Monday November 22nd 2010

The end of last week was great, positively relaxing actually, and I have to say I am really happy with how often the schedule seems to change here! Instead of having my usual crazy 5 lesson day on Thursday, I had 3 classes - all 2nd graders which meant all speaking tests...which meant very little work for me! Not to mention the classes were shorter too. Wednesday there was also a schedule change - classes were only 35mins and I was completely finished with teaching by about 12:30 - still had to sit in the office till 4:30 though! Then Friday was all speaking tests again because I only have 2nd Graders - and again some sort of schedule change meant that each lesson was 5 mins shorter...not much, but enough to make it seem like I had a little more free time! Wednesday night we had dinner in Osan, like an informal foreign teachers get together, there were about 10 of us in the end - was a lot of fun - good to catch up with a bunch of other people ho live in the same area and do the same thing. By the time dinner was finished I couldn't resist the thought of some Roti so headed in to get some, fortunately just before the shop closed, a maple latte was out of the question but take-away Roti was good enough for me! Friday night I headed home to get myself organised and then (eventually) jumped on a bus and caught up with some friends in Suwon for a few drinkies. We went to this great little cocktail bar called "About". You walk down the stairs into a room that kind of looks like a cross between a basement and a cellar, there is a big screen tv up one end and the bar up the other, and it's dark and lit by candles and a few backlights here and there. Really great atmosphere - and the cocktails were delicious! My favourite was one I hadnt tried before called a peach blossom, I ahve no idea what was in it, because it didnt say on the menu, but it was fantastic. It was really sweet and a good idea to drink it slowly because you wouldn't notice how much alcohol was in it! We were all feeling quite happy by the time we decided to head home (with another short stop at the Roti shop...hehe). Saturday around mid-day I was suddenly hit by a craving for some Budae jjigae, at this particular restaurant, we were there twice the weekend before... turns out the guy remembered us - well why wouldn't he - some crazy foreigners that keep coming back! He stopped for a chat this time asking where we were from etc, and gave us a cider (lemonade for the Aussies, 7up or Sprite for the Americans) which he said was "service" which basically means on the house or free of charge. I was fairly happy about that but to be honest he didn't need to give me anything free to keep me going back - I'm addicted! After lunch I met Ashleigh to go for a little shopping trip in Gangnam.....oh wow... can't wait to go back! It was a little like paradise if you love to shop and don't mind being surrounded by people all the time. Shopping in Korea is a contact sport too - the Ajuma's (old married ladies... Troy describes them as having a malevolent nature stemming from guilt and their husbands liking of sexy bars...which I think is pretty apt!) they don't like to wait and because they are older I think they feel that they have the right to literally just push you out of the way...its kind of amusing when its not irritating! I couldn't get over the amount of stuff there - and how cheap it all was - I got some really nice polo neck jumpers for 1 Aussie dollar! Jealous yet girls? Wait till I tell you about the stunning high heels that all seem to be around $20! The rows of these little shops just go on forever too, we were there for about 2 hours and didn't get around it all, I think it might be one of those trips that you have to do over a full day...so I might have to go back, what a shame! There was a substantial amount of traffic on our way up to Gangnam, so our shopping trip was cut a little short when we realised the time and that we were going to have to rush back if we wanted dinner before the rugby, and yes, Rugby does take preference over shopping...I know that will horrify some of you...lol. Unfortunately the rugby match was a bit of a let down, but the dinner was delicious, don't know about Jaco's boast that its the best meat in Korea...but it was definitely tasty! I am sure I have talked about Korean BBQ before, a number of times, but it is worth another mention just because it is so delicious, every place you go to has different side dishes, and there are always half a dozen different side dishes served with the meat - when they run out they just get filled up again... there is also a serious amount of food served but I think its one of the nicest ways to eat, you really take your time and enjoy it, and always end up feeling like you have eaten to much anyway! I have my favourites now though and every other place is just going to have to live up to them...and tonight for dinner I am going to try to make Budae jjigae myself with this nifty little pack I bought from E-mart...from what I can gather you throw everything in a pot and cook it because it all looks like it should be ready to go...it's cheating really but its a start! It's one of those things I am determined to learn to cook well before I leave Korea, that and dukboki...not sure I could live without them anymore! Sunday it was off to do a little more shopping, but just in Suwon which is really close, at some of the new shops that have opened there... followed by my last stop in at the Roti shop for the next week...I would really love to find one in Osan... but to be honest it's probably better for my waistline that I don't! Special mentions this week go to Alex for being new in town, fun, and coming snowboarding for Christmas, Ashleigh for being an awesome shopping buddy and for knowing how to get to Gangnam in the first place, and to Karel for carrying all my shopping (seriously...Aussie guys take note...this is how a gentleman behaves!) and teaching me how to say left and right to the taxi driver! Ooooh did I mention I got my snowboarding stuff?? I love my snowboarding stuff that I have considered the option of wearing it to school...the jacket I probably will - the pants might be a little bit harder to explain...hehe. Kudos also goes to Ashleigh for ordering them online and sorting everything out! So, at this stage next weekend looks like it will be snowboarding on Saturday, and shopping on Sunday (some area where the technology is the focus and its all really cheap - apparently its the place to go for camera's PS3's etc etc) which I am really looking forward to because the phone I am currently using is just begging to be put out of its misery... And in the meantime I only have 1 day left of teaching because I am away on GEPIK oreintation / training from Wednesday till Friday which I have been told is awesome fun (I heard rumours that one group actually drank all the alcohol in the place...so yo know its gonna be good!) and there will be a bunch of other people going from my area that I haven't met yet. Right at this moment though I am absolutely hanging to get home and into the warm... I am hoping that I have set the timer right so that when I get home the floor is already warm...in floor heating is the best invention ever! Would be nice if my washing was dry too - I would really like to have some clothes to wear when I go away...(3 days... wonder how big of a bag I should take?) Also really looking forward to a nice hot cup of coffee, if I wasnt so lazy I could have gone upstairs and made one, but I really have craving for the french vanilla cappuccino that i have at home. Very possibly also a hot shower to warm me up - it is beyond m why all the windows in the school are open when it is like 4 degrees outside...and I'm really sorry but why would you turn off the heating in my classroom at 3pm...I am required to be here till 4:30 so that's just mean! But really, the kids are all wearing their winter jackets to class it's that cold, and I feel even worse about leaving them locked out in the corridors so I can have a few minutes of peace...when you see their little faces pressed up against the glass and they are calling out "teacher, please, it's so cold!" So much for my 5 minute break (of silence) in between classes... it's so not worth it when that is the guilt you have to deal with! Pictures will come later! Bye for now!