Its been a while

It's been a while since I've updated my blog...and by a while I mean over a year.  So here's a quick run down of whats happened:

1.) I traveled to the Philippines and am now a certified Diver.

 - This was an amazing trip and I'm so glad I was able to go.  

-Highlights:

-Warm Weather

-  Beautiful Oceans (Dumaguette, Liquid dive)

-  Awesome people (especially the great hostel owner Junel in Cebu)

- Great adventures and solo travel

 - Including a trip to Palawan where I met 4 awesome Aussies, a Brit, a bunch of Americans from Hong Kong and many more people. Discovered hidden beaches, great food, and minimal motor bike accidents

  -An amazing couple who drove me to my hostel from the airport when the taxi lines were literally hours long and I was stranded.

2.) Steven came to visit

                    -  No ones ever visited me abroad and having him come see where I lived and worked was great.  I hope he and others come visit me where ever I wind up in the future.

3.) Worked at an English Summer camp as Activities Director

                    -  I didn't realizing how much I missed the camp environment until I got here.  It was wonderful meeting and working with everyone and it truly made me excited to be living in Korea again.  Getting the chance to be activities director was incredible and though I absolutely killed my voice during the few weeks I had an amazing time working with the Planning team.  Everyone was incredible, hard working, and loving.  The late nights were rough but I genuinely looked forward to procrastinating with everyone each night.  The staff, Kids, and new ETAs were inspirational and I can't wait to see where they all go next!

3.) I renewed for a second year at my school.

                    - I also moved out of my home-stay into a lovely little apartment.  Its tiny but incredibly close to my school.  With some help from friends I made it livable with little cost.

4.)  I became even closer to my group of friends in Cheongju.  

                    -  This was a huge reason for I think a lot of us to stay.  Having such a close group is so   great, especially in a foreign country.  We meet up at least once a week (and by at least I mean, I will have seen them 6 out of 7 days this week) and do all types of friendship  activities, including eating out every Thursday.  They have become my little family in Korea and I love them all for it.  Living abroad comes with its challenges but they are always there for whatever I need, mostly foreign food and movies, but you know.

5.) I ran a 5k and 10k
                 - Both times weren't so great but I did it. So there. And now it's snowy and I don't know if I'll ever run outside again...until Spring. :P

6) I accidentally dyed my hair bright red

I know its been a while, but I don't particularly care haha.

While talking to my friend this weekend I asked if thats where he wanted to eventually settle down and his response was " I don't know, I just know I don't want to settle" and I know that wasn't meant to be all metaphorical or anything but I liked it.  I don't want to settle and that seams to be something most people don't understand so to have someone else just say it, kind of showed me I should be brave enough to just own it as well.  

Festivus! (November)

Festival: This festival is three days.  And by three days i mean my kids have been asking me for prep time for over a week.  Day one consisted of an art fair.  These kids may work themselves to the bone studying but in their free time man do they have talent.  To start this festival off a few teachers went outside around 2 pm.  As were waiting i find out I'm going to be part of the ribbon cutting ceremony.  I get handed white gloves and a pair off scissors.  Im then yelled at to change my shoes and I help cut this ribbon with the principle, vice principle, and some important looking people i don't know who they were.  Their art was incredible.  Also during this time was a garage sale type thing.  My kids guilted me into buying a scarf, a mug, a doll thing, a pencil, brownies, hot coco, ice-cream, and more.  The next day was cafes, where students decorated their classrooms in various themes and then begged me to come visit and spend money in each one.  I was able to visit every classroom and buy at least one thing.  They were all very creative and ranged from a dance club to Alice in Wonderland.  These kids cooked some delicious food and created some amazing drinks, each grade was awarded a winner for the best classroom cafe.  I even got an awkward massage in the “wellness” room.  Sitting right next to the vice principle questioning everything that is the educational legal system as a 15 year old female student gave the male teachers massages, but it was all in good fun.  The last day was the main event, the music festival. Kind of like a talent show but way longer then anything else you've ever seen.  Each class did some type of performance and rocked it.  Though most stuck to a dance or song there were a few different types ranging in English and Korean.  Very cool and talented kids.  I was convinced to help in the fashion show which consisted of me wearing my normal work clothes and getting screamed at by the entire school.  Ive never felt so close to fame in my entire life.  the festival even included some boys from the close by school performing, one of which hugged a student at the end of his song.  Utter chaos erupted, and the show was over.  Over all these students don’t have a lot of creative time but when they do they cram as much as possible in a short amount of time, and damn are they fantastic.  

Korean Fire Drill...November

Korean Fire drill-

 I remember seeing on Facebook a little while ago my friends commenting on the inefficiency of fire safety at their schools.  I thought yeah i can see that.  The Korean education system can be very illogical to me.  These kids score amazing on tests and study constantly but there are plenty of holes in this system, and thats kind of how i felt about this fire drill.  The best way to describe this drill was comical.  In America our fire drills are pretty low key, now we spend more time focusing on shooter drills, as sad as this is.  The teachers find out about it ahead of time, kids file outside, we count them, and then the bell rings and we head back in.  In Korea, everyone finds out ahead of time, including the students.  This drill was complete with smoke bomb and real fire.  A tiny little alarm goes off and each teacher reports for their duties, including saving documents and yelling fire.  Students then run out of the building…yes RUN.  In the window was a smoke can where purple smoked poured into the stairwell.  Students ran out, some of them choking.  When we got outside some of the teachers lit a box on fire.  Teachers threw on hard hats and continued to direct students.  Two teachers then tried to put the box fire out with fire extinguishers.  A fire marshal and truck then arrived.  People were snapping pictures everywhere.  teachers also grabbed a hose and put out the smoke bomb in the window.  The truck then pulled up and fully extinguished this window fire as students started to cheer.  While the teachers were trying to put the box fire out clouds of smoke forced the students to abandon their lines and push farther away from the school.  The drill finished when a crew of students came out of the building with a fellow student on a stretcher.  The fire marshal then gave a talk to the students, and then to the teachers.  Then we continued to go on about of day.  So though this drill was much more detailed then america, the whole thing felt more for show.  Students were TOLD to run, to laugh, and they knew well in advance this would happen.  I don’t know which country does it better, but it was definitely interesting.