lantern festival pictures

Here are some pictures from the Lotus Lantern Festival. There were lanterns everywhere! It really was beautiful!


You could make your own lanterns to keep at the festival. Trena is holding one that is homemade.
A view from below, thanks to Adam- who so far has taken every photo on my blog!

rainy days= northern exposure

There is definitely something to be said about waking up in the morning to the sound of rain on your windows...and then rolling over and falling back asleep! That is how I started my day today. There was no school today because of Buddha's birthday so sleeping in was a nice way to start the day. Unfortunately it rained all day long which eliminated possibilities of doing anything outside, but instead enabled Adam and I to have a very lazy day of watching Northern Exposure- a show that I am now hooked on thanks to Adam! We also watched Human Traffic which was a very clever movie.

In honor of Buddha's birthday, I decided to do a little bit a research since I know absolutely nothing about Buddhism or Buddha at all. There is so much information out there about Buddhism and I didn't want to read it all, but here is what I gathered in a few minutes of looking: I am pretty sure the religion of Buddhism was started by Prince Siddhartha of the Shakya kingdom. The prince wasn't happy with his royal lifestyle and started to seek non-worldly fulfilment. Although his parents didn't want him to, he left the palace on a quest for personal enlightenment. After much meditation I guess he found what he was looking for and spent the rest of his life traveling and teaching others how to find their own path of enlightenment. The name Buddha means, "awakened one," meaning someone who is no longer ignorant but sees things for what they really are. A Buddha is someone who is free from all faults and mental obstructions- so all people can strive to be a "Buddha" or a Buddhist . There are Spiritual Guides that have achieved enlightenment that help others find their path of enlightenment as well.There is so much to the religion of Buddhism that I can't even sum it up here, but that's the most simplified version I can give.

So, happy birthday Buddha! I'm happy you have found enlightenment and that many others have found what they are looking for in your teachings as well. I truly believe that without vision people perish... so thanks for the vision, you have made a major impact on our world!

day 2

so here it is, day number 2 of my challenge! I actually almost forgot to write...so here it is, my blog for the day. I don't have too much to say except that I worked all day on getting all my report cards done and I am soooo tired! I am thankful tomorrow is a holiday- my first one while here. I am hoping to go hiking or bike the path along the Han river, but I hear it might rain. My backup plan is going to see Shrek 3, which I am not entirely excited about at all. I made a new Korean friend tonight! She is a friend of another Korean friend I have here, Jinny. This girl, So-young, doesn't speak any English so I am hoping that hanging out with the two of them will help me improve on my Korean! I started taking lessons but as soon as I hit the second level I had to stop because the classes moved way to fast. Instead I went to the bookstore and bought a "do it yourself" Korean language book. I am hoping to get through the book and then rejoin Korean lessons again. Ok, since my day was fairly uneventful, I am going to go to bed now! Have a good night (or day, depending on where you are in the world) everyone!

free hugs, swear words, and buddha's birthday

For those of you actually reading this, thanks for not giving up on me, I know it has been almost a month since my last blog. I suppose that could be seen as a good thing- my life is just too dang exciting to fit in time to blog! No, actually, the truth is I have just been a bit lazy when it comes to blogging. I heard that it takes 14 days to make something a habit. So I decided that I am going to make it a goal to write at least one thing a day for the next 14 days, even if it is only a thought, feeling, one experience or even one sentence, just to try and make this a habit. =o)

I hugged a man holding a sign that said "free hugs" on Sunday. I have heard about people that have gone around holding these signs and since I have been to Korea I have seen about 4 of them. On Sunday I decided to actually do it. Adam said it was probably just a guy trying to be perverted and cop cheap feels off of girls who hug him, so I made him and another girl do a group hug with me just to keep things innocent. Sunday was the Lotus Lantern Festival. The festival is held once a year to commemorate Buddha's birthday, which is May 24- no school!!! There are lanterns everywhere! The tradition is to make a lantern shaped like a lotus flower and as you hang it up you make a wish (either in your head, or you write it on paper and hang it from the lantern.) That night the lanterns are lit and it is a beautiful sight! ( I have pictures that I will post eventually, once I take them from Adam, my photographer until I buy a camera.) There is also a parade. All the floats are huge lanterns made into different shapes. It was getting dark just as it started, it was great!

May 15 was Teachers' Day. On Teachers' Day it is common to get gifts from your students as a token of their appreciation for teaching them. I was expecting a gift or two, but was pleasantly surprised to find an abundance of flowers and gifts from my students. I am lucky enough to be teaching in a very affluent area and I figured out my gift value to be about $300. Let's just say I have enough face and body lotion, shampoo and shower gel to last me all year! We also had our Spring Picnic on May 17. We took the school to Yongsan Park and had a treasure hunt planned for the kids along with various other games. Along with the beautiful weather and sunburns we received, all the teachers had a great time playing with their students. It was nice to let the kids run around all day instead of keeping them cooped up in their desks.

Teaching so far is going well for me. There are always challenges and days where I get really frustrated, but it always keeps me on my toes, which I love! One week I was getting really frustrated with my students and their behavior and it just dawned on me, "they are getting too smart!" Our normal classroom routine just wasn't working anymore. The kids were getting bored and distracted. I am happy for that now because I realize they are learning. Teaching is a constant progression of evaluation and change. I was told this in college, but I don't think one really realizes it until they are actually teaching.

My kids are really funny too! One day, as I was about to put a boy on time out he says in the most genuine voice ever, "Ms. Jasmine, your toes are a beautiful color!" I couldn't help but laugh as I put him in time out! Today we were learning the letter "F." I was playing a game with my students and, not realizing it, I held up the letter F and C. I said, "What sounds do these make?" My class shouts, "Fff" and "Ck" Then all of a sudden a little boy shouts out, "Fuckah!" (imagine this phonetically... then a little girl, "yeah, "fffckkah" pretty soon the whole class is saying it out loud. Granted, they have no idea what this means, or that it is even a word... but here I am in the middle of a group of kids thinking, "I just taught them a swear word...." I thought that was pretty funny too.

I had my first visit to the dentist today. I chipped a tooth way back in the 10th grade, about 10 years ago, and it has slowly been getting worse. Yesterday I finally made an appointment to get it fixed. Going to the dentist made me feel a little more like I live in Korea, instead of just visiting. You don't go to the dentist when you visit a country, at least on a good visit you don't. I have been here for almost 3 months, but sometimes I feel like I am still on a trip.

I will leave you all with this. I am feeling more and more like I belong here. I am making some great friends, exploring, and constantly trying to become a better teacher. This is day 1 of my 14 day blogging challenge, so feel free to hold me accountable on this one. Expect some pictures soon. I will leave you all with a quote from an amazing book I am reading (that you all should read too) "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer. "The mistakes I have made are dead to me. But I can't take back the things I never did." Chew on that one for a bit! Until tomorrow...

soraksan mountain

Story of my life...never enough time, but always good intentions. Here are some pictures from my adventure last weekend. Adam, Duskim, and I traveled to the Northeast coast of Korea to get away for the weekend. We saw the ocean, otherwise known as "The East Sea" and got to see a bit of Soraksan Mountain. This was my first experience in "nature" here in Korea. I've heard Soraksan is one of the most beautiful mountains in Korea, and although I have nothing to compare it too yet, I was definitely impressed by its beauty!! We stayed in the city of Sokcho (I'm not sure how that is spelled). Our hotel was interesting because it did not have any beds. Just mats, pillows, and blankets. Here is a picture of the luxury!

Here is a view of part of Soraksan National Park. So maybe I was wrong in saying I went to Soraksan Mountain...it was more like Soraksan Mountains! The trees and flowers are all starting to bloom, it was very refreshing!
This picture is amazing for two reasons. The first one being how adorable this little boy is! The second reason is that there are absolutely no other people in the picture! That NEVER happens in Korea, there are people everywhere!! (Don't be worried, his parents were near bye) Even at a national park, there are people everywhere! They are either dressed in hardcore hiking gear, with packs, sticks, etc... Or, they are dressed to kill, in high heels and skirts.
Another thing I noticed is that people love to eat!!! I'm surprised everyone here is so thin because everywhere you look there are food stands. You can get pancakes, sausage on a stick, dried squid and octopus, doughnuts, ice cream, or like the picture above, corn dogs covered in chocolate, cinnamon, or french fries! And yes, I did try one with chocolate, and yes, it was disgusting!!


The next three pictures will show the progression of our short hike up the mountain. We took a cable car most of the way up, but here is the part we actually climbed. One thing that was interesting was the fact that there are no guard rails like you would find in a national park in the States. There are a few signs here or there that say climb at your own risk, but other than that you are free to go where you want. There were a few times I was a little nervous because we were so close to the edge!
There was a temple at the bottom of the mountain and also a big Buddha statue. You could see it from the top of the mountain!
Since Sokcho is a coastal city, it is known for its fresh seafood! We walked down a street with stall after stall of live fish and sea creatures. Basically, you stop at a stand of your choice and point to the fish you want to eat. The person at the stand will catch the fish out of their tank and throw it in a bucket. Some stands kill the fish right in front of you before you sit down to eat. Luckily for us, we all got spared this image at the place we chose. This picture shows one of the fish we chose for dinner.
Here is our dinner after it was taken out of the tank and prepared for us. We had a dinner of sashimi, kimchi, squid, seaweed soup, rice, and many other small side dishes. For those who don't know, sashimi and sushi are two different meals. Sushi is in a roll of rice, it does not even have to be raw fish. Sashimi is plain raw fish. It is mostly eaten plain, dipped in sauce, or in a lettuce wrap with a big clove of garlic! The sashimi wasn't bad, I think it may be more of an acquired taste, but as of now I am a bigger fan of sushi!
Here is another big fish stand. Amongst all these bins of fish were tables so people could eat their chosen meal.
I was lucky enough to witness the death of somebody else's meal! Notice all the blood on the knife! After dinner Adam and I got our first experience in a Norebang, which is karaoke, Korean style! Karaoke is a popular activity to do with your friends or co-workers. Instead of singing in front of a whole bar or audience like we do in the states, people at norebangs rent out small rooms by the hour and you get to pick out songs and sing to your friends. I wasn't to thrilled with the idea at first, but I think it grows on you.
So that was my weekend in a nutshell, or should I say seashell? There are other things I could share about last weekend, but they seem to lose their appeal a week after they have happened! Sorry if this blog seems choppy, but I have been writing this on and off at school during my breaks, just to get it done! If anything fun happens to me this weekend I promise I will try to write about it by Monday! Have a good weekend everyone!

death by fan

Disclaimer: I am not making fun of Korean people, nor am I insulting their intelligence by any means. I still respect Koreans, I just find this topic so hilarious that I am dedicating a whole blog to it...Korean Fan Death!! I had heard about Korean Fan Death from another teacher when I first got to Korea, but I haven't really given it another thought until I came face to face with it this weekend! Ok, well not really. I am happy to say that no fans attacked me in the middle of the night! So what is Korean Fan Death? Well let me explain, or maybe I should say, let Wikipedia explain:
Fan death is an urban legend that originated in South Korea, but has since spread to other countries in the Far East. The belief is that an electric fan, if left running overnight in a closed room, can result in the death (by suffocation, poisoning, or hypothermia) of those inside. This belief also extends to air conditioners and the fans in cars. When the air conditioner or fan is on in a car, some people are apt to leave their car windows open a crack to avoid "fan death." Fans manufactured and sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on.
The belief in the myth of fan-death often offers several explanations for the precise mechanism by which the fan kills. However, as explained below, these beliefs do not stand up to logical and scientific scrutiny. Examples for possible justifications of belief in fan death are as follows:

• That an electric fan creates a vortex, which sucks the oxygen from the enclosed and sealed room and creates a partial vacuum inside. In reality, the air pressure at any point in the room varies less than it does during a storm.
• That the fan uses up the oxygen in the room and creates fatal levels of carbon dioxide. There is no actual conversion of oxygen to carbon dioxide happening; unlike a candle, the electric motor in a fan does not alter the chemical composition of the air (apart from creating some ozone if the motor uses brushes, and outgassing from the materials).
• That if the fan is put directly in front of the face of the sleeping person, it will suck all the air away, preventing one from breathing. However, as can be easily verified, it is possible to breathe with one's face in front of a running fan.
• That fanblades chop up air particles (i.e. oxygen molecules) so that the air is no longer breathable, thus resulting in suffocation. If this were true, regular fans could be used to create chemical reactions. However, air ionisers do turn a very small amount of oxygen into unstable ozone.^[1]
• That fans cause hypothermia. As the metabolism slows down at night, one becomes more sensitive to temperature, and thus supposedly more prone to hypothermia. If the fan is left on all night in a sealed and enclosed room, believers in fan death suppose that it will lower the temperature of the room to the point that it can cause hypothermia. Empirical measurements will show, however, that the temperature in the room does not fall, at least not due to the fan; if at all, it should rise slightly because of friction and the heat output of the fan motor, but even this is generally not significant. Fans actually make one cooler by increasing the convection around a person's body so that heat flows from them to the air more easily, and by the latent heat of vapourisation as perspiration evaporates from the body. Furthermore, hypothermia occurs only when the body's core temperature drops below normal, and will not generally be caused simply by cooling of the skin or decrease in the body's surface temperature.
• Often, believers claim that a combination of these factors is responsible. For example, it might be claimed that the decrease in oxygen and increase in carbon dioxide, in conjunction with some degree of hypothermia, could prove fatal to a sleeping person.

The explanation of fan death is accepted by many Korean medical professionals. In summer, mainstream Korean news sources regularly report on cases of fan death.A typical example is this excerpt from the July 28, 1997, edition of the Korea Herald, an English-language newspaper:

The heat wave which has encompassed Korea for about a week, has generated various heat-related accidents and deaths. At least 10 people died from the effects of electric fans which can remove oxygen from the air and lower body temperatures...

On Friday in eastern Seoul, a 16-year-old girl died from suffocation after she fell asleep in her room with an electric fan in motion. The death toll from fan-related incidents reached 10 during the past week. Medical experts say that this type of death occurs when one is exposed to electric fan breezes for long hours in a sealed area. "Excessive exposure to such a condition lowers one's temperature and hampers blood circulation. And it eventually leads to the paralysis of heart and lungs," says a medical expert.

"To prevent such an accident, one should keep the windows open and not expose oneself directly to fan air," he advised.

When informed that the phenomenon is virtually unheard of outside of their country, some Koreans have suggested that their unique physiology renders them susceptible to fan death (despite the fact that Korean Americans born outside Korea who have never heard of this phenomenon sleep with fans on and do not suffer any ill effects).

So as crazy as this sounds, people here really do believe this!! This weekend I went to the east coast of Korea and stayed in a hotel. The Korean we were with insisted we turn off the fan that night because of fan death. Adam and I basically laughed and said, "You aren't serious, right?" Well go figure, he was! He acted like it wasn't a big deal and said, "Ok, we can leave the fan on." About 30 minutes later when he thought we were asleep he got up and turned off the fan! How funny is that?? Also, I have another blog that I will be posting soon with some amazing pictures from this weekend!!

it's about time!

Hello everyone! Again, I apologize for the lack of writing these past few weeks. I have been busy and feeling a little run down lately so my urge to sleep has taken over my motivation to write! I have posted a few pictures to again catch everyone up on my latest adventures. I am truly hoping to be more disciplined in my writing in the near future... but no promises! Anyway, here are some photos from the past few weeks:

Here is an attempt to recreate an act from the Cirque de Soleil, which was recently in Seoul. Adam and I got the pleasure of attending a going away party for a girl we had met here in South Korea. The Heather Ann Rocks party was a great way to spend a Friday night! We played charades and met a bunch of really neat new people. I might be joining a running group (quit laughing!) that meets on Sundays. I was supposed to start today, but I guess I might have conveniently slept in! I am going to give it a shot soon though... Saturday night was also another evening well spent. A friend of Adam's was in Seoul this weekend giving lectures at a medical conference. He had emailed Adam this week and wanted to meet up for dinner on Saturday. Rob took us out for a wonderful dinner at his hotel. He is a wonderful person and we all enjoyed great conversation over some great cuisine. I felt pampered because I got to eat one of the best steaks I've ever had! Beef is very expensive here and it feels like a special occasion when i get to eat it now in comparison to when I was living back in the States. This weekend was very relaxing!

I spent Saturday afternoon walking around and browsing the market stalls in Insa-dong. Insa-dong is a part of Seoul that is known for its traditional art galleries and trinkets sold in little shops and stalls all over the streets. Here is some traditional candy that is made and sold right on the street. I'm not sure what it is called but it basically tastes like a peanut roll.

Here I am modeling one of the many hats to choose from at a street stall. I figure this might be a good look to protect me from paparazzi! Here is a cherry blossom. The past few weeks have been prime time for the blooming of all the cherry blossoms. It is a beautiful sight to see all the trees in bloom. I guess this weekend was the Cherry Blossom festival because this is when the blossoms are at their fullest.

Here is a little shop in Insa-dong that sold traditional Korean pottery and ceramics. I think this one might have even been an antique store, but I am not sure.

On April 5 we celebrated Arbor Day at our school. Arbor Day used to be a national holiday in Korea and all schools used to be canceled. A few years ago the government decided to recall that day as a holiday and now it is just another school day. However, our school principal wants to keep the tradition of planting alive so we celebrated it as a school. All the kids brought in plants or seeds to be planted. Since we don't really have a yard at school to plant in we used big bins. My kids especially enjoyed digging in the dirt and getting dirty! This past week I also had a parent observation day. The parents came into school and met with the principal and talked curriculum and then observed me through camera and microphone. I was nervous because my kids can be very energetic and rambunctious, but I think the observation itself went well, despite the fact that someone threw up all over the bathroom during that time, which then somehow managed to clog the toilet and made it overflow all over the bathroom floor so I had to stop my lesson to get someone to clean up the huge mess!

Welcome to the jungle! Here is a picture of the three of us about to enter the "reptile section" of the aquarium.

A few weekends ago Adam, Trena, and I got cell phones. One of our Korean friends was nice enough to help us get a cell phone plan set up. After we got our phones we headed over to the "63 Building" which is the tallest in Korea. Can you guess how many floors it has? Yep, you guessed it, 63! On the first floor there is a little aquarium, and IMAX theater, a few restaurants and some stores. We went to the aquarium and saw a really neat IMAX show, "The Mystery of the Nile." There is also an observation tower on the top which we went to also.

Here is a picture of some tiny jellyfish at the aquarium.

Here is a Spider Crab (I think). This is a crab found near the waters of Japan mostly (once again, I think, but I am not positive). I do know that it is the largest crab in the world. I am not sure if you can tell from the picture, but this crab is huge! It was probably about 3 feet across. The biggest one on record is over 6 feet long, how about those crab legs for dinner!

Here is a neat picture (thanks to Adam) of Techno Mart. Techno Mart is a huge store! 6 floors of any kind of technological item you could imagine...TVs, cell phones, cameras, appliances, computers...etc. On the top floor is a food court, a couple of coffee shops and a huge cinema complex. This picture doesn't even do the store justice...just try and imagine the fish market picture I put up a on my last post and switch the fish over to appliances and whatnot...That is how crazy this store is!

I guess that sums up most of my last few weeks. The teaching has been getting better every week. My kids are really starting to understand the routine of class and I am amazed at how much English they seemed to have already picked up! I truly love my students and even when I am having my most tiring or frustrating moments I realize why people keep teaching. It is a wonderful feeling to see your students learning and understanding and becoming empowered by what they are learning!

Also, I have finally gotten my first paycheck! Yay! Maybe now I will have the chance to do a little more exploring now that I have some money to travel with! It was a great feeling to finally get paid! On that note, I wish everyone reading this the best of days! Thanks for being interested in my life so far, and feel free to drop me a line anytime...I love hearing from those of you that actually write me!