When life gives you lemons, move!

Monday night I was sitting on the floor watching tv when I noticed water trickling down from the ceiling. I'm all about waterfalls, but not indoors. It created a small puddle on the floor and it was near an outlet, which scared me. I called my friend and asked her to call my landlord (times like this is when not speaking Korean is really hard) and he came over and looked at it. He poked around for a while and then said "I'm sorry, I don't know." He promised a repairman and left. 

Tuesday, no repairman. Wednesday, no repairman. So I called my friend again before work (thanks Mina!) and she got the landlord over. He told me the upstairs neighbor's air conditioning drain was leaking into my wall and in order to fix it they need to rip the wall open. But good news - the apartment next to me was open and I could either move in temporarily or permanently if I wanted. Bear and I went over and looked, and it was great! Bigger, more open, better layout. So I said I'd take it, and by bedtime I was all moved in. Sometimes I know what I want and I don't want to wait, and this was one of those times. 

Everything about this is so great - I love settling in to new places yet I hate the process of moving. But it doesn't get much easier than carrying things next door, especially when you have helpers. I didn't even box anything up, we just grabbed handfuls and walked. I now have a seperate living area with space for a loveseat, instead of just my bed in my old place. Which means furniture shopping, yay! The dog has more space to play, my bathroom is bigger...I could go on and on. I'm not completely satisfied yet - there's still some shopping and reorganizing to do, so stay tuned for photos :) But overall this was a very fun, very unexpected surprise. 

The joys of being a dog owner

It's been 6 months, and I'm having trouble remembering what my life was like before I got Bear.

I think I used to wake up to an alarm clock, but now I either wake up to a dog whining "it's time to play so let me out of this kennel," or a tongue licking my face if I didn't lock him in the night before.

I didn't used to go for 3 walks a day, sometimes in the rain, sometimes in my pajamas, sometimes carrying a bag of poo. I didn't have to avoid around all the scary manhole covers or motorcycles, and I didn't have pockets full of plastic bags at all times.

Yeah, he's vain

I didn't used to have dog treats and rope toys in my basket at Home Plus, or feel guilty for not having treats or toys and coming home with lots of things for me but nothing for my animal. 

My schedule didn't used to revolve around someone else's bladder. 

And I definitely didn't used to have teeth marks in my baseboards.

But I also didn't have somebody yipping with excitement every time I opened the door. 

I didn't have a little friend to play with and talk to (like he's an actual person that can be reasoned with...oops) and sit next to me while I watch TV. 

I didn't have a buddy to walk with me to the beach or the bank when I didn't want to go alone. And I didn't have anybody to make me walk 3 times a day and lose 10 pounds (thanks Bear!)

I didn't have anything to take care of besides myself. It may seem silly, but it's really satisfying knowing this creature is alive and healthy and happy because of me. If I accomplish nothing else in a day at least I know I fed my dog. 

He has made my life very different, that little Bear. He's a little bit needy, a little bit naughty, but even when I'm mad at him he's pretty cute. 

All I know is...

Last time I was at the beach there was a Kindergarten class playing in the sand, and they all lined their shoes up in this cute little row.

I haven't felt like cooking all week. I had a bowl of blueberry wheats for dinner and it was so satisfying.

I usually don't mind humidity (weird I know) but it has been really intense and draining lately. I keep drinking instant coffee at work to fight off the sleepies.

Bear must be feeling a little neglected because he keeps trying to lick my hands as I type.

Speaking of Bear, I bought him a ball that has a bell inside and he was afraid of it until I held him in my lap and waved it in front of his face for a while. Does that make me a bad dog mom?

One class had some writing homework this week, and a boy came in with all these sentences about Cindy and Andy that he had clearly copied from an English book. And then he got upset when I didn't give him any points. 

There is a man that drives a truck around my neighborhood selling watermelons for about $5, and the only time I see him is when my arms are already full of things or I'm on my way to work. I want a cheap watermelon!

Tomorrow is Friday and I might just play games in all my classes. Most of the kids decided to be really difficult this week and they don't really deserve game day but I deserve a break from teaching them.

Happy almost weekend everybody!

Sometimes you just need a nap

I know little one, I'm tired too. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to take naps on the desk because I'm the teacher and I'm not 5 years old. But lucky for both of us it's a 3 day weekend! You will probably watch cartoons and color pictures and run around like a maniac and make your mom tired. And I will go to my beloved Seoul and eat all the Mexican food I can find and buy everything Forever 21 has in my size. And we will both probably come back on Monday and want to sleep on the desk.

Teaching babies is hard

Wrong, but so sweet

At the beginning of the month my bosses added a class of 4 and 5 year olds. I think they thought I'd be thrilled, but they were wrong. They were very wrong. Teaching kids that age is so hard - not because the content is difficult, but because you have to make them sit still and pay attention to what you're doing. And in order to make them pay attention you have to put on a show. But the show can't be too entertaining, otherwise they'll get too excited and forget to concentrate on what they're supposed to be learning, and you'll end up with a classroom of screaming 5 year olds. It's a very delicate balance and I just don't have the patience for it.

Kids that age learn in a strange way too. For weeks and weeks you do the same things over and over - you sing so many versions of the alphabet song, you practice the flash cards, you write your letters in every color of the rainbow, yet they retain nothing. Yesterday I had them writing T on the whiteboard, then they had to go to their desks and do a letter T worksheet. During the walk from the whiteboard to the desk they completely forgot what letter we were practicing and what sound it makes. It was like a vacuum came and sucked all the English out of their little minds, and I had to start the lesson from the beginning again. And then finally one day in the distant future they'll come in and recite their abc's perfectly, and you're so proud but also so irritated because what took you so long?! I'm impatiently waiting for that day to arrive.

There are some older kids that stick around after their class is over to do homework or wait for their moms to come pick them up, and they are captivated by this class. I always catch them peeking through the window or walking up and down the hallway. Yesterday a girl actually fell into the classroom when I opened the door to go make copies because she had her ear pressed up against the door. So I decided to let them join in, and oh my gosh it's so great! These 3rd graders are so excited to sing the abc song with the babies and help them match their letters and color pictures together. It's adorable, and their excitement is starting to rub off on me. Having them in there also helps me keep my sanity a little bit, so win-win.

I love my mornings

This week I was thinking again about how awesome my work schedule is. My bosses are very laid back and never gave me set hours - they trust me to do a good job and they let me decide when I come and go. I work hard but I also work smart and I usually don't spend more time than is necessary at my desk. And I love it so much.

I love that I can stay up late because I don't have to wake up early.

I love taking my coffee and my Bear to the beach while the sun is up.

I love that I can do all my errands in the morning and just be free when work is over.

I also love that people are at work when I go to the store, and I can usually get in and out really quickly. 

I love coming home to a clean apartment because I had time to tidy up before I left.

I love being able to meet friends for coffee or brunch.

I love that my commute isn't hectic because most people are already at work when I leave.

I love having time to sit at Starbucks and read. 

I love being able to skype with people back home and not feel rushed. 

And so much more. Life is good friends. I'm lucky and I know it. 

The little things

Oops, it's been a while since I've written. Lately I've been feeling like I don't have much to say because nothing seems super exciting. Which, I guess that in itself is something. I think a little while ago I reached the point where life in Korea became less of an adventure and more ordinary. My home feels cozy, I have great friends, my routine is set, I even have a pet. At times it's easy to forget that I look different and sound different because most days I feel very comfortable and confident doing what I do and going where I go. I used to feel like an outsider every day, but not anymore. There are definitely moments where I get a fresh realization that I'm a foreigner, but those are not the norm. It's interesting - in the beginning I never could have dreamed that one day I'd feel this way. 

Over the weekend a friend had a 90s themed birthday party. I went out and bought a scrunchie, and we spent the evening reminiscing about polly pockets and American girl dolls and skip its, and listening to all the boy bands we used to love so much. It was awesome, and so good to celebrate a fun friend. I knew her in Ulsan, then we both left for a little bit, and now we're both here in Busan.

And today was full of so many little surprises! I ended up with a free hour at work, so I got things organized and planned and even had some time to read my book. Then my boss' friend came in - she shows up about once a week to hang out in the office - and she brought me a coffee and a cookie! After that one of my boys gave me a Hershey bar, and then I came home to a pretty huge refund on my gas bill, which means now I have extra money to spend on summer clothes :) Life is good.