Days go by (and still I think of you)

In honor of my Lola Sidra, who is now smiling down at her whole family from up in heaven. :)

So I am supposed to be summarizing Esping-Anderson's three welfare regimes, but of course I must procrastinate as much as possible (hence this blog entry). Such is life. I have discovered a new love for American and Japanese rock music while in Korea, whereas all I would listen to back in the states was K-pop. Such is life.

The past week was a relatively low key one for me. Monday night I ordered delivery from my favorite Chinese restaurant (in reality the only one I actually have the number for). I absolutely LOVE delivery, done promptly and without tip! Tuesday night I went to eat 삼겹살 with two absolutely fantastic (elastic) fangirls. Wednesday night I saw Cookin' Nanta, "Korea's best no.1 performance." It was a lot of fun, especially when two of my friends (and eventually the audience) got involved. Thursday I once again ordered out but this time with a friend, and we ate while listening to oldies music. Classic. Friday night I ate 라면 and the weekend I spent catching up on my favorite TV shows, taking breaks to do homework. No joke. This may be boring for some but I personally needed the time to just chill and plan what to do for my final month in Seoul! :(

Monday marked the return of 자넬선생님, resident tambourine holder and principle nemesis of little boys who watch way too many robot cartoons. The battles were epic. I read the story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar to the children, throwing me back to when I was the one in the audience. A few of them have really gotten used to me since they even gave me kisses as their way of saying goodbye. Cutest kids ever!!! Monday night I was persuaded to eat out and go to, where else, 노래방, instead of do the very thing I am supposed to be working on right now. No regrets though since it was good times.

Tuesday night I ate dinner with a friend of mine who is currently having boy problems. It was amusing hearing her talk about the pros and cons of possibly pursuing a relationship when she only has a month left in the country. Hehe. Wednesday (yesterday) I finally bought shirts for my parents who I will be seeing this Saturday at Incheon International Airport (인천국제공항). I also bought myself a Korean style hat that is perfect for the increasingly cold weather. Lunch was 부대찌개 (budae jjigae), a thick soup that contains ingredients like hot dog pieces, green onions, kimchi, and even ramen noodles. Dinner was 제육덮밥‏, or pork fried rice. 맛있습니다! (a formal way of saying delicious). I apologize for recounting every meal I eat in Korea, but I want to savor Korean food as much as possible before I go back to the states and back to not getting kimchi with every meal!

Cooking with Nuns

Based on just my last name, somebody thought I was from Brazil. That's a first for me. Yay for Santos around the world!

On Sunday I went with my friend to meet the Southside Hash House Harriers, "a drinking group with a running problem." Basically it's a group of English teachers who meet up over the weekend to run in the morning and drink some sort of alcohol after they run. Is that even healthy? Anyway, I was on a mission to at least interview one teacher, and luckily I was able to get three! The teachers themselves were really cool people, having come to Korea for a variety of reasons but all making the most out of their time here. The Hash, as they call themselves, also got me to participate in one of their after run specials since I was the newcomer. This involved singing a little bit of "Chicago" (woot!) and doing an interpretive dance while wearing pirate gear and searching for the long lost penis. No, don't ask. It was good times, good times.

Side note: if anyone's interested in the findings of my anthropological research I can hook you up with results sometime in December (after the final paper is written).

On Monday I was able to go back to my regularly scheduled play time with little 3-year-old Koreans. They looked at me strangely after I spoke a little of my fail! Korean and instead decided to chase me around the gym. Monday evening my roommate and I ordered Kyochon Chicken, endorsed by the one and only Super Junior. My fangirling extends to keeping the bags the chicken comes in, no joke.

Tuesday and Wednesday were homework and chill days in which I was able to order delivery on my own. I love delivery. I was feeling a little sick - I suspect that I came down with something ever since the Everland trip. Water rides in the rain, not the smartest idea ever. Wednesday I also made my language exchange partner participate in an interview about how native Korean women view beauty. I think many Korean women think that having big eyes, a small face, white skin, long hair, and a slim body are necessary in order to be considered beautiful, as well as having an amicable personality and a killer sense of fashion. Which leads to all Korean women, with a few variations, looking exactly the same, or at least striving for the same ideal. Whether it's plastic surgery or the need to conform in order to fit in, all Korean women end up looking the same. Which they're perfectly okay with, and even want. What do you think?

Thursday evening I finally met the girl whom I have been in contact with via email ever since I came to Korea. She is planning an event in which foreign exchange/visiting students share their culture and experiences living in Korea to native Korean Yonsei students in order to facilitate intercultural exchange, or something like that. The catch is that the speech has to be entirely in Korean! As a Beginning Korean I student I don't think that is even possible but I will try, nevertheless, and get plenty of help from my native Korean friends. I got some delicious 불고기 and sweet potato pizza out of the meeting!

Friday I was finally able to meet up with my mentor after not hanging out with her for about two months. The cell, which consisted of nine people, went to go eat some delicious hotpot stew thingy that had meat, veggies, and noodles in it. After that we went to a board game room where loads of games were available for the taking, and we definitely took advantage of all the card games they had to offer!

Saturday around lunch I met with a Fulbright ETA who is also an alumni of the CIEE program and who thankfully was willing to be interviewed about her experiences as an English teacher in a rural area of Korea. Check out her blog located on the left if you're interested in learning her story! We chatted (well, I mostly made her do the talking while I was furiously scribbling down notes) over delicious bowls of 비빔밥.

Saturday afternoon I did my first activity with the Giving Tree Club of Yonsei - I helped prepare an authentic Korean dinner for the elderly living at a retirement home run by nuns. I didn't know it at the time, but the group I was in comprised of singles in their early 30's. I actually participated in cooking, such as washing and chopping up vegetables, adding tons of stuff to a big pot of stew, turning meat brown, boiling up cabbage leaves, and rolling plenty of 쌈밥 (ssambap), which is basically rolled up rice and meat in cabbage leaves. Since we were able to eat the meal we created, I felt proud that it turned out delicious and happy that the old folks seemed satisfied.

Sunday/Monday morning was dedicated solely to essay writing. I somehow turned out nine pages in the span of this time. I'm still not quite sure what I wrote and if I actually answered the questions...senioritis has come big time. Bleh.

Today I returned to the childcare center. I think the kids are getting used to me - I kept getting pummeled with hugs! THEY'RE SO CUTE!!! I had my own 자넬선생님 (Janelle teacher, literally) segment - I read out loud to them in English and the real 선생님translated what I said into Korean. This involved me making funny noises and the kids laughing and hopefully having a good time.

Well, in order to prevent future crises such as the one I had yesterday, I must actually go and do some homework. I graduate in less than seven months!

And if you managed to get this far...please keep my grandma Sidra and our whole family in your prayers as she is in currently in critical condition. Thanks and God bless! :)