Best wishes to my friend Nerio and his new wife. It was a real honor to come out and celebrate your big day!

I think Nerio was kind of shy to kiss his blushing beautiful bride in front of us... some Koreans don't even kiss at their wedding. We were all loving the sweet kiss though and I'm sure there's not one person there that didn't say "Ahhhhhh!!!!"

Highlights of my Day... Saturday, March 31

1. It took me all morning to convince myself that I really did want to go to Nerio’s wedding. I knew I did but I really wasn’t up for being bombarded by questions from past co-workers on when I’m getting married and why I’m still “Solo Girl”. So by the time I got up, it was time to go to the wedding.
2. Raced all the way across Cheonan in the retarded Saturday traffic and got there with 5 minutes to spare. I should have realized that Korean time is different. It meant I had about 15 minutes to spare, at least. I walked in though thinking I was so late but I wasn’t. The place was packed. Sure, there were lots of Korean cuties, mind ya, a vast majority of them were Nerio and his bride's students... ha, ha, ha. What I really wasn’t expecting though was to be bombarded with a ton of foreigners. Apparently this was the social event of the year for the foreigners, oh gosh. I sat beside this one guy, Jerry. He’s cool. He’s kind of like the male version of me in the fact that we both can’t stand the foreigners and have really tried to drowned ourselves in the Korean culture by surrounding ourselves with Korean friends.
3. Had the pleasure of meeting Nerio’s father. I’m being to think that all great dad’s are cute and small like mine… it seems to be a kind of trend I’m noticing. Anyway, I put on my best Korean manners and tried out my best Korean sentences only to be totally blown away by his English. We both had a real good laugh over the irony of it all… ha, ha, ha.
4. Well the wedding was very beautiful. It was definitely more westernized but not at all like Western weddings, if that makes sense. Modernized Korean weddings seem to be a clash of traditional Korean with what they think happens in Western weddings. Nerio and his bride entered in on a mechanical cheriot that literally moved across the side of the room and took them to the end of the isle. It made for a grandiose entry but was definitely different. Then after the ceremony they got dressed in the traditional gowns for some pictures. I personally thought the traditional Korean gowns were absolutely gorgeous and were much more special as oppose to the Westernized clothing.

5. I was so proud of Nerio. He looked so handsome and wow… his bride was totally stunning! At one point in the ceremony Nerio’s eyes glistened with tears and his nose got all pink. There’s something about a guy getting all sensitive and emotional that just chokes me up. I was so happy for him and so I cried a few tears.
6. I was definitely surprised to not see any of my former co-workers from Eumbong. I had anticipated lots of comments and questions from them but I think they came late and left early. Kind of felt a bit silly that I had worked myself up so much about the situation.
7. After Nerio’s wedding, I was in a super good mood. I had just seen my friend marry the love of his life and so everything was great. I headed to the gym all cheery-eyed and smiles. The other day I had played “Human Hockey” with Wild Child and her little sister (Mini Wild Child)… by that I mean we’ve invented this game where I pick up Mini Wild Child and use her as my hockey stick. Have you ever seen “Alice in Wonderland” where the Queen uses the flamingos as her cricket racquets?! Well… it’s like that except I don’t hit the ball with her head, I use the heel of her feet. It’s the funniest thing but it made for quite the work-out and so today I went easy on my arm training… ha, ha, ha.
8. Meet up with Hannah and two of her boys at Mbar. Mbar was having various competitions going on and so we quite enjoyed the dance competition. This one girl was busting a move on the dance floor. She had this little hooded sweater on and so you couldn’t see her face. She approached our table and was all over the place. Then she took the hood off her head… oh my gosh… it was Hannah!!! I was so shocked. So much for Hannah being the shy girl. Looks like I’m the shy girl in this group!!!
9. All was cool but then this English-speaking Korean dude approached me and asked to join me. I was cool with it until he went on and on about how he loves foreigners. That was our exit cue…. It was kind of rude on our behalf but Hannah and I ended up running out the backdoor and then forcing her friends to tell him to take off. I just wasn’t up for being with anyone else but my friends.
10. Found a quieter place to eat and so that’s where we stayed for a good part of the night. Another friend of Hannah’s came out to join us but he was so nervous when he sat down and noticed me, the foreigner. It was so funny.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you believe in soul mates?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
--1 Corinthians

Here's Carmen and my best attempt at smiling... we were so stuffed and were feeling quite sick from all the food... ha, ha, ha.

Here's Amy's best attempt at trying to be polite to this guy who was smothering her and killing the vibe. Carmen and I had a good laugh at the irony of the situation... check out his shirt! His shirt was so fitting for him cause, well, he was quite the dick... pardon my words but it was true!

Highlights of my Day... Friday, March 30

1. With my secret letter, that I so stressed over last night, in my pocket, I headed off to the gym for some chest training. Fitness Guy was there, looking as cute as ever. He was helping some girls train but he had called me over. I guess he had told them that I box and so he tried to get me to show my skills. I thought it was funny but then, in the corner of my eye, I spotted some of my students behind me! At first they didn’t recognize me but when they did, they instantly changed their manner and bowed to me. It was so funny but a bit awkward considering I look like a tough chick at the gym with my army hat, tank top and working the weights like the men… ha, ha, ha.
2. As I left the gym, I realized I still hadn’t given Fitness Guy the letter I wrote. So, I approached him at the front desk and tried to pass it off like I had to write it as a part of my Korean studies homework. He was so shocked that I had wrote him a Korean letter and was all smiles too. Before he had a chance to open it, I left. At the top of the stairs I turned around to glance back at him. I could see the two girls working at the front desk eagerly trying to convince him to let them see it. I’d hate to disappoint you ladies but it’s not a juicy, jam-packed sappy love letter… ha, ha, ha.
3. Apparently I have an admirer! Wow… cool! As I was about to head out the door and go to school early, the security guard stopped me and told me there was a package for me. I told him that I would get it later but he insisted that I take it now. I was kind of surprised but when I got the package, I totally understood… it was a box of sushi!!! I love sushi! There was no note attached to it, no name,… nothing. Just sushi. I asked the security guard who had brought it. He told me it was a “tall new man”, which meant he’s never seen this guy before.. ok, so that ruled out my first guess, Kim Tae. Hmm… interesting!!!
4. Showed up early for school only to walk into my first class and have no one but the cleaning ladies in it! All my students were on MT… great. Today I had two classes and two hours of office time but with one class cancelled and no students around, it left me with 4 hours to kill. I was suppose to have a physical health check (university requires all new profs to do this), but because I ate the sushi, I’ll have to do that on Monday.
5. Texted Hannah and begged her to save me from my boredom in the office. She came. The weather was incredibly beautiful today and so we went for a walk around the university campus, had coffee, checked out the hotties, and then she took me to her music studio... it was great!
6. Finally 5:30pm came around. I had managed to kill a total of 5 hours on campus and was eager to teach my last class. I was kind of disappointed though when I was greeted by only 5 students. We ended up not having class but instead walked around campus for a bit, chatting about music and fashion. Two of them had traveled over 2 ½ hours to come to my class and so I felt so bad. I was almost tempted to give them money to take the KTX home, but I didn’t.
7. Had our first official GIRLS’ NITE OUT!!! Ki Dong tried hard to let us in on our plans but, as cute as he is, we refused. Most of my co-workers are guys but there are three of us female professors. Tamara wasn’t able to come out and so it was just Amy, Carmen (former professor) and me. We met up downtown and headed out to Mainz for some good eating. The staff there loves me and so we were hooked up with some free cider (pop) and then got a mad discount on the bill.
8. Carmen is quite the devils advocate. She’s pretty sarcastic and so I can see we’re going to have an awesome friendship!!! She’s got the retarded roommate and a Korean boyfriend of 3 years and so that made for some funny stories. Oh ya, she’s practically fluent in Korean… awesome!!! Now Amy on the other hand, she’s the same age as me but is married and is quite the good girl… she’s super cool. I’m quite jealous of her wicked genetics though… wow! She’s got like no body fat and has quite the buff arms. I always thought I had the show-stopping ripped arms but she’s tough competition… wow! Both are super fun girls and so it made for a really funny evening.
9. I had told them that I had a Korean wedding to go to tomorrow but hadn’t a date for it and so, just for jokes, we stood outside and scoped out the hotties walking by. Some middle school boys walked by and said hi to us to Carmen yelled out, “Hey… what are you doing tomorrow at 2pm?”… it was sooooooooo funny!
10. Our last stop for the night took us to Mbar where I was caught off guard by Hannah. I had just entered the bar when Hannah spotted me and came running up to me, yelling my name at the top of her lungs. She introduced me to a table packed full of Dankook University students. One of the guys there was quite fluent in English and so he joined us at our table. We thought it was cool at first and Carmen was hoping he’d be my date for tomorrow but he was all about Amy. That’s cool… or so we thought until he got mad at Amy when she told him she was married… ha, ha, ha. What a punk! Hannah was at the next table throwing popcorn at me and so I jumped in on that. Anything was better than having to deal with punk boy and his rude manners. Despite Punk boy, our first Girls' Nite was a success. We're hoping to have a wilder night next time though and scrap the whole excess eating... ha, ha, ha!... never mind about that last comment, long story.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Who brought me sushi?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Girls just want to have fun.
-- Cindy Lauper

Evening was setting in on downtown Cheonan.
This is my view from the 14th floor balcony. The big brown building on the right is the museum, beside it is the main shopping mall and across the street is a little place I call "Love" (Baskin Robins... ha, ha, ha.)

Look at all that black smoke... that can't be too good for the ozone!!!

Highlights of my Day... Thursday, March 29

1. In the wee hours of the morning I had woken up and sent In Sung a text message. I asked him, “Do you think I’m pretty?” I then went back to bed. Woke up much later and then remembered I had sent this message. I was shocked. Since when did I really care about whether or not some new person thought I was pretty?! And then it hit me… it’s cause of Korea!
2. Before I moved to Korea, I really never thought about my looks, nor did I care about how others viewed me. But Korea is much different. It’s obvious that Korea is a really image-conscious country but I never thought it really affected me until I woke up and realized I had sent this message. So it got me thinking, just how Koreanized have I become?!
3. So, I sat down and made a quick list off the top of my head on how I’ve Koreanized...

I sleep on a traditional floor mat as oppose to a bed.
My kitchen table is less than 1 foot high (totally Korean).
My wardrobe consists of Konglish t-shirts, totally Korean pretty blouses, lacy tops, and yes… I do have some leggings (that’s so Korean).
My accessories consist of chunky dangle earrings, sparkly shoes, and sparkly purses with sequences on them.
My favourite foods now consist of soondu-bo, sushi (Japanese and Korean style), and chumchi kimbab, as oppose to the pasta or steak I once craved.
I have random cravings for kimchi!!!
I no longer find myself really attracted to Western men.
I no longer favor the tough big boys… I’m all about the sweet, sensitive and shy guys.
I feel like the odd one out when I walk around with foreigners (nothing is quite like this feeling… feeling like a foreigner to the foreigners when you ARE a foreigner… so strange!!!)
I catch myself sometimes using Korean gestures and body language without even thinking… as if it were natural for me, a foreigner.
My English is getting worse by the minute.
I celebrate the Korean holidays and often forget Canadian holidays.
I enjoy walking arm-in-arm and holding hands with my Korean girl friends.
I feel more comfortable around Koreans and become somewhat shy around foreigners.
I enjoy listening to such Korean artists like MC Mong, Psy, DJ Doc and Lee Hyori.
I never watched soap operas in Canada but was addicted to last year’s Korean drama, “My lovely Samsoone”.
I talk to my dog in Korean and taught him commands in Korean.
I find myself talking out loud… that’s totally Korean!
I have slippers that are just used for walking in the bathroom.
I automatically bow when saying hi to people, even if they’re not Korean.
I don’t own any forks… ha, ha, ha.
I’m obsessed with green tea.
I’m a Cheonan B-Boy fan (Cheonan break-dancing team)

4. With students having MTs (faculty field trips) all week, various classes have been cancelled due to students being absent. Mind ya, MT’s are optional and so us teachers have no idea about whether or not a class will have students in it. Well, today in one of my classes, only 4 students showed up… correction, only 3 students. The fourth student was a visitor from another class…ha, ha, ha.
5. Must admit, I’m not one for hanging out with foreigners but I work with some really awesome foreigners. There’s a lady who is now a student at my school but was a teacher last year. Her name is Carman. Carmen’s kind of a trouble maker cause she speaks her mind and is quite sarcastic… perfect! She and I got talking today and have decided to have a girls’ night out tomorrow. No boys allowed!!!
6. Came home and couldn’t help but notice the massive cloud of black smoke. Not too sure what had happened but to the right of downtown Cheonan there was this massive fire!!! Traffic downtown stopped as 7 fire trucks went flying through rush-hour traffic. I raced up to my 14th floor balcony and watched it all go down.
7. Headed out to do some dancing and singing with Wild Child. I had promised her that I’d bring her more silly songs. I showed up tonight and Wild Child’s mom surprised me with some various musical instruments… a tambourine, clickers, a triangle, shakers, and a pair of symbols. It was quite the site to see me dancing with Wild Child as we sung at the top of our lungs and made a whole lot of noise… I don’t think we impressed the neighbours though.. ha, ha, ha.
8. Mi Nam was quite the attraction in the courtyard tonight and he was totally loving it! I had gone down to the courtyard with him to play soccer but then 3 Korean girls came in. It’s like he totally forgot about wanting to play soccer with me. He laid on the ground and was totally loving those girls petting his tummy. Spoiled brat… ha, ha, ha.
9. Studied Korean tonight like a mad woman… ha, ha, ha. Ever since that whole subway drama, I haven’t really been up for going out and seeing friends. Honestly, I’ve been down right anti-social, I admit it. Nothings quite like re-enacting the drama every night in my sleep. So, tonight I thought I’d try to write 2 letters to two of my friends who have been curious as to where I’ve been. The one friend I usually met up with and help her out with her English homework, the other friend is the cutie (trainer) from the gym. I had promised him that I’d work out in the mornings with him but I haven’t been up for training lately.
10. After about two hours, I finally finished both letters. Had I been able to simply write in English, it would have only taken me about 20 minutes but my friends’ English is fairly low and so I thought I’d test out my Korean. Thanks to Koosy and Man Seok for helping me with some of the translations!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Identity, nature or nurture?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Change your thoughts and you change your world.
-- Norman Vincent Peale

I love my baby Mi Nam. He's soft.. cute... funny ... and all he asks of me is to share my pillow and give him lots of kisses. So easy!

Ah Seoul... crowded subways, busy streets, tons of traffic, long lines ... lots of foreigners. Ya, I much prefer Cheonan by a landslide!!! I can only handle so much Seoul. Don't get me wrong, Seoul is awesome to visit but it always feels so great coming back to Cheonan.

Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, March 28

1. With my four-legged faithful sidekick snoring beside me and his nose all nuzzled into my neck, getting out of bed early didn’t happen. Mi Nam’s snoring is definitely one of my favourite sounds… ha, ha, ha.
2. It was a beautiful rainy day and by that I am referring to the fact that it was my day off and I love rainy days. I feel a certain kind of coziness and comfort that comes with the darken sky and the rain. Rainy days just seem slower.
3. Grabbed a coffee and jumped on the bus headed to Seoul. I had planned to meet up with my friend Leeky for lunch and then do some window shopping in Nam-da-moon.
4. For lunch, Leeky and I headed to this pasta place in Itaewon called “Sorrento”. I’ve been there a couple times before but today’s visit made me totally miss my first time here. I had come here with Dave and Errol. We had been doing some shopping in Itaewon and then we stopped by for some pasta. I miss those dudes.
5. Well lunch turned into a three hour deal but it was definitey quite nice. We sat there chatting, giggling and investigating each other's thoughts. Leeky is an incredibly smart guy. We’re new friends but I still felt kind of sad to hear that he’s leaving for America soon. He’ll be in America for four years while he works on his doctrine degree… wow.
6. Got talking to Leeky about relationships and what I want in “Mr. Right”. I know there’s no such thing as the perfect man but I know there’s such thing as “Mr. Right”. After Leeky and I had parted our separate ways, my mind drifted back to our conversation. Here’s what I came up with in regards to my “Mr. Right” and what I would love him to naturally be:

My "Mr. Right"...
a. Speaks more than one language and swearing isn’t a part of his vocab.
b. Has great manners and is a gentleman.
c. Believes in God.
d. Has a beautiful smile.
e. Is a Jack of all trades.
f. Sensitive, sweet and shy.
g. Athletic.
h. Has a great sense of humour and a contagious laugh.
i. Is simple enough to please but not simple-minded (hint, hint… not dumb)
j. Intelligent.
k. Is romantic and pays attention to details.
l. Has a good relationship with his family.
m. Tries to be understanding and open-minded.

Minus points…
a. Tardiness.
b. Smokes.
c. Makes me cry or doesn’t show concern/compassion when I get upset.
d. Believes in God but really has no sense of religion or gives me that kind of, “I believe religion is organized brainwash” bs answer.
e. Is as stubborn as me.

7. Was just about to do some shopping in the subway underground shopping mall when I got an unexpected call from In Sung. He totally caught me off guard when he told me he’d be there in 5 minutes. I knew he was at work but had no idea that his work was right across the street from the bus terminal. What an awesome and totally sweet surprise!
8. As I walked to where I had promised to meet In Sung, I spotted him in the crowd. He was walking so fast and so I tried to keep up with him. Instead of calling out to him, I just stayed behind him and then hid behind a pillar… ha, ha, ha. He was only able to chat for a bit because he was still on work time and so we went on a short walk. We walked by his store and his co-workers all looked up to check out the “foreign girl” with In Sung… ha, ha, ha. Koreans are SO cute!
9. In Sung was sweet enough to buy me my bus ticket home and so then I jumped on the bus and left Seoul. The bus ride totally killed me though and so when I reached Cheonan I was so wiped. Crashed at 8pm.
10. Woke up at 11:30pm and wasn’t impressed cause now I was all wide-eyed and full of energy. Played soccer with Mi Nam, minesweeper with Kobe (am sad to admit I lost one game… ONLY one game though, ha, ha, ha), did some cleaning and then hit the sack again much later

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Tempestuous?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Life is a foreign language; all men mispronounce it.
-- Christopher Morley

Today marks the start of our new friendship... this time round it's going to be different.

Tall, dark and handsome... and apparently still a kid at heart. Yong Chan tried to make me laugh by taking my hairband and messing up his luscious locks to try it on... it actually was quite funny too, and cute.

Highlights of my Day... Tuesday, March 27

1. Am convinced my body is still on Canadian time cause I went to bed last night so late and then struggled to wake up at noon today.
2. In my poor attempt to not give in to my Skippy peanut butter cravings, I’ve been feeding it to Mi Nam and oh my gosh… ha, ha, ha. So funny. He must have sat there for a good 5-10 minutes making sure he licked it all off his face.
3. Before I even knew what I was agreeing to, I had in my hands some random student’s test. He had come into the teacher’s office and so I thought I’d help him out, considering no one else was there to help him. Ki Dong had joked around earlier saying that I had just missed a super hot student. Ki Dong claimed this student’s skin was so beautiful even he was almost tempted to touch it…. Ha, ha, ha. I thought maybe this was that same student and maybe this was just a joke… nope. Great, now not only do I have to mark this guy’s test but I have to come in early on Thursday for a meeting to discus it.
4. The Samsung lady came in again today and I got stuck dealing with her cause no one else seemed to care. I felt bad for her cause she was trying to ask them questions but they clearly brushed her off. She didn’t speak a word of English but some of my co-worker’s Korean is better than mine, they really should have been the one to talk to her. So, when a co-worker made fun of me for saying a Korean word wrong I kind of snapped at him. I turned to him and said, “Ok, you laugh at my Korean, I laugh at your manners!”
5. Today’s topic in class was different kinds of TV shows and various TV lingo. Turns out about half my male students watch soap operas. Why am I not surprised?! Ha, ha, ha… I love these Koreans!
6. As I left class I received a text message from Yong Chan… he was coming to surprise me at school. I haven’t seen him in about 5 months, maybe… wow. I refused to see him during those 5 months because of a massive fight we got into in which I was left fuming, in tears, and wanting to literally fight him. But there he now was again, after all this time. It was like a scene out of a movie… so perfect! It was already dark out and he was waiting for me at the top of the track. His back was facing me when I walked up and so I stood there for a bit, not knowing what to say. I called out to him, he turned around and then wow… my jaw dropped. He looked so handsome!!! He wore a black velvet blazer, white dress shirt, black tie, and then topped the outfit off with some trendy blue jeans… he looked totally Korean, perfect!
7. We headed out for dinner together. He was still the chatty-Cathy I remembered but something seemed different about him. After dinner we went for a walk and then for some coffee. He tried to teach me some new Korean slang but we ended up laughing too much and so no sooner had I learned the word then I forgot it… ha, ha, ha.
8. I didn’t really want to discus our fight, it’s history, but Yong Chan insisted. He wanted me to understand how he felt and so I listened. Turns out he use to call me “Playgirl” and was convinced he honestly hated me before… wow! That was an intense conversation. I guess this means I can never go to Orlando now cause they heard all about me… great. Ha, ha, ha. Moreover, considering my Friday nights consist of getting take-out and watching a movie with my puppy, I couldn't help but think I'm the farthest thing from a "Playgirl".
9. He showered me with a few gifts from his golf tour in America and his trip to Japan and so that was unexpected, but sweet. I love the Gucci perfume "Envy Me"... thanks!!! I agreed to go to his LG golf tournament coming up, despite the fact I don’t like golf, but then he went off on a tangent talking about me going to Sweden with him for another tournament. Sweden?!
10. Meeting up with Yong Chan was honestly really great and now, the more I think about it, the more I support him with what he’s doing. He may have not done the military thing like most Korean men but you know what, when your dream is standing there in your face you grab it. You don’t ask questions. He's always been goal driven from an early age. His parents really pushed him with his training, invested tons of money and effort. Becoming a pro golfer was always his dream and for him, his dream came early. That's not his fault. Who are we to judge him on that cause I’m sure we would have done the same thing. He's taken a lot of slack cause of this situation and honestly, I know I once added to that too, but now I think differently. He's doing what he loves and so ya, he deserves to be proud of that. His job has not only taken care of his whole family financially but it's allowed him to travel the world and do what he loves, golf. So if he's happy, good... great. He worked hard to be able to do what he loves... which is the least I can say for most people I know!!!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What would you do for your dream?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Assumptions are the termites of relationships.
-- Henry Winkler

I love Korean food and I love dining out at these beautiful restaurants.... sitting on the heated floors, personal table top grills, millions of side dishes crowding the table, pressing the service button, ... but I don't like the fact that I walk away stinking like I just attended a huge BBQ cook-out. Ha, ha, ha!

Jae Min thought a game of chess would be a good idea, that is, until I won... ha, ha, ha!

Highlights of my Day... Monday, March 26

1. Woke up to what I thought was a massive gas leak in my apartment; it scared the heck out of me. Turns out it was just Mi Nam… he had MAD gas today… nasty!
2. I love rainy days… I especially love rainy days with friends! Met up with Jae Min for lunch. We went for shabu-shabu and I had to laugh at the fact that my taste buds have definitely changed since I first came to Korea. I use to love steak but now I cringe at the thought of Western food, it’s too boring for me, and now, instead, I’m all about pumpkin and mushrooms and about half a million other totally Korean things that I don’t even know what they are… ha, ha, ha.
3. Jae Min was all excited about bringing me to this particular restaurant until he realized I’ve been there before. I told him Ryan brought me here and so that sent Jae Min into “20 questions” mode.
4. Twenty questions turned into more like a million questions and so when we went to the newly re-opened Roman Holiday Café, I knew not to tell him that this was kind of Ryan and my place. Ryan and I use to always meet here, before we were an official couple. Quite a few months back this café had closed down and so I was quite happy. It meant I didn’t have to feel uncomfortable every time I passed by it. Apparently it just closed for renovations… found that out today.
5. Jae Min was all jokes until I beat his butt at chess. He had insisted we play chess at Roman Holiday Café and so I finally was persuaded to play. We put a small wager on the game… thanks for the money Jae Min! He thought I didn’t want to play cause I didn’t know how to play. Truth is I don’t like games because I get rather competitive.
6. Rushed off to school only to be surprised yet again by another Monday class of ONLY three students!!! Last week 30/33 students were attending a ceremony instead of my class. This week, those same 30 students were on their MT (field trip… not mandatory). So, I had the same three guys from last week.
7. Besides the obvious fact that now my students in this class have missed about 4 hours of material, homework, and a quiz, it now means I might have to fail some students. Yes, I said fail. I know, I know… it’s only the fourth week but the GOLDEN RULE is that if a student misses three classes they AUTOMATICALLY fail the course! So I felt rather stressed out tonight and, to help relieve my stress, I sent out a mass email to those absent students expressing my concern and stressing that they MUST not miss another class or else…
8. Wow… what a gentleman!!! I had asked June (one of the TA’s) to call me a taxi and then when it came, he escorted me to the cab. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal but it was to me. I was really flattered and very impressed. So sweet.
9. Today was definitely quite an “interesting” day and it reached it’s peek tonight when Sue cried!!! I headed over to her house tonight to see her and her mom. I don’t even remember what we were really talking about but I had used the phrase “puppy love” and Sue stopped me to ask me what it meant. So, I explained. Her mom jumped in on the conversation and said, “Oh, Sue had a puppy love… don’t you remember [boy’s name]?!” And with that Sue totally blushed and her eyes swelled up with tears! Both her mom and I sat there in total shock. I consider Sue to be quite the tough cookie and, even though she’s a 7 year old girl, she’s definitely not a girly girl or sensitive.
10. I didn’t know what to say or what to do. I felt so sad to see her cry and so I didn’t know what to do but grab her close to me and hug her. I joked around with her and said, “Come on, where’s that tough cookie Sue that I love? Is that you? You told me only girls cry but you’re not a girl… you’re my super hero… Giggle Girl”! And with that I had her smiling again. It felt so strange though to see this side of Sue cause well, you just don’t understand. Sue is by NO means an ordinary 7 year old girl. No ordinary 7 year old girl studies 2 different languages, 2 different instruments, goes to exercise class on the weekends and studies till 9pm on weeknights with numerous different private tutors. Sue is my mini superhero. Her super power is her high IQ and her superhero name is Giggle Girl… ha, ha, ha. I’m always amazed at how happy she is considering the HUGE pressure she’s under to excel in everything and anything her parents put her in. She’s simply awesome.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Can a little child be a hero?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
True friendship brings sunshine to the shade, and shade to the sunshine.
-- Thomas Burke

Here's Mr. Nature Man -- Kim Tae. Thanks for the awesome picnic Kim Tae!!! Gotta like a guy who can cook! I really enjoyed it and look forward to being able to jump in the water next time when the weather warms up.

I love this first picture... it totally sums up Mi Nam's reaction to the whole picnic idea! He was grudging every minute of it.. ha, ha, ha. Mi Nam is definitely a city boy. He can't hack this country scene!

Highlights of my Day... Sunday, March 25

1. Plans got post-poned on the account that we had to wait for Mi Nam to poop… I’m not joking!!!
2. Finally we were off… Kim Tae had planned a picnic for us and so the three of us, Kim Tae, Mi Nam and me, jumped in the truck and off we went. We drove and drove… and I was shocked to hear that I was still in Cheonan. Apparently Cheonan’s land size is bigger than Seoul but Seoul has more people, cool. Yet another reason why Cheonan is better than Seoul… ha, ha, ha.
3. Good catch Amy… yup, thanks! Mi Nam still hates being in the truck. Kim Tae and I have the situation down to an art though. We know the “three steps” Mi Nam goes through prior to puking (that’s step four) and so as he jumped from step to step, I was ready and waiting with the puke bag. Poor Mi Nam must really appreciate me shoving his head in a plastic bag… sorry baby!
4. Finally arrived at our destination. I had no idea where we were and so I followed Kim Tae down these rocks to this little remote riverside spot under a bridge.
5. Wow… I’m ALL about Korean picnics!!! It was AWESOME!!! Nothing against my mom’s sandwich and cheese picnics in the park but wow, Koreans really know how to set up quite the impressive picnic! Not only was the location really cool but then Kim Tae set up this little fire pit, situated the rocks for the grill and then slapped on mounds of meat… it was wicked!
6. I joked around and called Kim Tae “Nature Man” cause it was quite cute to watch him wash the lettuce in the creek, and build up the fire pit, but the funniest thing was when he pulled out our juices from the water.
7. They say, “like father, like son” but I don’t think that cliché quite fits for Mi Nam and Kim Tae when it comes to picnics and nature. Sure, Mi Nam ate the leaves and curiously looked at the water, but he was also shaking like a leaf at the sound of the rushing water. It’s fair to say he really wasn’t enjoying himself and so he hung by my side like a total wimp! I consider myself quite the tough cookie and so I find it hard to accept the fact that my son is not tough but instead is quite the sensitive and shy boy… I blame that on Kim Tae’s side of the family. Ha, ha, ha.
8. Definitely have to add “going on Korean picnics” as one of my favourite pastimes!!! Mind ya, next time I doubt if Kim Tae and I will allow Mi Nam to come along. It was sweet of Kim Tae to invite him but it wasn’t so sweet having Mi Nam puke THREE times on the way home (making a grand total of FOUR puke sessions!!!) I was relatively successful with catching it with the exception of one time and so it was all on the seat… and on my pants! Nasty!!!
9. Poor Mi Nam…. It was clear he had quite the stressful day. We arrived home and he was all smelly, dowsed in his own puke, and huffing and puffing. I’m sure he was probably starving too considering. But, I made him undergo a little more stress…. I had to. There was NO way this little guy was getting out of having to have a bath. If I wasn’t his mother, there’d be no way I would have touched him even with a ten-foot pole and a rubber glove attached to it… seriously!
10. After a few hours of rest, I decided to take Mi Nam down to the first floor store with me… bad idea there! He hasn’t figured out that he can go up the stairs yet and so I always have to carry him up. Mind ya, tonight he was being quite the difficult little boy and so every time I went to grab him, he’d run away from me. That’d be all fun and games if it weren’t for the fact that the security office is there and so both guards on duty were watching me with Mi Nam. Oh ya… did I mention there’s no dogs allowed in my building?! Ya! Regardless of the fact that I’m definitely in the good books with them, I didn’t want to push it and so when the one asked me if Mi Nam was my dog, I tried to joke it off by saying that he was my dinner… ha, ha, ha.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Are you my baby?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.
-- G.K. Chesterton

I love my pretty friends... yes, I said "pretty". Here's my pretty friend Jung Hyuk. Korean men are really quite pretty. With their high maintenance hair, olive skin and beautiful eyes... what's not to love!

Two years later and here we are... Jae Min and me. He's quite the funny friend but needs to work on his magic tricks... ha, ha, ha.

Highlights of my Day... Saturday, March 24

1. By the time I had woken up I was well into the afternoon. I had missed breakfast, missed lunch, and was creeping up upon dinner time. Mi Nam convinced me to finally get out of bed at 3:30pm!
2. Kind of got stuck in my building’s elevator with some Korean girl who was obviously about to freak out. They’ve been working on this elevator for some time but obviously haven’t really fixed it cause as we reached the 1st floor the door only opened a crack. The doors were a bit stuck and so I pushed them apart. I laughed out “Na-noon him-say yo-ja” (I’m a strong woman) and so the girl patted me on the back and giggled.
3. Lots of drama downtown! Outside of Club Zizi there were three large fire trucks. I didn’t smell smoke, I didn’t see any fire, but wow… those Korean firemen are just as cute, if not cuter, than Canadian firemen! Ha, ha, ha. Then as I past by the crowd of firemen, I ran into a crowd of police men. Apparently some dudes were fighting in the street. The cops had it under control but the one guy was splattered with blood, his shirt all ripped up and he had this massive gash across his chest. On the cop car was a knife. Wild… I’ve never seen anything remotely like this in Korea. Crazy stuff!
4. I’m being to get the idea that I’m not actually the one walking Mi Nam, it’s more like he’s walking me. That little guy is getting pretty strong and so I’m getting quite the arm work-out walking him.
5. I was suppose to visit Jae Min at Mbar last night but didn’t show up and so tonight I went. Like always, I walked in and was greeted with lots of smiles and “long time no see” from Jae Min, Jung Hyuk, Chun Hong, Jae Min’s sister, my Korean “mother” and the two DJ’s.
6. Pulled out the camera and instantly Jae Min and Jung Hyuk were all about posing… so funny. They’re definitely not camera shy!
7. One of the new waitresses heard that I was a professor at Dankook and so she was so excited to talk to me. Her English name is Hanna and, as it turns out, she’s a student at my school, cool. She was quite amusing to talk to. She loves English men and so Jae Min entertained us with his impersonation of an English gentlemen… ha, ha, ha.
8. I love it how whenever I visit Mbar all the staff seem to stop and crowd me. They’re awesome and I feel kind of bad cause I really have no excuse why I don’t visit them more often. They’re always so awesome to me and within the two years that we’ve all known each other, they’re been nothing but super sweet to me.
9. Yes… I am Ms. Anti-Social in Cheonan when it comes to foreigners, I admit it… so sue me. Ha, ha, ha. Mbar staff are all quite comfortable with me and so I definitely have privileges there, one being that I’m allowed behind the counter. So there I stood, behind the counter playing on their computer when a posie of foreigners approached to pay their bill. I think I came across as a bit of a snob and so I apologize but I really don’t want to meet new people, or make new friends for that matter. It’s not that I don’t like meeting people but I rather put my effort and attention on the friends I already have as oppose to stacking up my friends list. Being popular was only cool in high school. I was the social butterfly back then but that was then, this is now. It’s not about quantity, it’s all about quality and so I rather a few solid friends, an elite group, as oppose to a lot of surface level friends. So, I’ve made the conscious decision to be a better friend to those I already have in my life.
10. After a full evening of giggles, Konglish, good times, and good friends, I finally left Mbar. Mind ya, Jae Min, Jung Hyuk and Hanna came with me. We got some food at a local street vendor truck and then Hanna walked me part way home. She’s pretty sweet… see, I DO have female friends.. ha, ha, ha. By the time I got home it was 5am but I was still wide awake. Jumped on msn with Kobe, played a few rounds of "Mine sweeper" and then called it a night at 7am. Kobe was all proud of his ONE victory... I think he won only cause I was too tired... ha, ha, ha.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
If you weren't "you" would you want to be your friend?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
-- Cummings

Thank you Kim Tae.