I went out to eat with what I thought was the new teachers. We ate octupus. The table was set with veggies already in the hot plate burner in the sit-down table. They brung more side dishes and I sit on the floor a waitin' to see what would happen next. The lady walked up with scissors in her hand carrying a octupus in her hand. She began cutting apart the poor little ole' guy one arm at a time. She didn't cut his head off. Instead, she dropped hiim into really hot water and boilt it. LOL! I tried to not look shocked, but it was clear. Then they allowed it to boil and put the head in my bowl for me. There sit a head and then they cut it and dark blackish stuff flowed out of it. Yep, I picked it up and eat it. No problem. I had to avoid looking at the blackish stuff as it rolled out of the poor ole' things head.
Then when I thought it was about over, we finally did finish. Well 9 of us was done and the principal continued eating in order to force everyone to remain there. Nobody can leave until he is done. One of his clear goals is to force people to hang out. It isn't the easiest thing to do regardless of the cultural 'work party' event that must happen 1 or 2 times a month. We finally finished and 4 of us went to a bar. I'm really trying to not drink a lot, but that is seriously all they do here. I couldn't say no and I really had no idea where home was despite being only a couple blocks from my main area. I give in and went with them. I mostly just sit there listening to them talk in Korean and not knowing what they was sayin'. Every now and then they would fill me in. I appreciated it.
Tomorrow I work 8 hours, but I have to teach 2 classes. So, tomorrow I'll be desk-warming. No problem! I don't mind. It is pretty sweet, but I am not looking forward to the time when I will be the only person in the building except the janitor. LOL! That's during summer and winter break. I'll just sit there all day with nothing to do. Wow!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
One Hour
I got off work one hour early today. We call this dynamic Korea. Things here don't make too much sense and most teachers go crazy trying to figure it out. I had taught my four hours out of a eight hour day and after the kids went home, they just told me to go home. I was more than excited. I didn't sleep much yesterday night. I went to a weird so-ju bar with a friend. They had Arabicish drapes 'round most of the booths, but ours was strange. We didn't get one. It was bright red with mirrors and flashing lights everywhere. Each light changed colors every five seconds or so. I liketa went crazy trying to focus on our conversation. The waitor asked for our id. We have no idea why! Perhaps he thought we were not 18 or he just wanted to examine our ids and figure out where we were from. Who knows? I was there for a little longer than one hour.
I went to the PC room which is basically a room with lots of computers. I choose the smoke free room. It ain't truly smoke free, but it ain't that bad either. I went there today cuz my stupid Internet at home worked well for less than one day. I don't have a clue why it don't work no more. Just one day. I guess that's better than a hour. I chilled there and then went to the gym for a hour. The gym is nutty too. People jiggle their fat on these random machines that once was popular in the US back in yesteryear. It is hard not to notice these strange things going on or the fact that I'm strange compared to them. Yep! They all stare at me. I hate it, but a gym is a gym and that's it. Regardless of the hour of being stared at, I endure. I'm back at the PC room for a hour.
After work tomorrow, I have to go out to eat with all of the new teachers in my middle school. I guess they rotate schools every five years and some of them get placed in schools that are really far from their houses. I feel bad, but that's their system. Dynamic Korea! I hope it don't last much more than one hour. Meals out are just what people do for work. I enjoy eating, but I usually just sit there and maybe pertend to know what is going on. Last time I sit there on the floor and smiled for one hour while eating. Not my idea of fun. Maybe I'll get to watch them building an amazing apartment near my school on the way to the restaurant. They just lift one room at a time with a crane. Nutty! People just walk under them as they are building as if there's no possible danger. Dynamic Korea!
I went to the PC room which is basically a room with lots of computers. I choose the smoke free room. It ain't truly smoke free, but it ain't that bad either. I went there today cuz my stupid Internet at home worked well for less than one day. I don't have a clue why it don't work no more. Just one day. I guess that's better than a hour. I chilled there and then went to the gym for a hour. The gym is nutty too. People jiggle their fat on these random machines that once was popular in the US back in yesteryear. It is hard not to notice these strange things going on or the fact that I'm strange compared to them. Yep! They all stare at me. I hate it, but a gym is a gym and that's it. Regardless of the hour of being stared at, I endure. I'm back at the PC room for a hour.
After work tomorrow, I have to go out to eat with all of the new teachers in my middle school. I guess they rotate schools every five years and some of them get placed in schools that are really far from their houses. I feel bad, but that's their system. Dynamic Korea! I hope it don't last much more than one hour. Meals out are just what people do for work. I enjoy eating, but I usually just sit there and maybe pertend to know what is going on. Last time I sit there on the floor and smiled for one hour while eating. Not my idea of fun. Maybe I'll get to watch them building an amazing apartment near my school on the way to the restaurant. They just lift one room at a time with a crane. Nutty! People just walk under them as they are building as if there's no possible danger. Dynamic Korea!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Randomness
I worked til 4:30 like on most days on Friday. I left and walked part of the way home with a co-worker. We stopped in at a store and I bought me a nice diet coke. I love them things. I also got some air spray for my stinky loft. That's another story! My friend took the subway the rest of the way and I went on my way. I was in my own little ole world drinking my pop. I drunk just about 80% of it and as I was waltzing along somebody stoled my can right out of my hands. He must have been ever bit of 30 years old. I couldn't believe it. I just kept going with the air spray in my other hand. I was stunned. I still can't understand what it was about. It ain't like he was a drinkin' or at least I don't think he was. Just crazy!
Well after all of that, I went home to my stinky house and took a nice nap. After that I went to meet up with a friend. He happens to be from England and we struggle to understand each other. Funny! First I went to Mickey D's to wait and I ordered what I thought was a chocolate ice cream in a cup. They gave it to me and it had cookies on the bottom with coffee on top. Weird. So then I met up with my friend which is saying something cuz hardly any of us have cell phones yet and most of us have no idea how to travel by bus or subway. Of course, we can't talk to anyone so that ain't easy either.
We went to lookin' for a restaurant and found one that serves pork b-que. We had ribs this time which is typical. I had to talk for both of us which was a trip. I hardly know anything in Korean so they mostly laughed at us while we tried to eat with chopsticks and act like we knew what was up. It was so many things that made all of us laugh. Randomess is what it was. We wanted to find some place that reminded us of home so we ended up in a Miller bar. The whole time I kept a thinkin' how White Trash it was. Miller beer.... are you serious?? LOL! It was so expensive too. What the heck! Then we wandered around and decided that we wanted so-ju which is their rice drink. We wandered into another similar restaurant and tried to order for one, but they insisted that we order for two. We were not hungry at all. That's what you get I guess. After that we wandered back to my house to try and solve the stinky problem.
You have to understand that I'd been there for over a week and I hadn't give up a single bit of my trash. It was like I was hanging on to it. No actually, I had no idea what to do with it. I guess I was supposed to somehow know how to seperate each and every piece of garbage and put it in this mysterious place. I finally asked and got a general idea where it was supposed to go. I took it downstairs at midnight in hope that nobody would be there. Well, of course it was 4 middle aged guys down there and they quickly followed me and stared and started telling me what to do. Well, it didn't help none. I wandered back and forth and he followed telling me what to do. So, then I finally got rid of my trash and it stunk just a bit less in my loft.
Well after all of that, I went home to my stinky house and took a nice nap. After that I went to meet up with a friend. He happens to be from England and we struggle to understand each other. Funny! First I went to Mickey D's to wait and I ordered what I thought was a chocolate ice cream in a cup. They gave it to me and it had cookies on the bottom with coffee on top. Weird. So then I met up with my friend which is saying something cuz hardly any of us have cell phones yet and most of us have no idea how to travel by bus or subway. Of course, we can't talk to anyone so that ain't easy either.
We went to lookin' for a restaurant and found one that serves pork b-que. We had ribs this time which is typical. I had to talk for both of us which was a trip. I hardly know anything in Korean so they mostly laughed at us while we tried to eat with chopsticks and act like we knew what was up. It was so many things that made all of us laugh. Randomess is what it was. We wanted to find some place that reminded us of home so we ended up in a Miller bar. The whole time I kept a thinkin' how White Trash it was. Miller beer.... are you serious?? LOL! It was so expensive too. What the heck! Then we wandered around and decided that we wanted so-ju which is their rice drink. We wandered into another similar restaurant and tried to order for one, but they insisted that we order for two. We were not hungry at all. That's what you get I guess. After that we wandered back to my house to try and solve the stinky problem.
You have to understand that I'd been there for over a week and I hadn't give up a single bit of my trash. It was like I was hanging on to it. No actually, I had no idea what to do with it. I guess I was supposed to somehow know how to seperate each and every piece of garbage and put it in this mysterious place. I finally asked and got a general idea where it was supposed to go. I took it downstairs at midnight in hope that nobody would be there. Well, of course it was 4 middle aged guys down there and they quickly followed me and stared and started telling me what to do. Well, it didn't help none. I wandered back and forth and he followed telling me what to do. So, then I finally got rid of my trash and it stunk just a bit less in my loft.
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