Adventures in Sunburns

I'll fill you in on all my Thai adventures later. For now, I just wanted to say I'm home safe, sound, and only a tiny bit sunburned. (On my last day at the beach, I fell asleep under a palm tree - I got a few little weirdo splotchy burns as the sun peeked through the fronds.) So, yes, I've retuned from a tropical adventure with a sunburn on my left ankle, the inside of my right knee, and my right armpit. Lovely. Tonight is our semi-formal start-of-semester gathering for the teachers...and my dress exposes-you guessed it- my left ankle, my right knee, and my right armpit.

Adventures in packing...

34 more hours, and I'll be on a plane bound for Thailand. Well, actually I'll be on a plane bound for Seoul, so I can connect to the plane bound for Thailand. Even so, I've just finished packing and am ready to go! It's not as though Thailand will be any cooler, or less humid than Korea, but somehow it seems more bearable when there's a white sandy beach under you, and salty aqua surf infront of you. So, I may not be posting for a while, but hopefully will have some pictures for you early in September. I've also never been snorkling or windsurfing before, but I figure if my Gramma could go snorkling last year, maybe I'll be able to manage it too. (Does snorkling have an 'e' in it?) What a fun word...snorkle, snorkl, snork. snork. HA! I love words. No, I haven't been drinking. I just like the sound of 'snorkle'. It ranks right up there with 'duck' and 'barnacle' and 'macadamia'.

...I've just read the above post. I really think it's time for a vacation. Snorkle.

Adventures in Golf...

Yup, I did something today I've never done before. I went to a driving range. There were 5 of us all together, and I think I hit around 300 balls (taking about 600 swings, of course). My arms are a bit sore, but it was more fun than I thought it was going to be. Most of us are pretty inexperienced, so I think some of the skilled Korean golfers were a bit amused (bemused?) by us. Nevertheless, we had a good time. We also plan to hit the batting cages and the bowling alley in the near future - just to make absolutely certain that our skills really and truly don't lie in the world of sport.

Adventures in Toilet Seats...

Some of you may recall from past posts that many washrooms in Korea are equipped with what I call 'space toilets', because they look a little bit like Captain Kirk's chair aboard the Enterprise. There are a bunch of buttons on the side that control the bidet, the post-bidet blow dryer, and the temperature guage for the heated seat. They are so common here that I don't even think twice about them anymore. So, when I was watching Las Vegas tonight, I didn't even notice the seat on the toilet in the episode. Lo and Behold, the seat played an important role in the show! During the discussion about the toilet seat which was imported from Korea, the guy mentioned that they would soon be a hot item in the USA. I had to shake my head in wonder. The seats cost over $250 each. I can't imagine anyone I know paying that much money for a toilet seat. I'm guessing the same folks that would spend that much on their toilet seat are the same ones that would spend over $300 on 'doggie stairs' to make it easier for their pooches to climb up on the sofa. I know that personal spending is all a matter of priorities, but people, please, lets have some perspective! No one should be able to rationalize paying $250 for a heated toilet seat...unless they've committed themselves to reading the collected works of Hemmingway whilst perched on the potty in the middle of winter. Even so, I have no doubt that the guy on Las Vegas was right. Heated toilet seats will indeed be a hot item in North America pretty soon.

What a nice evening. Most of the day was cloudy and full of showers. However, just after dinner, the clouds were sent packing, and scuttled across the sky dragging their feet on the tops of the mountains as they went. The air was scrubbed clean and the whole of the outside world looked as though its windows had been freshly washed. The rice fields shone a bright bright green, and I sipped a glass of iced tea and watched the pretty world.

The times they are a changin'...

Ahhh, Bob Dylan. Seems to me that some of the (best?) singers that came out of the 60's had the worst voices. Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Mick Jagger certainly lack the melodic and dulcet tones usually appreciated in singers. This observation is an aside however. The real reasons for using Dylan's lyric as my introduction today are as follows:

1) I'm working my way through the Anne of Green Gables books for some light summer reading. I have always felt a kinship with the impetuous, quick-tempered Anne of the original book. This summer however, it's taken me all the way to book #4 "Anne of Windy Poplars" before I found myself nodding my head thinking "yup, I know how that feels".

2) I discovered it now costs $185 to be a Young Interpreter at Upper Canada Village. I held that much beloved role for 2 summer as a volunteer (this was before I got a job there that actually paid me to dress up).

3) My favourite treat during the summers I worked at Upper Canada Village was when my campers made and brought back "Butterscotch Squares" for dessert. I was thinking of them the other day, and hunted down the recepie. My first thought was "Ooooh, but they have alot of sugar - and all that butter can't be good for you". That never used to be my first thought when it came to yummy food.

4) During a quiet lull in the afternoon, a time when I would usually daydream, or read or try to give myself 1940's era hairstyles, I did none of those things. Instead I thought "I think my bathroom drains need a good scrubbing". How responsible of me. (In Korea, our bathrooms have drain holes in the floor. Every once in a while, the little hair-muck-grime-scum filters get clogged up with hair, muck, grime and scum and need to be cleaned out with rubber gloves, chopsticks, a toothbrush and some determination.)

5) I've been using my air conditioner lately. Up until this summer, I haven't had any use for the things. Winter is long enough as it is without blowing it into your livingroom during the summer too. And yet, here I am sneaking it on for an hour here and there, feeling guilty all the while. Like I've committed a crime against my own convictions.

There. Those are just little things, but since they've all jumped upon my concious mind today, they seem to have conspired en mass to remind me that the times, indeed, are changin'.

Huh,

I've just logged on to write a new post and have realized I'm at a loss for words. Let's see what I can dredge up...

1-The cats are no longer fighting, they're 'playing' instead. The only difference is that there's now no hissing.
2-I'm back at work now. If you can call it that. Today I sang songs and drew and coloured aliens with 6 sweet kids for a few hours, then was home by 2pm. Not bad for a days work. I'm teaching the children's summer program here at the university, afterwhich I still have 10 more days of holiday. I've got my sights set on Thailand.
3-I finally read the newest Harry Potter book. I was quite surprised, but I didn't cry (like some people I know!)
4-Oh! Oh! Oh! I thought of one that will come as a surprise to all ... I went to the gym! 2 day in row! Okay, that was last week, and I haven't been back since, but I was on a roll there for a little bit.
5- It's been Kids Week, and now Teen Week on Jeopardy. I'm feeling quite smart these days. However, it's also got me thinking that perhaps my academic knowlege base has been deteriorating for the last decade. (Especially considering my reading material is no longer Jane Austin or Joseph Heller but J.K. Rowling instead) Hmmm, alot of good authors start with the letter "J". I'll have to keep that in mind.

Alrighty folks. Sorry you've had to read all that. You may now resume your daily activities with a fresh sense of purpose - since you'll be secure in the knowledge that whatever you're doing today is probably a little more exciting that what I'm doing. If not, at least you know you're in good company.

Feuding Felines...

It looks like a picture of domestic bliss at the moment ~ one cat sprawled out on the bed, eyes half closed, one paw draped over the edge. One cat curled up between my typing arms, head resting in the crook of my arm, rear end agravatingly close to the space b ar. Aging spinster (oops, I mean lovely young teacher) sipping some iced tea as she types.

Yup, I'm kitty-sitting. Actually, more like the "Flying Fur Intervention Service". Mike went home for a few weeks and had nobody close by to take care of Venus, so yesterday I brought her home with me on the train. Catticus was not pleased. There's been a lot of hissing and growling, but no all out brawling. For the moment they've agreed to give each other their space. (I think it might be to hot to fight.) 54rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr6555555 (That was Venus strolling across the keyboard ~ sorry, it's even too hot to bother with the BackSpace key.)

In other news, ... well, there really is no other news. Mom and Dad have gone home, and I miss 'em. The cats are quiet for the time being, I had Spinich/Mozzarella pasta for lunch, I'm going to curl up infront of the fan with a good book for the afternoon, and I haven't killed any plants for at least 3 weeks (thanks mom!). See, I told you - there really is no other news.

Mom and Dad are now safely home, but evidence suggests they adapted to Korea quite well.  

(1) 

(2) 

Sorry, I still haven't learned how to get more than one picture on a post. I thought I had it, but I was wrong. Blah. 

Here are Mom and Dad (1) at the Emille Bell in Kyoungju, (2) infront of a pond at the Bulguksa temple, (3) near a big drum at the Bulguksa temple, and (4) with a soldier in the North Korea/South Korea meeting room in the DMZ. 

Mom and Dad are having a good time. Monsoon season has started, but so far we've only had one really rainy day. They brought a Reader's Digest from Canada for me to read, which is where I found the GEOGRAPHY CHALLENGE at www.geographyzone.com You have 200 seconds to locate 10 countries selected at random. When you start the quiz, you also enter your home Country ~ for someone who's had a world map on their wall since University, I got a dismal score! I'm sad to say I've decreased Canada's score by 0.003% Sorry!

Hooray!!! Mom & Dad arrive in Korea tomorrow!!! I might not have time to write much while they are here. I hope they'll get along well with the cat....

Not much has been happening lately in my awake hours, but I've been keeping a 'dream journal' since February. Here are some exerpts:

March 5.
I was in prison ~ Martha Stewart style. However, I couldn't find my name on any of the team activity lists (which were written in English and Korean), so I always felt I was late for something, but I didn't know what.

March 6.
I ate a sea-cucumber, and it was gross. I tried to spit it out, but one little piece in the middle of my tongue kept growing back. I'd wipe it off, but it would grow back and keep wiggling.

April 3.
Toilet plungers and potted plants. That's what last nights dreams were made of.

April 12.
I was supposed to be getting married at a roadside diner/gas station. When we arrived to set up, the army had comandeered the area. Luckily, I had my own Stealth Helicopter, and while I distracted the soldiers with tours of the helicopter, my friends set up the wedding in the woods behind the diner.

May 22
Queen Elizabeth was getting married again (I don't know what happened to Prince Philip, but I seem to think he was invited to the wedding) and I was invited to the wedding too, because Prince Charles was my professor. I arrived a few days prior to the nuptuals and helped the groom make mincemeat, while my Mom and Dad helped the Queen roll candied fruit in marzipan.

What a day.

7:14am. I get a text-message from my student, wondering why I'm not at the office. I politely clarified for him that his make-up exam was supposed to be at 11:00am, NOT 7:00am.

9:00am. Still sleeping. I'm dreaming of a sweaty mechanic (don't ask, and no, it wasn't that type of dream). I wake up with my arm wrapped around my head, and realize it's me that needs a shower, not my dream.

11:00am. I meet my student for his make-up exam, and intend to go to the bank downstairs afterwards. My bankbook and wallet are both still at home. drat.

1:00pm - 3:00pm. I'm in class listening to my students speaking exams. The first 3 pairs came in with absolutely nothing prepared, and stared at me in silence until I told them to come back on Friday.

4:00pm. I'm cutting a piece of cheese, with my hand carefully placed on the back edge of the knife. My hand slips and I manage to stab myself in the thumb anyway. As I'm rinsing off the blood, the phone starts ringing, and stops as soon as I've grabbed a paper towel.

5:25pm. I didn't know the answer to Final Jeopardy

8:00pm - 10:00pm. Grading exams. Question: How many children do you want to have? Answer: Yes. I am will going swim yesterday. Did I teach them anything??

10:22pm. I think I have a sty in my eye.

I'm going to bed, and will try again tomorrow!

Today was Exam Day! All the freshman English students wrote their exams, which makes for a very long day for the teachers. (well, hour wise it's not that bad...but hour after hour of listening to the script, and then watching students write is quite dull).

Luckily, our friend Eva was the recipient of a surprise bridal shower this evening, which put a nice cap on the day.

I'm also including a link here for "Store Wars". If you haven't yet seen it, and you are either a Star Wars fan, or a responsible shopper, you should watch it. I laughed and laughed. Then I went about my day. Then I watched it again, and I laughed and laughed. Enjoy. http://www.storewars.org/flash/

WHEW!! I've finally finished my last essay for my Linguistics course. I'm free until September, and may even go outside tomorrow to remind myself what the sun looks like. I seem to recall a big warm ball in the sky...

I approached this essay differently than the essays that got me through University:

1) I actually read the articles I used as references. I didn't just grab a few quotes and build a paragraph around them.
2) I wrote this essay during daylight hours, and was not sleep deprived, nor had I replaced all my natural bodily fluids with Tim Horton's coffee.
3) I didn't just grab the closest theory and run with it, showing a complete disregard for my own opinions and those held by actually credible scholars.
4) "Spellcheck" was not synonymous with "proofreading".

Having made these changes, and in so doing deviated from my tried, tested & true essay methods which served me well in my undergrad days, I hope I pass!

I read in the news this morning that North Korea has developed a candy to help make it's kids grow up big and strong. It sounds like a great idea. Then, later on in the article I read "Unlike sugar-packed and chocolate-covered sweets, the North is hoping that children in the reclusive state will enjoy munching on their nutritional candy made of seaweed, beans, carrots and sesame seeds, the newspaper said." Ummm, maybe it's just me, but SEAWEED, BEANS, and CARROTS are not candy!!! I'm trying to imagine all the Twix lovin' kids back home throwing a temper tantrum in the grocery store because they want some of that 'seaweed and carrot' candy.

Sometimes, my students worry my with their observations. I've never been one to wear a lot of makeup, and my eyeshadow is usually barely noticeable. I tried a new shade the other day, still barely visible. (kind of like my mom paints the house, then tells me "this white wall is green. this white wall is yellow, and this white wall is peach") Like I said, barely noticable. Anyway, I walked into my Education class yesterday and the first thing they said was "OH! Teacher! Eyeshadow! Colour Change!" Just like that. exclamation marks and all. They can't remember to use a verb in their sentences, but they notice I've changed my eyeshadow. They're a great class.

It's Festival time again here on campus, which is always lots of fun outside, but not so fun in class. All my students are either absent because of fatigue, and/or hangovers or else they're in class suffering from fatigue and/or hangovers. So I've dedicated this week to a review games day and a take-home assignment day. So far it seems to be working well.

Tracy and I went for a walk around campus after dinner to say 'hello' to our students and take in the festivities. In the process we wound up at the pottery sale table. Now, it's not enough that tomorrow we're taking a semesters worth of our own pottery to the kiln, and that in 2 weeks we'll have a house bursting with new wobbly bits of clay that are supposed to resemble flower pots and soup bowls. No, we had to buy some more wobbly bits of clay that other people made too! I got a little spoon rest for $1 and a piece that's shaped like a bag that hangs on the wall for $12. I think when I grow up, I'll probably see if I can make my whole house out of clay.