Sorry for the lack of posts recently. Have been waiting patiently for a friend to send me the photographic evidence of the Gwangju Kimchi Odessey, but they've not yet arrived.
In the meantime, I've not been getting into much trouble. I spent last weekend at home (well, except for saturday evening). I've watched a gazillion cheesy korean movies (100 days with mr. arrogant, how to keep my love, the art of seduction -- all romantic comedies). Sunflower, which Chris and I went to see at the MegaBox movie theatre downtown (which means NO SUBTITLES) was a pretty standard Korean drama, and I of course cried and cried at the end. How could you not cry when the main character's sister is violently attacked and hospitalized, and his mother's killed by the same evil characters and then his sister (in the hospital still) asks about her mom, and oh! How the main character sat tragically in a burning building, certain death, after avenging the death of his mother and the beating of his sister. And how the sister, years later, has moved on from the deaths of her brother and mother (her entire family), but still remembers... who wouldn't cry? Heartless bastards wouldn't, I suppose. Anyways, pretty standard, but worth the 6,000 won simply for the experience. The look on people's faces to see two waygooks walk into a Korean film! ha ha ha.
The only one that I'd really recommend seeing is Daespo Naughty Girls, which is a totally raunchy and absurd comedy, but it kept me laughing and that's the important thing!
Why have I been watching so many movies? Becuase this weekend was knitting-weekend! Someone's having a baby so a sweater's on the go... someone has feet, so socks are on the go... someone else has feet too, so slippers are (still!) on the go... and so on and so forth...
Oh, and on Friday I totally traumatized myself by going to a knitting store downtown. Everything's different, eh. Needle sizes, yarn terms (of course!), even the types of common yarn! And while I was expecting there to be some English labelling on the yarns themselves, NOPE. What's a girl to do? Besides have an absolutely overwhelmed panic attack and leave the store feeling quite foolish for ever having entered.
However, I will return. With a (freekin') vengance. I will conquer the knitting store and buy (appropriate) yarn if it is the last thing I do in this not-so-vast nation. I am in the process of preparing a 13-page yarn shop resource for myself, including needle size comparison charts, japanese and korean translations for useful words, and how to judge yarn type without using the label. (If any random people want a copy of this epic guide, please don't hesitate to let me know! No one should have to do this much work simply so they can buy some yarn for a hat...)
Oh, more randomness. I decided that I would get a manicure last night, as my gift for surviving Monday (my hardest day). So, off to 또또 hair shop I go (same place I got my hair cut) and besides having the two cutest kids EVER hanging around the whole time, was a wholly pleasant experience... and apparently free! I asked how much, and I was told "service" which means that it's no charge! That's so nice! Clearly I will have to go back and get my hair trimmed next week.
One last thing to say in this not-as-short-as-I-thought posting... my schools (and my coteachers) freakin' rock. The teacher I taught grade 5 with, this was our last week teaching together. I am using the word "teaching" relatively lightly - really I lead games for half the class... I have really enjoyed working with him though, we've had a lot of fun! Anyways, he was so sweet, he bought me a korean book! It's about the moon and the sun and it has a cd with it so that I can practice my korean along with it. I'm hoping actually that I can talk him into helping me with my korean (speaking and listening) in exchange for some english practice time :-)
And that's really all. People are terribly terribly frustrating sometimes, and I feel terribly isolated and lonely sometimes, but it's actually pretty the same when I'm in Canada. I just happen to actually speak the language there, so I can't get away with as much!
I had a dream last night that I was fluent in Korean. Then I woke up. *sob* I will have to work harder at this... I've gotten really lazy.
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2 comments:
man i realy want part 1 of this kimchi festival. part 2 was kinda sad, so i am hoping part one was worth it!
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Good for you for going to see a film without subtitles! Sounds like you were able to be immersed in the film anyway. I don't know what the statistics are, but a ridiculous amount of people learn another language by watching television shows or movies in that language!!
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