Ooooh Ooohhhh Americano!!!...

Amy.  She's shy and didn't want to sing on camera!

    So, today was my last day at Child U! : (  My replacement starts on Monday.  It was a fun/sad day!  Instead of doing school work we just had a snack parties and watched a movie.  I'm going to miss my students and the other teachers!  They have all been extremely nice!
    I took my video camera today and filmed the students and took pictures.  While, I was filming the students I told them to say anything they wanted to America and my family back home.  One little girl, was shy and didn't want to say anything on camera.  Then she quietly started singing the Korean song "Americano!"  It's a song about coffe!  An Americano is what Koreans call Black Coffee.  Koreans Love their coffee!  This song has become quite popular.  Basically, it translates into I like, I like it.  Americano!  I tried to get her and the class to sing the song on camera but, they were to shy! 

Betty loved being in English class and having a foreign teacher.

Oh, Sonic!  The crazy stories I could tell on this kid!

    One of my favorite classes, got upset when I told them it was my last day.  A few almost started crying.  If they cried, I knew I would cry!  So, I told the boys to do something crazy and funny to lighten the mood.  They then proceeded to take their Taekwondo belts and tie them around their heads and dance.  One even decided to also stick his pencils up his nose and dance!! 
   It has been great to work with everyone at Child U!  I enjoyed working there and getting to teach all of my students!  I will defiantly miss you guys, our rides to work, you Educating me on Korean life and snack time before school! : )  I still think I need to go Booking at least once before I leave Korea! Lol!

Take Care, 
                  Brandi Teacher 

    

Things I've Learned in Korea

There have been many things that I have learned while being in Korea!  Some, I had to learn the hard way.  Here are just a few!..

     1.  Korea is only about the size of Kentucky.
     2.  Rice is Kimchi's Best Friend!  (They go hand in hand!  You can't have one with out the other!)
     3.  Soju is the #1 Drink of Korea!  It's a rice liquor. 
     4.  Bop is Korean for rice.
     5.  A typical Korean breakfast is Kimchi & Rice.
     6.  McDonald's delivers!
     7.  K-Pop is Korea's version of Pop music.  Boy & Girl groups are the rage!  Big Bang, anyone??
     8.  Korea's currency is Won.
     9.  Korea is BIG on Recycling!
   10.  Their BIG on Recycling but, its Hard to find a Trashcan in Public!
   11.  Houses are heated by having heated floors.  Makes sense!  Heat rises!
   12.  Most Koreans sleep on the floor.
   13.  Koreans do not use sheets!  They use something similar to a mattress pad.  
   14.  Everyone Eats Family Style!  You share a main dish and multiple side dishes.  Even at a Restaurant!
   15.  The Korean versions of Sprite are called Cider.
   16.  They LOVE Corn!  A little bit of corn can show up in the strangest places!  I've seen Corn on/in Spaghetti, Pizza, Bread and Sandwiches!
   17.  Koreans Drive Like a Bat out of Hell!!  Red light?  Phff...There's no cars coming!
   18.  Bus Drivers Drive even Crazier! 
   19.  Koreans are Superstitious!  ( More on that later!)
   20.  Not all restrooms have soap!
   21.  Most Restrooms DO NOT Have Toilet Paper!!  You Must Bring Your Own!!


*  If your interested in more facts about life in Korea check out ROKetship!  Its a hysterical but, true comic about life in the good ol' ROK! 


~ Happy Monday Y'all! ~


   B

















 

Thursday

    Oh Thursday, I love ya but you still aren't no Friday!  I'm ready for the weekend, in case you can't tell!  I have a whole country I need to explore!  I feel like I'm just going through the motions to get to the weekend.  So, I tried to spice it up a bit! 

    I did a little retail therapy after work and ended up adding to my hair accessory collection and buying some eyeshadow from a place called Tony Molly.  I can't buy clothes or shoes here because, of the size difference. So, I accessory shop!  Korea has a ton of little shops and street vendors that sell accessories!  Korea  loves hair accessories, and I'm even starting to develop quite a little collection myself. 

    I then decided, to pick up dinner and try something new!  I ended up getting takeout from a new restaurant I found near the University called 1900.  I ordered the Omrice (basically an omelet like egg wrapped around rice) with a Pork Cutlet on top and it came with a side of Kimchi.  I actually liked their Kimchi (fermented, pickled cabbage)!  Who knew!  The Pork Cutlet was good and so was the Omrice until, I found the Shrimp inside.  I don't do seafood!  I can't handle the smell, maybe it's because I'm an Okie.  Overall though, it wasn't bad especially for the price 4,500 won ($4.50 U.S.)  It just pays to be aware of what your ordering.  That can be hard to do sometimes with the language barrier.  It usually takes quite a bit of effort to order if the menu isn't in English.   It normally involves some miming and pointing at pictures, and possibly making animal sounds!  You just learn to go with it, and not worry what people might think about the crazy foreigner.

    Then, this evening something Exciting happened!  One of my besties learned how to Skype from her I-phone!  WooWhooo!  It was great to get to see her and I really enjoyed our chat!  We hadn't really got to talk in awhile.  It was great to chat with ya A! : )  We will have to do it again sometime, very soon!

Happy Thursday Y'all! : )


 
  

Korean Food Part I

A Little Sweet & A Whole Lot Of Spice!

    A little sweet & a whole lot of spice!  These are the words I would use to describe Korean food.  Koreans Love spicy food!  The rule in general is, if its red its going to spicy!  I was fortunate to be warned about this in advance.  So, I'm always cautious when it comes to eating something red or something with red flakes in it.  I'm a wimp when it comes to eating spicy food! 

     One of my favorite foods in Korea, is a dish that basically translates to spicy beef stew (Note: this is not like an American stew).  The stew consists of a spicy broth, bean sprouts (Yup, this Okie now eats a few bean sprouts!  Never thought I'd see the day!)  some other Korean vegetables, and a little bit of beef.  It's spicy but, if you poor the stew over rice like many Koreans do its actually tolerable if you can't handle that much spice.  I don't do spicy but, I'm slowly learning to handle a little more and more as time goes by.  Heck, I can even handle a little hot sauce on my pizza's now!  It's another Korean pizza thing, don't ask!

    The sweet side of things!  While, they love hot & spicy Koreans also love the sweet side of things.  They love that hint of sweetness and it shows up in the strangest places!  Take garlic bread for example, if you love or even remotely like garlic bread do not eat it in Korea.  I repeat do not eat the garlic bread in Korea!  It is sweet!  You heard me right, Sweet!  There is this hint of sweetness in a lot of Korean foods; garlic bread, potato chips, different kinds of breads and pastries, ramen spaghetti and even in some kinds of pizza! Its not an overpowering sweet flavor, but it's to much for my taste buds!

*Pictures to come at a later date.  I am currently unable to upload my pictures.  : (

Driving Sleeves

Tiffany (her English name) a fellow teacher on our way to work this morning, Rocking the driving sleeves!

  There's a strange thing that happens in Korea when the mercury starts rising.  People young and old begin bringing out their sun gear.  Koreans are not a fan of the sun or being tan!  So, when they get out their sun gear it's not your traditional sunscreen and hat.  I'm talking sun umbrellas, sunscreen with a 45 spf or higher, long sleeves,  gloves and driving sleeves! 
    Yup, I said driving sleeves!  I seen these for the first time at the beach over the weekend, and again today on my way to work.  Their lightweight sleeves that extend from your wrist to right above your elbow.  You wear them while driving or when necessary to protect yourself from the sun.  They even come in an array of colors.  Hmm... I know some farmers back home that could sure use these to help prevent them from getting that famous thing called a farmers tan this summer! : )

Happy first day of Summer Y'all!

GooGooGoo!

Goo Goo Goo!  Goo Goo Goo is one of the greatest things ever invented!  It's very similar to a thing we had in Stillwater once upon a time called "free ride."  Goo Goo Goo is basically like a taxi service that you can take home when you have had to much to drink, except they actually drive you, your friends and your car home for about 10,000 to 12,000 won (comparable to $10-$12 dollars U.S.).  You just call the hot-line, tell them your location and they pick you and your car up.  If you have extra passengers they will even deliver them safely to their homes. It's generally only in the bigger cities in Korea. But, I think this idea is genius in preventing drunk driving!

Its Not Cool To Cry In Your Pajamas!

    Its not cool to cry in your pajamas! I don't care what they say, its just not cool!  But, that is just what this 20 something girl did last night!  Yes, I can still say I'm 20 something.  At least for a little while longer. : )  I'm not proud of the fact that I cried in my pajamas but, its exactly what I did after a 2 hour Skype session that lasted until 2 in the morning (there was a 15 hour time difference.)

    It started out great!  I Skyped with my entire family, who where all together at my sister's to see the new baby.  Baby Olivia.  For the first time, I was able to see this new Little Bundle of Joy in person!  Via the internet and modern technology of course!

Little Olivia, was tuckered out!  She slept most the time.

    It was amazing to be able to see this baby who just 2 weeks ago was in my sister's stomach!  It sounds strange, I know!  Its just different when your own sister has a baby.  Don't get me wrong, I have had several friends and cousins who have had children that I hold near to my heart.  But, there's just something different when its your sister's baby.  I mean I have known her all of her life!  I know how bratty, mean and nice she can be.  She's the one who threw a motorcycle helmet at my face and bloodied my nose!  She's also, the one who I threw a rock at that hit her in the head!  I know her stories, her past, likes and dislikes.  So, to now see her as a "Mom" (this girl who used to carry around big purses and be extremely girly until, she reached her infamous tomboy stage) is kinda surreal and strange to me all at the same time.

    I loved being able to Skype with them!  I have not seen my sister since, the beginning of January.  This is an extremely long time!  The longest we have went with out seeing each other is six months, and that only happened once.  So, to be able to finally Skype with her was a huge blessing!  I Loved every minute of it!  It was great to see everyone, their new place and the new baby of course.  We just sat their and chatted for hours about nothing, like we would if we where back home.  Except this time, we where a world away.

    I was great, couldn't be happier until we approached the 2 am mark and I had to go.  I was even okay for a few minutes after we hung up.  Then it hit me!  I began to cry.  I cried just like a baby.  I don't even really know why I started crying.  I just did.  I blame it on the combination of everything; being a girl, being abroad and missing my family.  I knew I would miss the birth of my sister's baby when I made this decision to travel abroad and that I wouldn't get to see her for the first few months of her life.  I was some what okay with this.  But, no matter how okay or prepared for a situation you are your still human!  So while its not cool to cry in your pajamas it can happen when you live abroad, and that's okay. 

She finally woke up towards the end of our call.  She wasn't to excited about Grandma Linda holding her up to the computer screen. 

Happy 2 week Birthday Olivia!
Aunt Brandi loves you to the moon and back!

StuDent StOrieS

Alvin The Slow Genius!

    Alvin is a student in one of my classes.  He is not the smartest nor most outspoken in the class.  He's more the quit type who tries to blend in as much as he can so, he's never put on the spot.  He's shy when it comes to speaking English and prefers to observe the class instead of speaking.  He looks like Simon from Alvin and the Chipmunks with his black rim glasses and is more bashful than his cartoon namesake (at least in my class he is).  I even kid him about the cartoon Alvin and the Chipmunks.   Each day we do a reading assignment and I go around the room and ask each student to read and answer a question about the story.  A majority of the time when I get to Alvin he says "pass" or "I don't know the answer" and blushes.  I then ask the other students if they can help Alvin with the answer.  They normally show him the passage in the story where the answer is located or explain the question to him in Korean.  He then proceeds to answer the question.  
     Than one day, the Unthinkable happened!  I asked Alvin a question about the story we just read and with out help, or even pausing for a second he proudly answered the question Correctly!  "Way to go Alvin!" I said, as I gave him a high five!  The class began to clap and cheer for Alvin.  Then Billy yelled "Teacher! Alvin is a Slow Genius!!  He's a Genius! A Slow Genius!!"  I just smiled and said "yes."  I than gave Alvin two stars.  He was so excited!  By the end of the day the other teachers had already heard of Alvin's new name, the "Slow Genius!"

The Winner Is!...

The winner of the Mystery Korean Prize Pack is Comment #6 - Kristy!  Congratulations!  I will be getting your prize pack to you soon.  Not to worry, if you didn't win.  I will be doing another give away soon!  Hope you all have a Great Weekend!  I caught up on some sleep this weekend, relaxed and took my Korean drugs to help me kick this cold/sinus thing in the butt!  I went to a doctor in Korea for the first time on Friday.  It was a very interesting experience!  In total it cost me 18,500 won for my doctor visit and prescription, which is roughly equivalent to $18.50 U.S. dollars.  All without insurance!  This Waygook (Korean for foreigner) was happy with that price!  More on my trip to the doc in a later post!  Have a Great Sunday Everyone!

XOXO,
          Brandi

Wednesday Giveaway!

Why?? Because, its Wednesday.  Because, I have reached my half way mark here in Korea!  Because, I love my followers and getting a chance to share my stories with you.  So, today I will be giving away a Mystery Korean Prize Pack to one Lucky person!  
To Enter:  Answer the following question by commenting on this post and include an e-mail address where you can be reached at.

What are your summer plans? 

Winner will be drawn at random and announced on Friday!  Deadline to enter is Noon on Thursday (Oklahoma time, of course!)

Korean Fish Market Part I

I've had the chance to visit two fish markets since, arriving here in Korea.  I visited the second one today in Busan.  A six story market filled with nothing but fish and other slimy sea critters.  A Korean fish market is defiantly something to see!  This Okie was quite entertained!

 

Olivia Paige

Olivia Paige has fast become one of the new favorites in my life! She is absolutely precious!  I love her!  Even though I have yet to meet this little angel because, I am still a world away I am already head over heels for this little girl.  I could never imagine loving someone so much that I have never met.  I really do think she is just the "Bees Knees!" But, I'm not going to lie I am a little partial!  Congratulations to the Proud Parents! I know she is already wrapped around everyone's finger including mine.  So, Welcome to the World Miss Olivia Paige!  

Auntie B, can't wait to meet you!