Boys

WARNING: This post is me being all gushy about boys...so read at the risk of your sanity...hahaha...jk. But seriously, this week has been about boys. So that's what I am going to have to write about.

Perhaps, you might remember that a few weeks after my arrival I met a couple of random guys. Well, I have been keeping in touch with one of the guys. He just so happens to own a bar/restaurant by my house. On Sunday, he invited me to meet him at his bar and hang out with him. So, of course I did. Hahaha. He is the sweetest guy ever, and he makes a pretty good pizza. Yeah, he cooks. He is super cute too. Korean girls call him a Korean handsome boy; whatever that is supposed to mean. Hahaha. Anyways, so we had made plans to hang out on my day off on Wednesday, but his sister came into town and he had to cancel. In America, it wouldn't concern me that he was hanging out with his sister, but in Korea, it's different. When a guy says he is hanging out with his sister, it could mean he's hanging out with an ex-girlfriend or a girl that's a friend that he wants to be his girlfriend. So, I started thinking maybe we weren't on the same page about what this relationship was all about. In all actuality, I have no idea how to date a Korean guy. I mean there's a bit of a language barrier as well as a cultural barrier. It's like I'm back in middle school again trying to figure out if a guy likes me or not, and if I should hold his hand. It is not a fun feeling, but this guy is really sweet. So here's my plan, I am just going to treat this relationship as I would back in America. Until we have that somewhat awkward conversation about the definition of our relationship, I am going to treat him like a friend. I will continue to hang out with other people including guys. If you have any better ideas, please tell me because I am seriously way out in left field here. Although, my relationships in America haven't worked out very well, so maybe I should do it differently over here? I'm so confused on what to do here. Hahaha.

Anyways, so we were supposed to hang out on Wednesday, but that didn't happen (I went to get a massage instead). He told me that we would hang out today (Saturday) instead. So we went to lunch and talked a bit. He told me that his sister had come to visit his mom who is in the hospital here in town. So that eased my mind a bit about him being a player. But we had a good conversation. I learned a bit about his family and his ambitions. He is a really good guy. I am really looking forward to hanging out with him again.

In other boy news, there are a couple of guys at the gym that I think are interested in me as well. Or at least they are interested in whether or not I have a boyfriend so I'm thinking that means they are interested? Yes/no??? Anyways, they are all pretty cute, but I'm a sucker for guys with tight abs so...yeah, I'm not picky about looks otherwise. As long as they have a sense of humor and are courteous to other people...I'm good. Hahaha. They all try to speak in English to me which is pretty sweet. There's one guy in particular that cracks me up because he gets frustrated when I speak too quickly or throw in any colloquial words. Most of the time, I do those things just to tease him. Last night, though, he was so cute because there was a little boy that visited the gym because he wants to learn fighting. The kid couldn't be more than 8 years old. He was so tiny and very cute. But this guy took such good care of the kid, he showed him these different techniques and treated him like he was his little brother. It was so adorable! But yeah, I guess that's enough about guys for now. I'm sure that there will be more to come.

There is nothing much else planned for this weekend; except for a kickboxing tournament at the gym tomorrow. It's at the same time that I usually go to Korean tutoring, but the last few times I went to tutoring it hasn't been that great so I'm thinking I'm going to skip it this week. I hope they don't get frustrated with me and think I'm not committed to it; if they do, I guess I will be on my own with my Korean studies. It won't be too terrible because I am making a lot of Korean friends that can help me with my learning. In all honesty, I learn more from my friends than I do from the tutoring. Anyways, I guess that's it for now...later!

Miss Me?

Ok, so I know I missed my post last week. Sorry! My internet was not working. So last week, nothing much happened. I got a haircut. It looks really good, and it was super cheap. I have never paid so little for a haircut. It works out to be about $12 in America. Crazy right? It's like I went to some fancy haircutting place and paid the same price I would have at SuperCuts or whatever the cheap-o hair salon is called. As for last weekend, I hung out with two other foreigners from the gym. They were really great guys. We went out to eat after the gym. Then, we hung out the apartment. One of the guys bought a guitar over here, and so we just sang songs and talked. I met them at the gym again on Saturday, and they helped me with my Jiu Jitzu which was super sweet of them because the other guys laugh at me. Hahaha. It was so much fun! I can't wait to hang out with them again. I didn't hang out with them this weekend because I skipped the gym on Friday and Saturday. Yeah, I know; I'm slacking. So what did I do this weekend if I didn't go to the gym? Absolutely nothing!!!! Hahaha. Friday night, I watched some movies and gave myself a facial and pedicure. I know girlie stuff right? Does it help to know the movie I watched was Transformers? On Saturday, I cleaned my apartment and walked around the city a bit. Today, I walked down to the river and laid out! It was such a beautiful day. I could not waste it. I took my Korean study books with me and studied. I am hoping to pick up the language soon because I suck! I can't even tell someone where I live without them thinking I live in poop. Seriously. I say poop instead of neighborhood. I can't figure out which is which. But I absolutely love where I live. The river is right outside my neighborhood. It's maybe a five minute walk from my apartment. It's so nice because there is a lot of open fields where you can just lay out or even play some ball. There is also a track where you can run by the river. Amazing!!!! I love it! I am hoping that this nice weather sticks because it is gorgeous outside!!!!!!!

The gym and randomness

I really love this city!!!! It is a big city with a small town feel. I think it's amazing that I go out and random people come up and talk to me. They are so curious about what I think about the city and the food. Today, I had a random lady walk up to me shake my hand and say, "Thank you" in English. It was weird because I couldn't figure out what she was thanking me for. Maybe she was just trying to say, "hello" and couldn't remember which one it was. It was sweet.

I really love the gym that I have been going to. Its called Daejeon MMA if you live in the city and you want to check it out. Its near Hannam University. The people are so fun! They crack me up. There is a group of high schoolers that like to hang around me which is cool. They are super curious about me and my lifestyle. They even talk about themselves. One is hilarious! He was talking about being one of Angelina Jolie's adopted kids. Then, he started in on Tiger Woods. He said that his uncle's friend was one of Tiger's mistresses. I was dying...everyone thought I was crazy because they had no idea what this kid was talking about. The people aren't the only reason I go to this gym though. I heard about the gym from a guy that does some serious MMA up in Seoul, and he said that it was a good gym. Several of the top competitors in Seoul trained under this instructor. The instructor is really good and very knowledgeable about BJJ. He does one class everyday at 7PM, and the rest of the time its open gym for kickboxing, weight lifting, jump rope, and whatever. He walks around and corrects your form. I really like it because the guys at the gym are really friendly and will help me out with my form too. Some of them speak English so they help explain what the instructor is trying to tell me. The instructor speaks a little English, but he doesn't like to use it. He tries for my benefit, but most of the time one of the guys will translate it for me.

I am seriously trying to learn Korean because I think it will be beneficial for me. I went to Korean tutoring this morning. I am hoping to be able to continue attending. I have also been studying my Korean-English dictionary and my Korean studies book. It's kind of hard because the sounds are so different from English, and the letters are different from English. It's funny because when I don't understand what people are saying, I use their facial expressions to make up what they are saying. It's never what they are actually saying, but it keeps me entertained...hahaha. Well, not much more to say so...Cheers for now!

Massage=Happy Melanie

Well, all in all my week was pretty good. On Monday, I decided to join a MMA gym across town. I have to take two buses to get there, but the gym is nice...the instructor is one of the best not too mention he's hilarious!!!! And I love the other members there. I got a three month membership for 180,000 won. So, if I still enjoy it after that I may keep it up.

The rest of the week went by so quickly because I went to the gym at night after school. It was relatively uneventful until Friday. At school on Friday, I had a girl pee in her pants. She had asked me twice to go to the bathroom and both times I said no. The first time she asked we had just come back from the bathroom, and I had told them to go to the bathroom and get water. The second time, we were getting ready to leave and before they leave they have to set their table for lunch; so I told her she had to set her table first and that's when she peed on the floor. I told my Korean partner about what had happened and she just laughed. She wasn't too worried about it, but later the mom called and was mad. So my Korean partner told the mom it wouldn't ever happen again. My Korean partner still thought it was funny and didn't care, but she told me that every time the little girl asks to go to the bathroom I have to let her go even if we have just come back from the bathroom. These parents baby their kids too much!!!

On Saturday, I went to the gym again and worked out for a bit. I talked to one of the guys there. He was really nice; he doesn't speak English very well but he wants to learn. I think he wants to hang out. He asked me how old I was and I found out he was younger than me. In my experience, in Korea after the guy finds out you are older he says we can be friends which I think means that he doesn't want to try to date me because I'm older. Which is fine with me because in all honesty I am not in Korea to find a boyfriend. I would prefer to just make friends. I took the bus home from the gym, and a lady from Japan started talking to me. She has just moved to Korea as well. She asked if we could hang out sometime, and I said sure. I feel badly because I think she wanted to hang out that afternoon, but I didn't realize that at the time. I told her that I had to change buses in order to get home, but we did exchange numbers. I messaged her today to see if she wanted to meet sometime for coffee. I think we are going to meet on Saturday. Anyways after I changed buses, I decided to take the bus to the subway and take the subway home. On the subway, I noticed that one of the stops was Yuseong Spa. I thought maybe the spa would have a masseuse or something. So I figured maybe I'd get a massage. So I got off at the spa stop. I didn't see the spa, but I did see a Thai Massage Parlor. So I decided to check that out. It was 70,000 won for an hour and a half massage which is a really good price since you can't get that kind of price in America for a 45 minute massage. So I decided to get the massage. It was really good! They even gave me a mini facial at the beginning, and they served me some tea at the beginning and end of the massage. I felt really relaxed and so much better afterwards. As I walked out, I saw that there was another Thai Massage parlor right by the subway exit so I might try that one next time. I may make this a regular monthly thing to unwind and de-stress. After the massage, I was so sleepy! I just went home and went to bed at like 7:30. I slept in late too!

I wanted to get up early enough to go to the Korean lesson at the church at 9:30 but I didn't wake up in time...I almost didn't make it to the service. I was running late, but I met a Korean girl outside that wanted to go to the English service but couldn't remember where it was so I took her to the service. Her name was Cherry. A lot of Koreans go to the English service to improve their English. I decided to stay for Sunday School this time. It was interesting. The pastor led Sunday School as well. He talked about the background information on the passages before we read them. I really enjoy that. He does that a bit in his sermons as well. It really helps you understand where the people are coming from when they are righting the passages. Between church service and Sunday School, there is about a thirty minute time frame to hang around and talk with each other. A lot of people came up and talked to me. There were a couple of young Korean college guys that came up and talked to me for a bit. They wanted to know how old I was. After they found out that I was 25, they asked if I was married. When I told them I wasn't, they asked me why not. I think it is uncommon in Korea for a girl my age to not be married unless there is something wrong with her. They said that I was too pretty to be single. It was funny. They were too sweet for saying that. It really made my day.

After Sunday School, I walked home and ate. Then I decided to go to the Wholesale Market in Nouen. I saw it on the subway stop list. So I took the subway to the market; it was right outside the subway exit. I walked through and they had a ton of fresh fruits and vegetables and other fresh foods. I picked up some bananas and strawberries. I want to go back and get some other fruits and veggies too. All in all this week was pretty good. I think I am definitely starting to find my place in this city!

Field Trip

So, this week was pretty laid back. On Wednesday, we talked to the kids about Easter. We let them decorate some eggs, and I let the kids do a semi-Easter egg hunt with paper eggs cut in half. They had to find the eggs' match. It was fun! Then on Friday, we went on a field trip to a forest museum about 40 minutes from the school. I have no idea what it was called because everything was in Korean! I had no idea what the tour guide was telling the kids so I just looked around and took pictures. I ended up with 250 pictures in about a two hour time frame. Hahaha. The kids were super cute! They loved it!








Friday night, we went to this bar called Watermelon Sugar. It was pretty sweet mostly because there was only a few foreigners...it was all Koreans. It was definitely a good change because I feel like all the bars we go to are foreigners, and so we don't meet a whole lot of Koreans. I don't want to spend a year in the country and not make any Korean friends.

The rest of the weekend was kind of chill because everyone ran out of money. We get paid this week so it will be more exciting next weekend! I can't wait!!!!

Santa Claus in March

So I mentioned that I have been sick, right? I have been going to the pharmacy every two days to get medication because they only give you two days worth of medicine at a time. It's interesting because I have been to about ten different pharmacies, and I have not received the same medication twice. Finally, the assistant director suggested that I go to the doctor, and she told me that she would go with me. So I broke down and went to the doctor. He confirmed what I had assumed all along that it was just a cold. He prescribed me some medication and gave me an injection. I did not have an appointment; I just walked right in. I was in and out of the doc's office and the pharmacy in less than 30 minutes total. You cannot even get out of the waiting room in that length of time with an appointment in the US. My only complaint about the doc's office was the table was too short, and I had to bend my knees when I got my shot.

Since I have arrived, a lot of the locals stop and want to talk to me for a bit which is super cool because I love hearing what they have to say. It's mostly the women or old men. However, this week two guys around my age have stopped me and asked me some questions. One guy is a manager of a bar near my neighborhood (or dong). I gave him my e-mail, and he e-mailed me right away. I think he wants to work on his English, but he told me that if I needed help with anything to give him a call. The second guy is the assistant master at a tae kwon do gym in my dong. He invited me to join his gym. My friends, Mellissa and Janet, and I went to check it out. However, it was mostly kiddie classes and not exactly the type of gym we were looking for. Mellissa and I also checked out this gym that offered Brazilian Jiu Jitzu classes pretty cheap. We had told one of the guys that we would come and check it out, but apparently he did not pass along the message and the other guys were not expecting a couple of girls to watch their workout. Korean men are very conservative around women, but very open around other guys. A couple of them were practicing in their boxer briefs, and the others were practicing without their shirts on. A couple of guys walked in out of the glass doors that we were standing by, and also didn't think it was important to mention that a couple of girls were watching them practice. Finally, we stopped one of the guys and asked if we could watch. When he told the other guys that we were there to watch, they all scrambled for their pants and shirts. One of the guys was so embarrassed because we saw him in his boxers, but he recovered nicely. The BJJ gym was nice, and it was the least expensive of all the gyms we visited. We also checked out this Mixed Martial Arts gym which was mostly freestyle with no class times. I don't think Mellissa liked it very much, but it's not very crowded so its a lot like having your own personal trainer. There are a few other gyms in the area that we have learned about that we are planning to check out before we make a decision. Hopefully, we can find one that all three of us like.

After checking out the MMA and Tae Kwon Do gyms, we decided to go out to a bar with a couple of guys the girls knew. The bar is called Santa Claus. We had so much fun. It was not at all crowded, and it was mostly foreigners. We played a few games and talked and joked around. It was so much fun, and the guys were HILARIOUS!!!! I was really hesitant about going out when I had to work the next morning since I have been sick, but it was totally worth it. Seriously, I love hanging out with the other foreigners here. We all have this instantaneous bond. It's pretty sweet! I can't wait to see what this weekend has to offer!!!

Gettin' the Hang of it

Alright so I've been teaching for a few weeks now, and I think I'm really starting to get a handle on things. My torture class is no longer torture. I have actually started to find that I run out of things for them to do! I am not sure what exactly happened that made them settle down, but here are a few things that could have contributed to such a change. I started drawing five stars on the board next to each student's name. Every time they act up, I erase a star. At the end of the class, if they have four or five stars, I give them a stamp on both of their hands. If they have two or three stars, I give them one stamp on their hand. If they have zero or one stars, they do not get any stamp. The kids love it! The second thing that I have started to do is to send the kids that are constantly misbehaving outside into the hallway. They absolutely hate that! They cry so much when I do that. If I really don't want to pick them up and put them outside, I just tell them that if they don't behave they will be going to the baby class. They hate that as well, but not as much. Some other possible contributing factors that I have no control over are the fact that I had one student drop out of the class (he was not a trouble maker, but he did encourage it). Also, the students could just be settling into the whole school routine and getting used to sitting there forever. I don't care what has caused this change, but I am extremely thankful!!!!

Alright so on to what is going on outside of the classroom. The other girls and I have gotten together to hang out so much since we have gotten here. We have really gotten to know each other. They are all super sweet and super fun to hang out with. Every weekend just about, we have gone to this bar that all of the foreigners go to. It's pretty sweet! You meet so many people from all over the US and Canada mostly; there are a few other foreigners but not many. Last night, I met a guy that graduated from UGA, and a guy that was from Atlanta. They are the first people from GA that I have met since I have been here! The guy from UGA didn't seem like he wanted to talk much, and he was actually from Jacksonville, FL, and he hated the Florida Gators especially Tim Tebow. He was a smaller guy so realistically I think he was more jealous of Tebow than anything else because they were supposedly from the same hometown. Whatever, if someone's from your hometown and they make something of themselves, be proud of them and happy for them, don't be a downer. Anyways, so the guy from Atlanta he was kind of funny. He didn't talk much either, and when he did, he was kidding. He asked me how old I was (age is a very big thing in Korea...that's the second question you will be asked just about every time, right after your name). So I told him mine, then he made me guess his. Which if you have ever had me guess your age, you know that I am super horrible at it. So, I warned him that I was bad at it, but I guessed his birthday almost down to the month. It was hilarious. I never do that, and I was seriously thinking that he was younger than what I was guessing. Too funny!

Yeah, so we were out late last night, and I was up at 9:30 this morning for no reason at all. I'm kind of glad because I would hate to sleep the day away. At the same time, I have been sick, and I need more than four hours of sleep to fully recover. Plus, we are supposed to go back out again tonight. Oh well, maybe I'll get a nap in later?

I do want to apologize now for my use of smaller and repetitive words. Since arriving in Korea, I have realized how difficult it is to explain even the simplest of words. So I have found myself using fewer and fewer words that I would have to define. Hahaha. It's crazy! The other day at school, I had to explain the word "then" without using "next" or "after" because they didn't know "next" or "after".

I am really enjoying my time here in Daejeon. I do miss my family and friends back home, and I kind of wish they were here to enjoy this with me. But it's nice being able to experience a new place and new people without having to worry about what some one else wants to do. But to the people back home, I do love you and I miss you! Come and visit me!