Mystery Hair

Since I've been in Korea I've had a couple mysteries including medical ones. The strangest and now re-occuring is the mystery of the black hair. This is now the second time I've discovered a full length black hair growing out of my scalp! Here's a picture of my most recent medical enigma entwined with a regular hair.

Korea and Japan hate eachother. They have for hundreds of years and probably will for hundreds more. Every year I have a "Where Are You From?" lesson for my 6th graders involving flags of several countries including Japan. Every class, without fail has 2-6 students who destroy the Japanese flag. In the international history museum at the Korean Folk Village in Suwon there is a map of the world with Japan a blank white spot from innumerable hands slapping the image. To this day the worst insult you can give a Korean is to call them part Japanese and there are still disputes over a small island between the two countries. Koreans portrayed in Japan are often smelly, stupid, and lesser in all possible ways.

And yet, in the wake of the earthquake South Korea has sent relief teams and donated billions of won(Korean money).

Yes, Pearl harbor happened and yes, it was terrible but what right does that give Americans to spew the kind of hatred that has been popping up all over social media during the last few days? Japan no more "deserves" this tragedy than Christchurch deserved it's earthquake last month or New Orleans deserved Hurricane Katrina.

Today, more than ever, I am ashamed to be American and proud to live in Korea.

Reason number inumerable...

Why I love Korea...




What's missing in the picture?

New School Year

So, a new school year has started in Korea and I'm still here! This is really truly the last year though! The only reason I'm still here is because I promised my co-teacher I'd stay another year with her. I don't mind. I love Helen (my co-teacher) but I have also found a new love. I call it: Japan. I went there over Chuseok (kind of like Korean Thanksgiving) and have become enraptured. Imagine, a place where the people don't bump into you even if it's really crowded! Everyone rides bikes; children, policeman, people in business suit, they ride them in the rain while holding umbrellas! Not to mention the food is delicious. Don't believe me, look at this equation: Sushi+Breakfast=AWESOME Convinced? I thought you might be. My plan is to apply to work there next year.

This year is going to be different than my previous years at Daeha elementary. Helen and I are teaching the 6th graders exclusively and we're meeting them 3 times a week instead of only twice. They are our main focus but she's also teaching 4 hours of music and I'm teaching a little bit of Kindergarten and an afterschool class (topic yet to be decided). I have the lofty goal of learning all my students names this year. To aid in this endeavor I've had them all pick English names and limited the amount of repeats per class. (I refuse to have 5 "Jenny"s in one class, especially seeing as there picking these names from thin air)

Another bit of exciting news is I have a new, larger apartment. I've complained about my original apt countless times. I spent a year not being able to flush the toilet without turning the main water valve on/off. It leaked, it was starting to mold, it was small and the neighborhood is "on the wrong side of the tracks". Well, I'm not in a new neighborhood, in fact I'm in the same building BUT I'm now on the top floor and in a much bigger space. I even have a porch/extra room area AND a shower nook in the bathroom. Previously my entire bathroom was the shower. Definately pros and cons in that situation.