Sick Kittens, more gifts, and sleepless nights

I don't know what is wrong with me, but it seems that all the little things around me are sort of falling apart. It's a miracle I can stand in front of my classes with any semblance of legitimacy given my general lack of preparation as of late. I really try to get everything in order, but I manage to let go of all the strings holding everything together and I have to flip into crazy mode to get everything back together. Examples: a) Last Wednesday I started teaching a class thinking it was the first time I had seen them that year, and I was suddenly reminded that I had, in fact, taught them once already and had nothing prepared to teach them that day. Luckily I whipped out the name cards and stuttered my way through a new explanation. b) Wednesday is the shittiest day every weekbecause I teach four classes, and two of them are to learn previous week's lesson while the other two are on the upcoming week. This means that I have to prepare a new lesson on Tuesday when I have a shit schedule and don't really want to make anything. This week, Tuesday came and went with a search on waygook to find things but nothing solidified. Wednesday morning I threw something together but decided to change the second half of class to accomodate a new lesson (in an attempt to get my classes back on track, and with a new week's lesson starting on THURSDAY!) So I looked online for ideas and nothing really great came of it. I'm trying to change my approach to teaching, trying to incorporate what they are learning in their other English classes, so my class doesn't seem so left field to them. Unfortunately, I can't get all my thoughts down together. So, Wednesday I essentially found nothing and then at 4:15 (I leave at 4:30) I discovered that due to a schedule change my class would start at 8:30 as opposed to 9:00 which is a huge difference when you have nothing prepared. So I brought the texts home but hardly looked at them between frisbee practice, desperately trying to stay awake on the subway, eating, and passing out at 11:00. I woke up early and left for work at 7:30 this morning just so I could arrive early enough to work undistracted until my class begin at 8:30. Luckily, my lesson plan went over just fine. PHEW.

On another note, Nova is sick. I have been taking him to the vet everyday since Monday (it is now Thursday and supposed to be my last day of vet visits) and that has been a huge time drain. I have to go home, get nova ready for the vet, go to the vet, come back home, all before I can do anything I need to do. He gets two shots everyday, one on his back and one is his back left leg. He hates them, but he is getting better at dealing with the shots. He had a big ol' scratch on his nose as well (I to this day still have no idea where it came from... maybe his nose was too dry and cracked. That's my suspicion) and the scab got pulled off Sunday night and he started bleeding EVERYWHERE, which was pretty effing terrifying. Luckily I had noticed the scab on his nose on Saturday so I at least knew that it wasn't something that Baram had caused or something. Luckily, the blood didn't seem to bother anyone buy me. Nova just kept playing around with his nose all bloody, getting blood on some textbooks, his paws, Baram, my planner, and my floor. Luckily that is healing. Then on Monday I came home to Nova throwing up and with more gunk built up in his eyes than could ever possibly be considered healthy. So straight to the vet who doesn't speak english. I stammered out a foolish sounding explanation of what happened and stuff, and he says a bunch of things I didn't understand but nodded to anyways. He gave the shots and we were off told to return each day for another round of shots.

On a more positive note, I've gotten some more presents this week.

I got Hello Kitty stickers, more hella sexy Taeyang/Daesung/TOP pictures and the 2011 FILA BIGBANG back to school planner. Jackpot, right? Well, I'm definitely pretty darn happy with the turnout, I'd say. I was really surprised about the planner, but I guess she's not a huge bigbang fan and just got it with some big fila purchase so now I have it!! hehehehehe. It's amazing.

Wow. Love me some BIGBANG and Hello Kitty

Also, Monday was White Day, but I couldn't meet Hoon because we were crazy busy. Instead, he came over on Tuesday and I made that delicious tomato cream sauce pasta and some deliciously amazing rice krispie treats (thanks melly for shipping me some marshmallows and krispies). Hoon basically fell in love with the krispie treats. He ate almost an entire batch. It was cray cray. I was really surprised that he got me anything for White Day because he thinks that all the Korean couple days are played out. But I like them. And he knows I like them, so he got me a big box and filled it with lots and lots and lots of candy and gave me this adorable clear plastic hello kitty zipper cosmetic bag. SOOOO cute. And, he wrote me an amazingly sweet letter on Hello Kitty stationary. Even down to the little details (the kitty stationary and padding the box with the shredded paper to make it pretty) he did a perfect job. I am so thankful. Also, white day is awesome!

Really love my man!

xoxo

A

Love is in the Air

I think I may just be the lamest lovebird ever. By that I mean I am totally that girl who is about to gush like crazy about how lovely her boyfriend is. This is just my fair warning:

OH. MY. GOD. He's so wonderful.

Anyways, today is our 100 day anniversary (I guess technically now it's yesterday... Wednesday) and all day he was texting me these cute little messages about how excited he was to see me today. You see, in Korean relationships, and life in general, 100 days is of special significance. I think it came first with babies, for whom on their 100th day of life a special party was held for them (100 days of life marks roughly one year since conception... roughly) originally just for surviving for that long. At these parties, the children receive gifts and also go through an important tradition of choosing the article that they will pursue on their life's journey. The babies are placed in front of a table upon which rest various things: some small amount of money, some thread (representing longevity), food, a script brush. Whichever thing the child picks up first is considered to be the future of that child.

Now it is popular for couples to celebrate their 100th day of a relationship by going on a date or sharing some special time or gift.

Unfortunately, our 100th day happens to fall during my boyfriend's exam week at university. Bummer. Additionally, this weekend I am going to Daejeon so we couldn't exactly post-pone it until a later more convenient weekend time. However, because my boyfriend is so wonderful, after he finished his classes today, he rushed over to Incheon to see me. I was waiting excitedly, naturally.

He came over and he brought me the most wonderful cake ever. omg, I just love it. I've been eyeing it for weeks at Paris Baguette thinking, if only I could find some excuse to buy this, and he got it for me!! I showed it to him maybe a month ago after I moved to my new apartment and said, this is so cute. He must have remembered that.

We spent the evening just relaxing and cuddling. we ordered chinese food to be delivered and I made some velveeta mac&cheese. We chowed down and talked and talked and talked. It was good.

Unfortunately (yet also luckily) I checked the time and realized it was already 11:00 and he had to run immediately to catch the last train. I missssss him already.

He left me a letter (like he always does when he comes over) and this one was particularly sweet and wonderful. I actually cried a little because it was so perfect.

I don't know what I did to get something so good in my life, but hooray for me.

Here's my cake, suckers:

xoxo
A

Tonights the night!

Tonight is the night that I meet my future husband. I'm headed to Seoul right after school with my coteacher and my friend Miranda in order to see this man:

In case anyone is interested, here are some more pictures of my future husband, and a video of my favorite Taeyang song, which I'm learning all the words to slowly but surely.

FUEL

These girls mean everything in this world to me. If there is one reason I would not stay in Korea another year, it is because I will miss these people too much. Also, please watch how FUCKING SICK they are.



personal favies:
1. Dani score; 00:55
2. Pav rip; 1:02
3. Jenna D; 1:22
4. Kate Lay-D; 1:26
5. Dani flop; 1:38 hahahaha
6. back to back layout grabs Jackie and Kate; 1:40
7. Kate huck to Meg deep; 2:46
8. The pretty pretty flow starting at 3:18
9. PAV CALLAHAN; 3:44

MAIL!

Today I got a package from my sister! It was awesomely awesome!

Included in the package was:

1. Toothpaste. Here in Korea, toothpaste doesn't have flouride and the water doesn't have flouride, so everyone's teeth are rotting. Seriously. Half my students have a mouth full of cavities and the other half have visibly rotting teeth. And, since I don't want my teeth going the way of the average Korean citizen, Melly sent me some flouride-tastic Aquafresh.

2. VELVETA MACARONI AND CHEESE. Not one box, but TWO! oh. my. god. It looks so delicious and I have to be smart about eating it. I border on having no self-control, but I am restraining myself the best I can, in order to savor the cheesy goodness.

3. Hello Kitty dry-erase message board. This will be the perfect addition to a Korean classroom. I'm thinking about getting a suction cup hook and making it a sign on my office door.

4. Hello Kitty hair ties. oh my god so cute. I will wear them tomorrow.

5. VS pink underwear. I made the unforutnate decision to change preferred underwear choices (AE to VS) immediately before moving to Korea, where VS no longer exists (but rip-off pink stores do, but they only sell sweatpants and sweatshirts). As such, I've been meaning to expand my collection of VS underwear, but have yet been unable too. CUTE underwear from sissy!

6. A puzzle. I will bring it to school and do it during my free time, and allow students to work on it. I am going to be the most kickass teacher at my school.

So, yeah, THANKS MELLY! Shout out to the best sister a gal could ask for!

After school, I went to the Family Mart for coffee (as per usual) and the boy (that I am madly in love with) that works there asked me what the package was, and I said it was from my sister, and he said, "you look really happy" and I was like uh, yeah, my sister is the best and I am in love with you. Okay, so I didn't say that last part, but I did say the first part. ^^

What a wonderful day.

It's freezing cold today. As a type this (at 5:30 p.m.) the temperature is 34 degrees, feels like 28. When I woke up this morning, it was 19. God, someone kill me.