Election Day

Today was election day, which means that we have no school. It's a pretty awesome concept. Encourage people to vote by giving them the whole day. Now you can vote, do errands, enjoy some time outside, and relax a little. No stress for voting. However, with the no voting stress, you may forget to vote altogether. This seems to be a common problem as the voter turnout is still really low, especially when you consider no one has to actually make time to do it.

Anyways, since the big frisbee tournament is this weekend and we had no work today, we all met for practice in seoul at 9:30. I spent the night at bek's because 7:00 a.m. on a no-school day would have killed me.

Practice was small (only 10 people) but it was good. After we got sandwiches at this great little place near Ichon Station (이촌역). The place was called Tomati, and they had club sandwiches, and salads and all kinds of things. A roast veggie sandwich for vegetarians even; and it got good reviews from our resident veg-head, ADrews.

After practice I came home with the intention of going to E-mart to pick up some groceries. Before leaving for the store, I bought my plane ticket to NYC!!! So excited for that. My first trip to the big city where I can pretty much decide to do what I want to do. hehe. Anyways, then I walked to E-Mart (the day was GLORIOUS, warm and breezy). I did my shopping, went to the checkout line, got everything on the conveyor belt and suddenly realized that i had left my wallet at home. blaaaaaaaaaargh. I had to ditch all my purses and walk home defeated. I bought nothing today. hah.

Then I went to Bupyeong for dinner with Miranda and Christi. Had 닭야채볶음밥 which is chicken and vegetable fried rice (spiiiiiiicy) and 막국수 which is a spicy-ish cold buckwheat noodle soup. LOVE it. Then we went shopping a bit. I bought a hot pink t-shirt on sale at Codes Combine.

I also decided to try my hand at gardening. When I was about 13/14 years old, I had a garden. And by had a garden, I naturally mean that I picked out and helped plant the seeds and then let my father do all the weeding and watering and feeding and fertilizing and tending, and then I picked the veggies and took all the credit for MY garden (it was my idea, at least). So to get back in touch with my gardening roots I bought a plant. Okay, so, it's a cactus. Okay, so, cactuses are like the single easiest thing to care for. But, you gotta start somewhere, and I don't exactly have the space for some tomato plants or whatever.

I also bought some silver glitter french manicure nail polish, new eye liner and a new eyeshadow brush.

Anyways, my one goal for the day, to do laundry, did not happen. oops.

xoxo
A

Wacky Week and Shanghai

After having an incredibly wacky week last week, I'm very much looking forward to the very very relaxed upcoming week I have ahead.

Last week, my schedule was thrown curveball upon curveball at my school. Monday morning, my co-teacher tells me, hey Wally, "tomorrow's classes are all going to be 70 minutes long instead of the standard 45 minutes. There are listening tests, so there had to be a schedule change."

my typical class schedule

Oh, okay, cool, 70 minute long classes. Not that I'm prepared to teach for a 70 minute time block, but sure, no problem. Luckily, I discovered that my activity in class took much longer to do than I had slated, and the students didn't get to finish the backs of their worksheets. Problem solved.

Well, later that day I'm informed that due to the 70 minute classes, 5th and 6th periods were cancelled on Tuesday and students were released slightly early. Oh, great, cool, I get a whole extra afternoon free as a result.

Well, still later, my co-teacher hands me a copy of the weeks schedule which is as follows:
Monday: regular classes.
Tuesday: periods 1-4, 70 minutes, period 5-6 cancelled
Wednesday: periods 1-4, normal times, periods 5-6 cancelled.
Thursday: all classes cancelled, Monday classes periods 1-3, Tuesday periods 5-6 during periods 4&5, Wednesday periods 5&6 during Thursday periods 6&7 (on Thursdays only this semester, classes start 40 minutes early and we have an extra period)
Friday: normal classes

An exact copy of the schedule change my co-teacher gave me on Monday around noon.

wtf? So now, as a result, two of my four monday classes are a week ahead, and my two thursday classes are a week behind. My school claims that this is to enable the classes to make up for missed days, but I was able to condense or expand my lessons to keep everything on track, and now my school does THIS. bla&*!sdlk%#roa#@itg;kfja! Anyways, my Monday classes will be corrected next week because there is a holiday. However, my Thursday class (as well as my Wednesday classes due to Election day, a holiday here in Korea) will be a full week behind. Thanks a whole effing lot.

Anyways, on the brighter side, I have no school on Wednesday because of Election Day. My co-teachers were shocked and appalled to discover that in the States people have to work on election day. they also admitted that even with a full day off work, none of them ever vote. wtf? I voted even when I didn't have a day off. How can that even be?

Plus, my Korean class got cancelled because we were supposed to have a week of vacation during the six months, but our teacher never did it, so here we are, two weeks left in the semester, and the second to last one she has to use for vacay. Unfortunately she gave us a crapton of homework that I can't do because it's too difficult.

PLUS, Friday afternoon, I'm flying to Shanghai, China, to compete with KUPA at a frisbee tournament. I'm really looking forward to it, and I think our team has a shot at doing pretty well. Keep your fingers crossed for us this weekened! We play Saturday and Sunday and then I leave Monday afternoon. I'm hoping to at least have time to see SOMETHING in Shanghai at least early in the morning before I have to run off to the airport.

This is the riverside promenade. This is my Shanghai goal. Even if I have to wake up at freaking 6 a.m. I'm going to see something in Shanghai.

xoxo,
A