I overdosed - PICTURES ADDED

So, I was under the assumption that they didn't have drugs in Korea. I was wrong. Today I went to a special farm. A lovely place where someone like me should not be allowed. What is this place you ask? A strawberry farm! Geez, what were you thinking?? Seriously though, a free for all with my kids at a strawberry farm is about as close to heaven as you can get. I'm thoroughly addicted and probably consumed well over 100 strawberries. No this isn't a lie. But it was an amazing time to say the least.

First, we all piled up in our little minibus (think special ed style back home) and headed about 20 minutes out of the city.

I was actually quite surprised that it only took that long to come to a pretty vacant area with farms galore. Once we got their I was greeted by cute, extremely tanned, and hunched over Ajumma's and Ajoshi's (the Korean words for old women/men). They were my directors parents and my student Andy's Grandparents, so I had met them before during my Christmas Eve dinner at their house. Then we walked into this giant tube thing that housed their particular strawberry farm. Well, actually it was their friends patch of land that they let us visit, and it was a free for all. The children walked up and down the aisles yelling "Teacha Teacha! Look! Here!" and they frequently passed me their most ripe and delicious strawberries to eat. After about an hour of picture taking, eating, and more eating we crammed back into the van for the next patch of land.

Unfortunately, this one was not as great. It was where the watermelons were. This means no picking and eating and it was really really really hot. And humid. Ugh. Note to self: never become a watermelon farmer.

After about two minutes in that unpleasant environment it was time to head to another farm tube thing and eat lunch, kimbap! Oh it was so cute. The little ones took off their shoes and sat on this big table thing and ate their kimbap and then had the most massive snack time ever. Each kid brought like enough snacks for 3 meals and shared them with each other. Obviously I'm writing this detailed post because being surrounded by so much tasty food all day makes me a happy gal.

When lunch was over we packed back into our special ed van and headed back to school. Some of the kids napped and I waited longingly to eat more strawberries that they sent back with us.

The rest of the day pretty relaxed. I really enjoy one of my classes where its just two kids that are brother and sister and they speak almost perfect English and they're only 10. Oh, did I mention they're also fluent in Chinese? Oh, and the girl showed me a video of her playing the piano today, and yeah, shes perfect at that too. Man, Koreans make us Americans look pretty damn lazy. Oh wait, I am.

Many many pictures will be added tomorrow. I forgot my camera. So check back soon!

It's Snowing.

Seriously, WTF? I don't even know why I'm surprised. I'm from Minnesota, the land of crazy weather. But I was really hoping that type of shit wouldn't follow me all the way here. Anyways, I was considering renaming my blog to something along the lines of "Food, Booze, and Teaching" because that's basically all I really have to write about. Speaking of which, my friends and I have recently come to the conclusion that our lives here are like being enrolled in University except with money. We all live in shoebox size "dorms" and the complex that holds my dorm is full of drunkards who come home at all hours in the night (or should I say morning) singing and assuming the rest of the world doesn't have shit to do until 3pm the next day. And of course, the weekend is party hardy time when you attend English Teacher University. So, as you can assume, I LOVE IT HERE!

Now, most importantly I should discuss my amazing new food discoveries, like the BBQ place that comes with a lovely bowl of cheese fondue. The saddest part about this discovery is I've been going to this place for months without ever ordering this delectable dish. You may remember the restaurant I'm talking about, it's the place where Fliss got her shoes stolen. Obviously even crimes as heavy as shoe theft won't keep me away from tasty foods. This also makes me think of the fact that I don't know the name of a single restaurant I frequent. Even though I can read Korean I'm pretty sure all restaurants are referred to by their surroundings or menu (ie. the place with all you can eat sashimi by Fliss', the bomb rib place by my house, the BBQ place by the Megabox with the rock pathway). You get my drift.

Another great new discovery since last time I've updated has been the rooftop patio (or simply just the rooftop) at my friend Dominique's. We had been planning to check it out as soon as the weather got nice so on Saturday I hopped on a bus (yes, I'm taking a break from Taxi's and using the public transportation these days) and met up with her at the local bus terminal/mall. Surprisingly, as I was getting off this incredibly packed and overheated bus I saw Holli leaving the same bus too! Running across another white person in Gwangju is rare, let alone your friend on the very same bus! So the three of us ended up hitting up some food and shopping and took a cab to the end of Gwangju to sit on Dom's rooftop. As you can see it lacks in chairs or a good view but having a spot outside to enjoy the weather without being stared at or bothered is AMAZING. On the downside we managed to drink a lot of beer and soju before 8 o'clock. Another dinner, another set of pictures, a trip downtown, and the night ended all too soon.

Sunday was just as full of adventures as I actually made it out of the house before noon. Fliss and I went on a never ending walk through Gwangju in search of the rumored "big girl" clothes store. We walked from my house to downtown, through Art Street (which was dead on a Sunday) and finally found the Lotte Department store. Inside was a plethora of expensive brands that reminded me of home. Too expensive to even bother looking through for big sizes. However, the bottom level was a 'fine foods' grocery store and restaurant area. In this area we found heaven on earth: Seafood Buffet. There was sushi, sashimi, and all sorts of other delicious Korean foods. On the way out we realized that outside of the Department store was a store with fat white chick pictures on the outside so we knew we finally found our spot! After looking around for about two minutes realized we were sorely mistaken. These fat broad clothes were far too ugly for anyone under the age of 50 so we wandered around Gwangju for another hour more. Finally, a rest was necessary and a DVD Bang was within sight. As you may know, I am quite fond of the Noraebang (pronounced noraybong) and a DVD Bang (pronounced bong) is basically the same concept. A small room for you and your small group to enjoy entertainment from a DVD instead of a Karaoke machine. Downside to this, I'm 99% sure these DVD Bangs are only used by couples who like to makeout and such during their movie watching time. But for me and Fliss, it was awesome, a big ass tv, the movie of your choice, and a long couch you can relax with your legs back and eat snacks and drink soda. I have found my new favorite Sunday activity!

Before I go, I'd like to let everyone that I know back home that I miss you bunches! I've had some pretty vivid dreams of being back in Minnesota and it can get pretty depressing waking up and realizing I'm in Gwangju and everyone is so far away. But don't worry, I'll be back in a year or two and I'll be having those dreams that I'm not here anymore. Send me an email, facebook, or post on here to cure my little bit of homesickness, k? Thanks!

Rainy Days

So, I've been living in Gwangju since mid December and I'm getting a little sick of the never ending gloomy days. Recently they have been more than just gloomy, but a straight up down pour every day! This has forced me to realize how dangerous Korea really is. You see, the rain means umbrellas everywhere, and umbrellas everywhere means Molly gets poked in the eye, chin, and face all the time. They could really do some damage to my face if I wasn't so careful! Oh well, I've been assured that the summers are amazing and hopefully straightening my hair won't be a continuously pointless endeavor.

Do you see this mayhem???

Not much else is new since my last update, which is probably why I haven't updated. We did actually have one lovely day and I got to take my kids out for a little outside time at the nearby playground. I happened to have my camera on me so I took a few pictures of the neighborhood and the little ones.

Below is the view from the playground, my apartment is a few blocks down to the left. You can't see it, but you get the jist.

And of course, singing my favorite song: One Little Finger.

I was also lucky enough to take part in an 80's party at the local watering hole, and let me tell you it was quite the shit show. My initial reaction to the idea of dressing up 80's was "Where the hell am I going to find any clothes that fit me?" However, since the Korean female population prides themselves in dressing super funky all the time, I was not only able to find my size, but a lovely array of accessories and bright blue leggings to ensure that I was 80's to the max. Here's a little excerpt of the night. However, I'm most jealous of Sara and her Minnesota shirt she found (and then cut up).

I've also come to realize that I pretty much have the most regulated schedule EVER here. M-F work 9:30-5:30, maybe go out to dinner once a week. Friday stay home, Saturday get ready at Fliss' and go out. Sundays I walk my hung over ass around downtown, eat lots of delicious food, shop, and see a movie. Speaking of which, Shutter Island is like the best movie I've seen in a LONG ass time. I would HIGHLY recommend it.

Oh, and another big highlight, Sponge Time. We got to learn about the word "Waxy" which my school decided would be best exemplified by putting hair wax in small children's hair. Needless to say, this was the highlight of that day.