, watermelon, bananas, and pineapple. On top of the fruit is the ice cream. I didn't really care for the fruit, but the mixture of the ice, red beans, and ice cream was really tasty!
I guess you could say my past week has been pretty busy! Plus, you should all be proud of me for posting two blogs in a week!