This is month six.

Today is the official six month mark of our time in Korea. I know I already blogged about the six month mark, but I thought I should write something on the actual day.

This week has been full of craziness. We are coming to the end of the school year at Kinderest so all kinds of things are happening. For one, report cards. I never thought, in my wildest dreams that I would be a person who worked on a Saturday night... but I found myself this past Saturday night cranking out report cards... And then tonight I did more. Another thing that is happening the teachers are all wrapping up their stuff to move out of their classrooms and it feels like we are coming to the end of something. It is both exciting and nerve wracking.

Tonight was also my last night of religion class for this term so my student, yes singular, and I went out to a coffee shop to chat. It's called tea time and Korean's LOVE it. So we went at 6pm because that is when our class meets. We were there until 9pm. Talk about a long class, it usually only runs an hour at the most. We talked about everything under the sun. We talked about our cultures mostly and how different they are.

For example, Korean children live at home until they get married. Especially women. My student is probably mid thirties and she still lives at home. But get this, not only does she live at home, her mother still does her laundry, cooks for her, cleans her room and on top of all that, she doesn't have to pay any rent. Can you imagine? I cannot. Mom, can you even imagine still doing my laundry? I feel like you stopped doing that a hundred years ago. I have been doing my own laundry forever. And cleaning my room.

So she starts in on this thing about how Korean women are super women. And I jsut sat there in shock. She said, "Korean woman has to clean house, do the dishes, take care of the children, cook, and on top of that she should have a job. It is very difficult to be a Korean woman." And I was just... I don't even know the word for what I felt. Her MOTHER still does her laundry for her. PLEASE. She has nothing to complain about. Then she told me it is the same for guys too. So then it began to make sense to me why so many Korean couples get married and then have serious problems... If a man lives his whole life having his mother take care of him, then gets married and expects his wife to take over that role, while marrying a Korean girl who has also never had to do a darn thing in her whole life... I feel like that makes for a seriously tense and disastrous situation.

One of the main things Korean's say when I ask them about what happens in relationships, is they say that the expectations are too high. Or too different. And I can see it. While they are dating it is all gravy. They just go out, they never spend any time in the same area with each other, never cook together, or do anything remotely real. They live in a dream, a fluffy, romantic, dream world. But then they get married and move into a place that they have to actually take care of and BAM, real life hits them. I can't even imagine how shocking that must be.

So I told my student how I have lived on my own for a long time and she was shocked. How can you live alone, who cooks for you? haha. How can you take care of a house and have a job and live? Well, I am also superwoman? I don't really ever have an answer, but she looked at me like I was amazing and I couldn't help but laugh at her. How does she live... this is my question.

Anyway, so it was an informative three hours in a coffee shop. Tea Time is my favorite, its the time when you get to connect with a person on a real level. Find out what they are actually like and I think that is how you really learn about a culture. You can visit all the places that are "Korean" . You can see all the sites, you can go to all the cultural places, but if you never take the time to talk to an actual human being you miss out on the actual Korean experience. You can see all the things that are "important" but never see the human side of it. And then I am pretty sure you miss the whole point of being in another country. Humanism. It may be basic, but thats basically the point of life =)

That is all.

~Michelle

Happy Sabbath!

It's almost my birthday! In fact, in two days I'll be a whole year older. Except in Korean age. In Korean age I'm already 26. Yuck. :)

Someone asked me yesterday how I think it'd be to celebrate my birthday in Korea. I had to stop and think about that for a second, because honestly, it doesn't seem any different to me. I've gotten used to living in Korea, to being so far away from home. I enjoy it, in fact. Well, most of the time.

This past week went by quickly. It's always nice when that happens. And it was warmer too. I really can't wait for spring. For being able to go outside without sixteen layers. All in good time, I suppose.

Anyway, just wanted to say Happy Sabbath to everyone back home. Miss you, love you!

~Christina

Almost six months.

So technically the six month mark isn't until next Wednesday, but I feel like I want to write about it now.

There are a few things that I am used to now that I was not six months ago. I will now compile a list of these things.

• I do not flush toilet paper. Ever.
• I am not afraid of traffic driving on the sidewalk. (cars, scooters, vans, etc.)
• I can get home in a taxi, alone, and not get lost.
• I can order coffee, completely in English, from a person who speaks only Korean and get exactly what I want, with an extra shot of espresso, thank you very much.
• I can walk as fast and sometimes faster than the average Korean.
• I can navigate the sidewalk with minimal person-to-person collisions.
• I can travel to several places on the subway without having to pull out my map every stop.
• I can stand on the train and hold multiple things and not fall over.
• I can even fall asleep on the train and wake up when it's my stop. (not an easy task)
• I have mastered the art of wrapping my entire face in a scarf, covering my ears and most of my head, but not my eyes.
• I can navigate E-Mart on a Sunday.
• I can walk past the drain outside my apartment without totally gagging at the stench wafting from it.
• Korean ramen is not only super cheap, but also super useful for clearing your nasal passageways.

This is only a sample really. There are dozens of things that I do now that I would never have though possible before. Things like wearing stripes and plaid together and being told I look good. Or walking for miles in heels, or wearing an ugly Korean jacket and liking it.

I think I would say that I am pretty comfortable in my surroundings by now. The internet has become my best friend and forums have become a second Bible to me. I can find almost anything out on forums. But, just because I am comfortable enough to walk down a street or order coffee, doesn't mean I miss home any less. But now I am beginning to see that it might be hard to leave this place too. I wish that all the people I have ever met, the good ones anyway, could all be collected in one place. With all the coolest parts of each place where I met them and we could form a new country that isn't missing anything. That would be really cool.

So there are only about six months left to go, for me anyway. I have the spring and summer to look forward to. I am excited about what that will bring. I miss being warm. I think that's the thing that is so appealing about living in a place with such an intense winter, it makes you appreciate warmth so much more. I like it when I walk outside and its only -1 instead of -20. The sun actually starts to feel warm... Its amazing.

I think that's the end for now. Happy Sabbath to all of you, wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope it is good and you are loving life.

~Michelle

Hump Day

I am tired. This week is already too long.

There is not a lot that is new... Sorry we haven't blogged in a while. Days have started to mesh together and are all piled up in my brain with nothing really separating them. So I will spare you the boring inner disaster that is my mind right now and just tell you all is well.

It is Christina's birthday on Monday, Feb. 14. Little valentines baby =)

Other than that, we are working on month 6, it's all downhill from here. I am excited to be on the homeward stretch finally. Spring is trying to come to Korea... its the beginning, where once and a while a warmish day pops up to remind you that all is not lost... I can tell things are thawing because the terrible smells are returning. The only nice part about the negative 20 weather all winter was that it froze all the bad smells.

I am moving rooms in a couple weeks. I get to have the big room now instead of the tiny closet room I have been living in. Part of me would just stay in this room, but then I remember how terrible it was in the summer with the loud noises outside. My new room is on a much quieter side of the apartment.

And thats about it!

~Michelle~