yep, that's why i like summer, too!

I went to the bank today to take care of some bizznass and had a very pleasant conversation with the only person in the bank who actually speaks English. Let me tell you how I first met this chap...

Rewind a few months to my first experience in going to the bank alone. The dude who worked at the "special" desk (ie, for transfering money and dealing with foreigners) didn't actually speak English. He was very nice and insisted on speaking to me entirely in Korean. As kind as his words seemed, I just got more frustrated because he didn't seem to get that no matter what he said, I couldn't understand him. Finally, he tells me to wait a minute. After a few minutes of what I can only assume was rummaging around in the darkest corner of the bank's dungeon, he presents me with a nice looking fellow who speaks fluent English. WTF, mate?

Anyway, in the months to follow, the English-speaking Korean (Mr Park) has replaced the other dude at the "Special" desk. I really only deal with the bank once a month for bills, but every time Mr Park and I engage in pleasant small talk. Which brings me to today's dialogue:

PArk: So how is everything going?
Me: Great, I really love it here.
Park: Great, except for the weather, right?
*side note* it's now ridiculously humid during the day. I've started gauging the weather by the size of my hair. It's huge.
Me: Yeah, I prefer cold weather.
Park: I like summer. There are half-naked girls everywhere.
Me: *laughs* uh-huh.

Our conversation continued, but come one! How am I, a decidedly NOT half-naked girl, supposed to respond to that?

I should go to the bank more often, methinks.

more Korean Culture tidbits

HA! "tidbits" What a funny word.

My friends and I here have commented on some of the the more frustrating/comical (in retrospect) conversations we have had. Most of them revolve around people's tendency to ask questions in the negative. In Canada, and affirmative answer to a negative question is "no" whereas in Korea, it's "yes".

Scenario 1 (in Canada):
A: We don't have any classes today, do we?
B: No

this "no" clearly means, "No we don't have any classes."

Scenario 2 (Canadian in Korea)
CDN: We don't have any classes today, do we?
KOR: Yes

so, to a Canadian, that "yes" means "Yes we do have classes" but in reality, it means "Yes, you are correct - we have no classes today."

You can just imagine the Abbott and Costello act that could happen in a situation like this. Oh mercy.
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Children update:
Yesterday the girls came again (it's daily).
I was in my livingroom skillfully ignoring them when my plans were foiled.
How? you may ask...
They opened my bedroom window FROM THE OUTSIDE. How creepy is that, really?
I schooled 'em good, don't you worry. I've recently learned that "Hajima" (하지마) is the Korean way to say "Stop that" or "don't do that". I've put it to good use lately.

As for the safety of my window (mom), fear not, I only open it during the day when I'm at home and I make sure to close and lock it at night. I'm safe, except for little girls.

give em an inch and they take a light year

as mentioned in the previous episode, I finally caved in and allowed the little girls in my apartment to play with me. And yes, I did have fun. I did not, however, anticipate the can of worms that it has turned into. Allow me to recount the past few days...

Last Wednesday: Play with children. Laugh, giggle, dance, etc.
Last Thursday: There is an insistent banging on my door circa 7pm. SURPRISE! It's one of the girls. She comes in, I try to ignore her, she calls her friend and sister and they join us. They watch TV while I chat on the internet. I send them home at about 9pm.
***side note*** I don't know if it's a Korean kid thing, or just a general lack of knowledge about personal boundaries, but I now have to lock my door each time I come home because if the girls do decide to come by, they will bang on the door and then try to open it and come right in. I'm not a fan of this.
Saturday: Bobbi comes for a visit. I have told her about my small child problem, but this is the first time for her to actually experience it first hand. Over the course of the afternoon there are three knocks on the door. The first time it's three kids who don't even live in the building!!! GAAAAAH!
Sunday: Bright and early at 8am...yes EIGHT AM...there is an obnoxious banging on my door accompanied by girlish giggling, and children peering into my bedroom window. I can't describe how creepy that is. Naturally, in my groggy state I am unimpressed and resolve to give them a piece of my mind. I grab my clock (for emphasis) and go into the hallway to have at it. I point at the time and sternly say "too early!!" The kids look abashed and confused. Then one of them hands me a pile of green tea packets and says "for you." Great. How can I possibly scold them when they give me presents?
They come back once more on Sunday and I turn them away.

Now I live in constant fear.

Brett equated them to Gremlins. I made the mistake of feeding them after midnight and adding water.

10 months feels simultaneouly like 10 years and 10 seconds

Less than 2 months until my visit home and let me tell y'all, I cannot wait. But that's not to say that life here isn't awesome, cuz it is. Here's the past few weeks in random snippets:

My 3rd JLP Teacher Training Session:
After taking part in this for the 3rd time in a row, teaching the same subject, I can safely say that it is my home away from home (away from home). It's nice to have the opportunity to teach the same curriculum a few times so that I can make changes and watch it get better and better (at least, that's my hope).
The teachers this time were, in general, more serious and less talkative. It's kinda difficult going from one group which is so gung-ho and extroverted to another group that is more introverted. Don't get me wrong, they were still great students, just different.

Directly after my time at the session ended I was presented with a 4-day holiday weekend. SWEET! I found out on the final day of that vacation what 2 months of non-stop activity will do to a person. I literally slept all day and all night. But now I'm back in business and better than ever.

The Weather:
So sometime between May 30 and June 2nd, someone flipped a switch and it got hot. It hasn't been unbearable, however, because it's not too humid yet. Apparently, sometime at the end of June, someone will flip another switch and it'll just get WET. I guess it's the kind of humidity where we all may as well be fish. I'm looking forward to THAT, let me tell ya.

Children:
Today I had a random visit from the little girls who live in my building. Usually I avoid them like the plague because little children and Vanessa don't mix. I blame myself because I keep my door wide open to let a breeze through. Brace yourselves, because I'm about to make a startling admission:
I actually had fun with them. GAH!! Who said that?!?
Yeah, they randomly showed up, they can't speak a lick of English, but we had a good time. I let the old guard down and got genuinely silly with them. Pillow fighting, the small one was crawling all over me and I DIDN'T feel the urge to throw her out the window!! I think I'm making some definite progress.

The Dog Cafe
My friend Phil let a few of us foreigners in one one of the best kept secrets in this Hemisphere. In Gwangju, the major city of my province, there is a tiny, second-floor cafe whose main attraction is the fact that you can go in there and surround yourself with all manner of dogs and a few cats. Among others, the owner had a gigantic English sheepdog, an Afgan, chow-chow, Malamute (sp?) Husky, Collie, two cocker spaniels, and a bunch of lap dogs. I went in and my heart just melted. And then about 15 minutes later my face melted in one of the hugest allergy fits I've experienced in Korea. But it was completely, totally, utterly, undeniably worth it. I've been back twice since then. Harley, I miss you. You're a dog and you can't read, but I don't care.

The Backhanded Compliment
Koreans are great for delivering a compliment that makes you go "huh?". They totally don't mean to zing you, but it just comes out that way. A classic example is this doozy: "You look more beautiful today than last time." Thanks...I think?

Sporty?
A few episodes ago I mentioned that I'm surprisingly decent at volleyball. Well, as it turns out, I'm not too bad at badminton or table tennis either! Who'd'a thought? Maybe I should quit what I'm doing and persue a carrier as a pro ping-pong player (how's THAT for an alliteration?!?). I wonder if there's money in that?

World Cup
Oh MERCY what a time to be in Korea. As you may or may not recall, the last world cup was in Korea and Japan, and Korea actually placed 4th. They are SO SO SO proud of this and now the country is being hit with massive World Cup fever. They have countless red shirts (yes, I have already acquired one), special cheers, and crazy crazy spirit. I'm certianly looking forward to it :D

and that's about all I have to say about that.