TIK

I'm officially getting settled into my life here. I'm starting to feel like I'm actually living here. I feel more at home in my apartment. I'm cooking almost everyday so that's a lot more comforting (and economical). I even made pinonates (these fried cookies that my grandma taught me how to make when i was little) and all the teachers at my school, especially the Korean teachers loved them. I'm starting to make friends more. Overall, this is great.

Last monday i got my cel phone. Yup, I'm officially reachable people. If anyone needs to - or wants to - call me the Korean country code is 82 and my cel number is 010-5118-3143. So in order to get my cel phone, Kate, one of the other Korean teachers went with me, since no one in the phone store spoke any english, and she totally ended up hooking me up. I was able to get a cel contract rather than a prepaid and I only had to pay W20,000 (about $21) for a brand new cel because she set it up under her name rather than under mine. She saved me over $150. I love her. I told her since she was so nice to me I wanted to treat her to dinner and on tuesday we went out to get something called "samgyubsal." It was basically like pork meat that you cook in front of you on this big hot plate type thing. There were a lot of really good side dishes. Yummy! And we just got to hang out and talk for hours. After a little while her friend James came and joined us. (It was really funny because before he got there she tells me "Susy, James is like playboy and he will like you. You are very pretty. Be careful" She's so cute.) But we just sat there and talked until like 11PM. Then by the time we left the buses had stopped running and James was nice enough to drive us back to where I live, rather than making me take a taxi. It was ridiculous though because i live on this teeny, tiny alleyway which seems unmaneuverble in a car, especially when there are cars already parked on it, but i think James wanted to show off and he just barreled on through. Lol. I seriously was terrified he was going to scratch up his car, but it was fine.

Last week we also had to start teaching our classes Christmas carols. Two of my classes are singing "Jingle Bell Rock" which is, amazingly enough, the one song that my normally tone-deaf self can actually carry a tune to. My other two classes are singing "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer." The classes doing "Jingle Bell Rock" are doing really well. My Playground 4 class (my lower level english students) are so great. There's a part in the song, after the line "In the frosty air" that you kind of have to hold for like 2 counts. Well they weren't getting it so I was trying to teach them to snap their finger and then I heard this loud clicking noise. This one kid named Eric, who is normally very uncooperative, can click his tongue super loud, so I asked him if he could do it twice fast and so now he has a little mini solo. Its so funny cuz now he's totally into it. And it makes the whole thing hilarious. I can't not laugh when they do it. :-)

On Thursday I went downtown with Jenny since I didn't have any classes until 4PM. She took me to some cool thrift stores and we found some neat stuff. There was one store that we found this amazing sweater-dress thing. It's knitted and its gorgeous. The guy only wanted W20,000 for it so we both tried it on. Jenny didn't really like it, but I really, really loved it. Only, as I'm trying it on, the Korean guys at the store started telling me to suck in my stomach. I was like "WTF??" Apparently people here give you their opinion, whether or not it polite, and whether or not you ask for it. And supposedly if they think something looks bad on you they won't let you buy it. That's just messed up. Then, for some reason, they started calling me Natalie Portman. I don't think I look a thing like Natalie Portman (wish i did) but apparently to these guys I was a fat Natalie Portman. Great...

Friday was great cuz my friend Jure, from orientation, was coming to visit. He got in at like 10 so we went and got some Galbi near where my school building is and then just chilled at home. Saturday, was really cold outside, so we just vegged out and watched a movie. He had never seen "The Devil's Advocate" so I felt he was missing out and should watch it. Now he thinks I have really weird, morbid taste in movies. Oh well, I am kinda weird, but honestly, Al Pacino playing the devil, it doesn't get much better than that. We also made pinonates, which he totally doubted. Everyone has doubts about my cookies but they always eat their works (and a bunch of my cookies). Hee hee. Saturday evening, Jure was nice enough to let me and Liz use his Costco card to buy food. We took a taxi (which was an ordeal all its own since the first taxi driver let us get in his cab and drove off before he told us he didn't know where Costco was) instead of taking the bus cuz I did not want to be responsible for getting us lost in some random area of Daegu. But it all worked out. And I finally was able to buy meat for a reasonable price. It's definitely not as good as in the states but at least its affordable. So I got chicken and pork and beef. YAY!! Then Sunday we headed downtown and just wandered for a little while.

-----Jure and I in Downtown Daegu.

It was rather enterntaining looking at all the wacky Korea stuff. Sometime you just gotta laugh and (as Jenny taught me) say "TIK" - This Is Korea.
----- what??????


We did get to eat some yummy ribs though. I will also admit that my horrible sense of direction was at it again. And I got us a little lost and made us walk like 4 extra block in a circle. I know, I know I'm an airhead sometimes. But as Susa always says: if you're looking for Susy in a crowd of people look for the most oblivious one and that will be her. So alas, that is me. My sister is wise beyond her years. Lol!

Today was back to the grind. Classes went well. I got to talk to my mom and Tati and Randy (skype kicks ass) from home now that I have internet and I added all the pictures to this blog. Overall a productive day, except I didn't do my lesson planning, and I didn't do my dishes (what else is new?), and its 4AM and I'm not asleep. Oh well, let me live in my little cocoon of positivity and denial.