Liz's birthday

Yesterday was Liz's 23rd birthday, so we had a big evening planned. First, we went to Seoul Tower, then we went to nearby Myeongdong for dinner and a birthday cake from Paris Baguette. We ended the evening in Hongdae, of course, meeting up with Junior and Kevin. It was a great night and everyone seemed to have a really, really fun time. By the time we went home, the subways and buses were running again, and shops were beginning to open. It was a bit crazy, but that's the way Seoulites roll--they work hard and play hard.

Speaking of work, I actually didn't have much this week. My 9th graders had their final exams on Wednesday and Friday, and we had school canceled on Thursday due to college entrance exam day. On this day, the high school students take a really, really important test relating to the types of colleges they can apply to, and since my middle school is quite close to Doksan High, they needed teachers to come proctor the exam. They took fifteen of the teachers, so the principal shut the school down for the day. On Friday, I only taught one class (my first period), but had to stick around all day to participate in "Teachers' Sports Day", which was a 45 minute game of kickball. It was quite amusing, actually, and the utter girlishness of my female colleagues somehow made me appear really athletic in comparison. Our team lost 5-4, but our consolation prize was a box of toothpaste. So...yay for toothpaste?

It's been getting colder and colder in Seoul--last night was absolutely freezing. And yet the young Korean ladies are still strutting around in tiny, tiny shorts and miniskirts! I don't understand how they do it! A winter jacket is on my list of things to buy once I get my next paycheck, since the heat hasn't been turned on in my school yet, and the classrooms are frigid. The teacher's office is heated, but my classroom is just...wow. My kids enter the room and go, "Ahhhhh!! Chu ah! Chu ah!", which is cold/very cold. The big talk at the school was that I dyed my hair this week. The students (and the teachers) were really shocked and kept coming up to me all week to give compliments. Although two students did express that "old hair better tee-chuh. Old hair better."

Yongseo, my tutor, and I have been quite neglectful of each other! Today was the first lesson we'd had in almost a month! I'd been studying on my own at work on my down time, so I've been trying to stay on my toes. But it's good to have the pressure of someone so you KNOW you have to constantly review. I've learned some basic verbs so I can put together some simple sentences, and I learned 3 of the main verb tenses. According to Yongseo, my pronunciation has improved a lot, as well! Being completely immersed in Korean in my workplace is a great advantage.

The teachers warming up for the "big game"--the main teachers' office vs. the 4th floor teachers' office.


Yunhee got this of me kicking the ball! Oh, so exciting.


Dean, Erica, me, Andrea, Liz, Kirsten, and Amber at the top of Seoul Tower.
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Myeongdong at night. It's a really sprawling area packed with food, bars, a some clubs, and amazing shopping.


Lighting the candles for Liz's 23rd birthday cake.


Then, we went to OI for some drinks.



We went to Hooper's and then...of course...Tinpan.


Junior, Dean, and I ended our evening/morning at the huge fish restaurant that is always packed. At 5:30 AM, the place was still packed. We got a big thing of spicy chicken and rice cakes.


Check out my flickr site for the rest of the photos! There are a lot.