Last update for a couple of weeks...

As I'm leaving for Incheon Airport tomorrow morning, this will be my last post for a couple of weeks... will post about China et. al. upon my return.

Check out Liz's blog for info on Lunar New Year (this weekend)...

Also, the great knee saga is ongoing, it sounds like I've pulled my MCL - good news is that the ACL problems may have been caused by MCL problems, and once the MCL is fully healed, the ACL may be much better, too? Sigh. Korean doctors are very impressed by my knowledge of knee physiology and terminology. (in Korean, ACL is pronounced Ae-she-ell). I also got a mysterious shot of something in the hip today, from the doctor... it's my first time - in Korea every time you go to the doctor, they give you a mystery shot...

Happy news of the day, three Korean teachers were looking at my Korean notebooks yesterday and told me that my writing looks like a Korean wrote it - they didn't believe at first that it was me!! AND they have also decided that microsoft should include a "Katrina" korean font, because my hanguel handwriting is so nice! WOOOT!

Also, on the subject of THONGS, Rachel and I discovered yesterday that yes, they do sell thongs in Korea (there were many many thongs at "Sexy Cookie", a lingerie chain store) but that they appear to be more common for "sexy time" (as borat would say) than for regular everyday wear... because I know you were all dying to know.

free scarf to a good home

Like the title says - the colours are all wrong for the originally intended recipent, but I really like how this is knitting up so I plan to finish it - it will be a nice and long scarf, and it's 5 inches wide... 100% japanese wool, loosely knit... I would keep it myself, but the colours are all wrong for me, too. So, free scarf to a good home. Please email me (or post a comment) to let me know if you're interested...

Auntie Katrina answers your questions about Western culture...

Sometimes, it's part of my job to be an ambassador of Western Culture here in Korea, and this means answering people's questions, no matter how unusual... take today for example:

Q: Do you know the song, it is about thongs?

A: Yes, it's called "The Thong Song".

Q: Oh, I like that song. I looked up "thong" in the dictionary, it is like a bikini?

A: Kind of, yes... but thongs are, um, smaller.

Q: Do you know who sings that song?

A: No. Sorry, I can't remember.

Twenty minutes passes...

Q: I really like that song, "The Thong Song". Are thongs popular in Canada?

A: Yes, many girls have thongs. (I then explained Visible Panty Line and comfort reasons, but it's hard to write my explanation because it involved gestures too...)

Q: I looked on the internet at thongs. Do you have any thongs?

A: Yes, of course I do. (We were in my apartment at this point... I this close to opening my underwear drawer to show him a couple of my thongs)

Q: Oh. They are very popular in Canada and America?

A: Yes, they are. Are they popular in Korea?

Q: No. Well, not in my house. My mother and my sister - I have never seen any in my house.

A: Oh. Ok.

Q: So it is a good gift for a girlfriend?

A: Um, yes. (I really hope he wasn't referring to a girl who is his friend!)

Q: Do you know who sings that song?

A: I think it was Sisqo.

Now boys and girls, (if there's anyone reading this) I would love for you to hazard a guess as to who this person is that I was talking to, and what my relationship with them is. (And no, it's not Liz's former co-teacher)

5 busy days

that's all, 5 busy days until jess arrives and brings her special brand of fantastical sunshine to my corner of the world!

i am so so so excited! there's nothing quite like knowing that you'll be able to share your world with one of your best friends, even if it's only for a short while...

and have crazy adventures in a land where neither of us speak the language (woot! china!)

on the korean language front, I've been practicing my korean by chattering to cab drivers... it's a good thing! today's outlook is positively positive. (much better than yesterday's, when korean particles were driving me to tears) and I do have rachel to thank for the positivity - a great night last night with a great friend - we both needed the chill-out time.

but back to jess - 5 days until I pick her up in seoul! WOOT!

today - going to miryang with eunsil
tomorrow - blissful nothingness
friday - busan (haeundae) with rachel, then meeting with eunji for drinks
saturday - something with chris? and laundry
sunday - off to seoul and incheon airport!!

last day of school!

That pretty much sums it up - last day of school and all the rowdy enthusiasm that accompanies it. I have (sadly) found out that one of my favourite teachers will not be teaching English next year! Happy for him, pity party for me! In fact, most of the teachers I teach with will not be working with me again next year... :-( The middle school rotates the teachers through grades 1, 2 and 3 because (apparently) no one really wants to teach grade 3... (the Canadian grade 9... ). I will not get my new class schedule, nor will I know who I am teaching with, until the day I arrive back at school!!

I am ROASTING today - the elementary school classrooms were cranked to 24 degrees C, and I think the staff room here may be even warmer! All of this, and it's about (plus) 10 degrees C outside... I don't even need a jacket.

I have figured out my barometer for when it's time to leave Korea and come home. The day I actually understand this place, language and culture, is the day I'll pack my bags...

I have my answer!

I asked one of the korean teachers today, what I can to to make them more comfortable in talking to me, and he said two things of interest -- that it's not my problem, it's the other people's problem... and his advice to me was that I should learn more korean.

So, there you have it, ladies and gentlement... I have to get back to my korean hak-gyo program. Lesson 3 - WOOT!

Liz tagged me - I'm IT?

Ok, so I have to answer this question:

the top five songs i would play at my own funeral but i'll give you 10 instead.

joga - bjork -- preferably with fireworks exploding at appropriate times...

she makes me wanna die - tricky -- pretty chill song for a pretty chill occasion...

superstitious - stevie wonder -- just cuz

blue orchid - white stripes -- to get the party started a bit (after all that downer music)

weak become heroes - the streets -- I think it would go nicely with the tricky and bjork?

this charming man - the smiths

I can feel it - sloan -- just to bug a particular friend one more time...
OR underwhelmed - sloan -- because grammar and spelling are important but not as important as feelings, guys!

she's a star - james -- because I am one!
OR go to the bank - james -- best getting-ready song ever!

evil - interpol -- because it will probably still be stuck in my head, even after I shuffle off this mortal coil...

on and on - crash vegas

sleep over it (?) - controller.controller

get up - ciara -- my current favourite cycling song


is that 10? meh. don't read anything into the lyrics, or special meanings or anything - I just like these songs. I'm really a simpleton. If you asked me tomorrow I guarantee the list would be different...

-- EDIT 13/02/07--

RIGHT Liz pointed out that I need to tag people... so Melbine and Delphine, if you are reading this, the question is now yours to answer on your blogs...

Life in Korea, summed up in a 2 minute video clip

This made me laugh. This sums it up some days: Do you speak English?

Just imagine that the two guys are Korean.

On Friday, two English teachers that I have been teaching with FOR FIVE MONTHS told me that they are nervous and afraid to talk to me... (it came up in conversation - people aren't usually that direct!) so I've spent all weekend trying to figure out if it's me or if it's them, or if it's a combination of both... I can understand fear of native speakers, but it's not like I laugh or make them feel stupid (not intentionally).

Although funny enough, on Friday at school, I tried out a new Korean verb I've been working, the word for "to be cute", I put together my little sentence (on the fly! WOOT!) and the (non-English) teacher to whom I said "Cute blouse!" smiled at me, giggling, and said to another teacher passing by "Katrina blah blah blah "gyopda" and then they BOTH giggled! So, I spent the day trying to figure out if I used the word properly or not... I did, I pronounced it fine, I guess the idea of me speaking Korean is just _that_ funny. Ok, to me too... I have software that records me saying phrases to compare against native speaker samples, and it makes me giggle too...

But, I tell this story because it's by no means the first time this has happened, yet I continue to try to speak this language - and English teachers who are capable of (and have done) simultaneous translation for me (when I'm teaching...) are afraid to speak to me. I know it's not about level, but still... what am I doing that makes them so uncomfortable?

So please, watch the video! (and Liz, tell me if this isn't your life too!)

(Suggestions are welcome. Anyone with feedback is welcome to post about how uncomfortable I make people, or how intimidating I am, but constructive comments only, please!)

Also, to fledgling language learners out there, Declan's Korean HakGyo program is ROCKING my world... it's a lot of vocab in each lesson, but the grammar is great - well paced and well-explained... let me know if you're interested, I bought a license... (you have to be able to read/write hanguel to use the program - no romanizations)

Friends in high places

In the following post, I will address several seemingly unrelated issues. They'll tie together at the end, I promise.

Those who have traveled with me before are very aware of this - I am a relaxed traveller, but I do demand ice cream treats with some regularity.

Cut to Katrina extolling the virtues of Koreans... being a foreigner in Korea, I stand out like nobody's business. There is no way I would be mistaken for an ethnic Korean, ever. This means that sometimes, I'm an object of fascination, sometimes, I'm an object of rude stares, and often I'm an object upon which friendly Koreans want to practice their English...

Side note: my favourite, favourite thing is when a little kid gets a look of shock on their face and says something to their mom or dad like "waeguk saram" (foreign person) or "waeguk imnida" (she's a foreigner). Being the wiseass that I am, I jump back with equal shock and say "hanguk saram!" (korean person!) or "hanguk saram imnida!" And that REALLY shocks them, which make me and the Korean adults giggle ㅋㅋㅋ

Back to the story... I have now met a Korean university student who works at an ice cream shop, we are emailing back and forth... I also stop in to help with her English! (No, really, for the English, not for the ice cream!) How great is that! (It should be noted that we did not meet at the ice cream shop, but instead at a middle school I was teaching an English camp at). WOOT! Last night, rainbow sherbert! :-)

This country just gets better and better!

Back at school!

So, I'm back to my full-time schedule now. I was originally told that I had all week off, but s'all good... Funny enough, my full-time schedule is: I'm teaching 2 classes today, and 3 classes tomorrow. And next week, 5 on Monday, 4 on Tuesday and then I'm ... finished teaching until March 02.

I don't know how I'm going to make it through an entire month of regular classes (March) without dying. I have become quite accustomed to lazing around the house, doing whatever. Someone will be very happy to hear that her socks are (finally) finished... just in time to start on this year's birthday present...

For those who care, my Veronica Mars addiction is still in full swing, and now thanks to peekvid.com I am also addicted to House.

My back is sore today, too, but I think it's psychosomatic. Also yesterday I finally got my Chinese visa! WOOT! And picked up the plane tickets, you know what that means -- I'm actually going to China!! I am so so excited!

Also of note, today mom figured out how to call me on my cell phone from Canada. I have a funny feeling my world will never be the same again.

And to those in Korea reading this, my sister has formally announced her objection to being a packmule (apparently she wants to bring some clothes for herself and some toiletries for herself and stuff) so it's a fifty-fifty lottery as to whether you're receiving what you've requested! It's time to start plotting how to meet army boys in Seoul... (to get onto the base, of course!)

And finally, saving some kick-ass news for last, I haven't had a knee problem in 20 days - that's right people, I'm almost at 3 weeks without incident! My knee is totally getting a gold star for being so well-behaved, this is a record here in Korea for me!