Six Months Down... Here's What I've Learned:

I hate to generalize, but Koreans are unaware and a little bit stupid.   I am currently fuming with rage about the fact that there is a bicycle bell for a reason and they seem to forget what that reason is.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, traffic laws are more like guidelines in this country, so if one is not careful, it's probable that you could die at any moment from a taxi driver running a red light, or neglecting to look in mirrors for oncoming traffic, texting about soju, etc.  Bicycles are prevalent here, so of course, I have a bright neon orange one, complete with basket and working bell.  The bell is cool, but it is also a safety feature, for those pedestrians that are walking on the bike paths which are clearly marked on all sidewalks and major streets.  So every day, as I'm cruising on my pretty orange bike, abiding by all traffic rules, I have to continuously stop the bike, mid-cruise, to allow the incredibly slow reflexes of walking Koreans to realize that if they don't get out of my way, I will run them over.  This has happened almost ten times today, in the short 8 minutes that it takes me to ride from school to my apartment. I ding the bell. They don't move. I am riding downhill at a fast pace enjoying the only wind circulation that exists, and they walk out of the coffee shops directly in front of me, not bothering to look if there's an oncoming orange beast headed towards them. They begin texting while walking, neglecting to "hear" the bell. Or, the best, they walk STRAIGHT towards me. Not wavering in the slightest, expecting me to move and dodge in and out of concrete blocks, sewers, and children because they couldn't be bothered with changing their path of direction for the American girl! I just don't understand how you can come out of a building and not look where you are going.  How do you not see me riding straight toward you? I have no resolution for this problem, except to add this to my kindergarten curriculum. The next generation will hopefully be a little more "aware of their surroundings.  ABC's, English vocabulary, and sidewalk etiquette.  

More importantly, now that I've calmed down a bit, I need to express my sadness and grief for the loss of two coworkers. Not literally, like, they're just going back to America. But they have been really great friends and colleagues that I am going to miss very much.  Adam and Cassie have taught me so much about being a teacher, living abroad, and just life in general.  But really, she's really crafty and he fixes computers. I have many fond memories with both of them and am sad to see them go :( 

This week's highlights.
Me: OK, who can tell me a sentence in English?
Seo Yeon: Teacher, house, mommy daddy, horse, Cinderella.
Me: Mommy and Daddy got you a horse at your house, and it's name is Cinderella???!!!
Seo Yeon: YES!!!!
Me: That's it. You're coming back to America to live with me, because you are meant to be my child.
Seo Yeon: Teacher, NOW??!

ha. Also, we took another trip to the beloved bear farm where we swam in the swimming pool *two feet of water where it was necessary to have full flippers, goggles, inner tubes, floaties and swimcaps.* They also went "horseback riding" which consisted of them being led in a circle while wearing bicycle helmets and, wait for it, LIFE JACKETS. In case they fell off of course. Walking in a circle. With six burly korean men standing around. And yes, I saw some burly Korean men. We watched Beauty and the Beast, in which I convinced them that it was me on TV, and that I am actually a princess in America.  They now call me Princess Teacher. Still preparing for open class and enjoying the many changes that have happened at school this week! More soon :)
  

The Time I ALMOST Went to Japan...

So, summer vacation was last week. It was lovely, and unexpected.  I did something that was very new for me, something I never thought in a million years I could do... I was spontaneous. And I loved it.  Since May, I knew I was going to spend my time off work going to Japan with my friends Anna and Michelle.  We researched the trip, bought plane tickets and booked hostels, picked out all the things we were going to do, and when vacation week rolled around, we were excited and ready to go!  Since the army is unpredictable, I am not usually able to plan things too far in advance with Adam.  His schedule changes almost daily, so making a vacation plan with him was just not practical. On the day of our flight to Japan, we went to the airport, fully expecting a four-hour trip to an Asian destination, a week of sushi and animae.  Adam called.  He jokingly said I should change my flight, come to Italy instead... at least I thought he was joking.  We kept talking about it all the way to the airport.  I thought, why not? I tried NOT to think too much, make a pro/con list, be my crazy scheduled self, and I just said "YES" instead.  I told my friends to forgive me, but my mission of love was unfolding.  I watched them walk through customs, missed my flight, and waited another hour to book a last-minute flight to Italy.  It was expensive, but SO worth it.  I flew first to Istanbul, had a layover and then flew the rest of the way into Venice. I slept mostly on the plane, trying to avoid the jetlag.  When I got to Venice, I raced through customs and into his arms! (But seriously, our life is a movie.) It was by far one of the best weeks we've ever spent together.  We walked through Italian towns, drank wine, ate gelato, and simply loved each other.  We had a lasagne picnic, took tons of pictures, danced in the middle of the road, got incredibly lost on a dusty forgotten path, argued with taxi drivers as we tried to overcome the language barrier... I read books, laid by the pool, drank good coffee and ate good spaghetti.  We held hands, talked about the future, slept in late, got fish pedicures (yes, put our feet in water while fish nibbled the dead skin off), watched the sunset, and thanked God for our time together. 

I didn't miss Japan one bit. I didn't regret my choice or feel guilty about changing my plan. I just decided to be happy, and to live in the moment, and it was bliss.  Adam makes me want to change who I am. He makes me want to trust that things will be OK without a plan. He makes my faith in God stronger every day.  He knows that God will take care of us, and with his constant reminders, I'm starting to realize that too.  I hope to be more trusting, to be more spontaneous, and to be more calm like I was on this vacation, like I am when I am with him.  I love every minute of who I am when we're together.

I was sad to leave, but happy knowing it is only the first of many weeks we will spend together abroad.  I had a flight back from Venice to Paris, where I had a 15 hour layover. I slept, ate croissants, and pretended I was french.  From Paris I made it back to Seoul, took the bus to Ansan, and made it just in time for class on that Monday morning. (Literally walked in with ten minutes to spare).  This week was long, getting adjusted to the time again, but I think I am back to normal.  We had a busy week, still practicing for our upcoming presentation and having a water gun battle that could not be topped! So happy with the way my life is going right now, so thankful for all the people in it that make my world go 'round.  Only 6 weeks until my mama comes to visit and only 6 months until I'm back in Tennessee where I belong :) Until then, I will continue to live spontaneously (with God's help and Adam's), and to enjoy each day as it comes. 

Been Busy Livin' and Stuff (swimming pools and Mudfest)

Well, first off, let me apologize to my avid readers. I know you look forward to my blog posts and I have been slacking lately. I wish I could say it was going to get better. I will try, but things are just so interesting over here, sometimes blogging gets put on the back burner. Along with laundry, showering, etc. Kidding. Kind of. But... the main news is on the facebook page, but I will write some recaps of the month of July.  Today is July 27, the official start of summer vacation. I leave for Japan in two days, and I'm super excited to check another country off my list! Adam visited the end of June through the first week of July and then my dad and stepmom visited directly after.  It has been a whirlwind of fun and visitors! I was so so thankful that they all got to come. It really felt like a taste of home.  It was the happiest I have felt since being here. Adventure is all well and good, but my adventure dreams are changing.  I am anxious for the year to be finished so I can spend more time with the ones I love. 

Teaching is still amazing. The kids and I are growing closer every day.  My assistant teacher retired this morning. It was a sad day for me.  I cannot begin to express how much she means to me, even only knowing her for five months.  She is the most loving, patient, and kind woman I think I have ever met.  She has a way with the kids, as well as with me, to calm everyone down and make things run smoothly. I was a flood of emotion when I gave her some pink roses today and hugged her goodbye for the 75th time.  Ah, Grace Teacher. I will never forget her and the memories.  There is a bond formed with your AT that can never be matched. I feel like we are connected on a much deeper level than colleagues.  She will be missed! Yesterday was swimming pool day. It was kind of disappointing from what I was expecting.  All of the kids brought tons of swim gear complete with floaties, goggles, flippers, swim caps, and giant inflatable tubes.  None of them could swim and the water was only three feet deep on all sides, so the whole concept of really playing in the water, didn't happen much.  They all had their giant tubes and just kind of sat in them, not being able to move. I waded through the sea of neon pushing kids out of the way. That part was kind of cathartic.  The saddest experience happened yesterday.  One of my favorite girls, Chae Nee, she is five, ran up to me, wide-eyed and excited and said, "Teacher, ice cream???!" It broke my heart to tell her no. It's some kind of serious injustice to take kids swimming and not give them ice cream. She knew it. I knew it.  Today I brought her candy.

Last weekend a group of coworkers and I went to Mudfest in Beoryeong. IT WAS AWESOME. One of the best weekends I have had while being here for sure.  There was mud obstacle courses and a mud beach. There were adult capri suns (get the hint) and a lot of good seafood. There were crazy asian boys and crazy army boys all congregated hoping to get a glimpse of girls all mudded up in bikinis.  They were not disappointed.  It was sort of like Panama City Beach at spring break time, only, everyone was Asian.  There was a mud prison in which you were thrown if you did something bad, and mud was splattered on you through prison bars. I enjoyed laying in the sun afterwards and running into the ocean to clean off.  I highly recommend this experience!

More to come!

Two Words: COMMUNAL. BATHS.

Please excuse my shock but I have never done team sports where one is required to shower with others. naked. together. I have never been a gym member who showers in the locker room, or does anything that would allow you to see others and their nakedness.   I don't exactly consider myself modest about these things, but when you're surrounded by a naked asian women on all sides, it sort of makes you rethink your choice to move to Korea, and reminds you that being naked is not this sacred thing, but is really just a part of life . I'll get to that in a minute. 

Friday was Buddha's Birthday.  We had the day off of work and my coworkers and I decided to take a trip to Busan, which is a coastal area of Korea.  Apparently the rest of Asia was going to Busan for the three-day weekend as well, because we took a bus, and what should have been a 5 hour bus ride, turned into a 7 and a half hour bus ride (due to traffic).  Anyways, we arrived Friday around 3 pm, and made our way to a famous fish market in the middle of the city.  I saw many things... lots of fresh fish, but the most shocking thing, was the eels.  Never have I felt sorry for an eel, but now, I have great remorse for Korean eels. Poor babies. Here's what they do: They take the eels, alive.  They skin them. alive.  then they put them in a bowl of ice, still alive.  and display them for people to see, skinless and wiggling, their little eel mouths squealing in pain.  When some passerby decides to have a nice fresh eel for a snack, they throw the skinned eel on the grill, until it reaches a nice golden brown, no longer alive, because it was grilled to death. Then, people eat it. Can you imagine?! It was so sad! Needless to say, I lost my appetite at the fish market that day. I had a coffee instead.  After the fish market, we decided to go to the popular beach for the rest of the evening.

That was awesome because there were people singing and playing instruments. We hung out there for a while, watched the sunset, and went to find dinner of course.  We ate at a pizza place that was overpriced, but decent.  Then to find somewhere to stay for the evening... which brings me to the title of this post.  In Korea, they have these things called Gymjabongs.  This means "Spa" which sounds relaxing and awesome right? It's really just full of nakedness. No, but these spas are ideal for the traveler who doesn't want to spend tons of money for a hotel room. You can stay at the gymjabong for less than 10,000 won/ night ($10).  You get a mat and blanket to sleep on, and free reign of the 24 hour communal baths and as long as you don't leave, you can stay for however long you want! Sounds too good to be true? Oh, that's because it is.  I'll explain.  Firstly, you get there and are required to shower with other ladies, scrub your body of excess skin, and detail your hair follicles in case your American-ness rubs off in the hot tubs.  Then you're naked, walking around from one big hot swimming pool to another, feeling awkward as anything because you're the only white girl in there, and one that actually eats food, so I looked a little different.  OH! and you're with your COWORKERS. being naked. which makes Mondays at the office a little bit awkward.  But anywho, we hung out in the baths, got stared at, went into the sauna room and sweated out our toxins, and eventually got more comfortable with ourselves.  It was time for bed. They give you really attractive pink shorts and tshirts to wear, to remind you that you're part of the spa, and then you go to the top floor to sleep on your mat.  With 200 other people in a giant wharehouse-like room.  And it was 85 degrees and the floor was heated. Marissa was not a happy camper. literally.  Also, it's a 24 hour spa, so people were coming and going at all hours of the night! I just tried not to get my fingers smushed as people walked over me.  So, totaling around 3 hours of sleep that night, we promptly got up and went to the beach at 5:45 am.  No one was there of course, so we laid out our mat and went back to sleep, in the cool beachy air where no one was naked. 

Saturday was spent at the beach and then a Korean temple to celebrate the birth of a beautiful man, Buddha, who believed in loving all things, and striving for kindness wherever you go.  I love what he believed in and I loved being in such a spiritual place next to the sea to enjoy the day in memory of him.  (pictures for reference).  Saturday night we went to the other popular beach, got a bottle of soju and sat on the sand watching the drunk Koreans throw each other into the ocean clad in business suits. Apparently it's a funny sport there... who can stand up without falling over as the waves crash around you.  The answer? No one.  They were tooooooo drunk.  So that was entertaining.  Then we went to a bar, still in celebration of Buddha, called The Happy Monk.  Met a lovely Italian man who talked my ear off, and politely excused ourselves to meet up with another friend.  He happened to be at the wrong subway stop, so Jaclyn went to meet him, while I waited for them on the corner of another street. While waiting, I got asked twice if I was Russian (meaning, are you a prostitute) and a lot of other interesting stares.  Apparently white girls in short dresses standing on street corners has the same meaning everywhere in the world.  Ooops. So we stayed at a seedy love motel that night, because going back to the heated floor of the gymjabong was just not an option for me...

Sunday was a leisurely morning spent with Jaclyn. It was raining so we set off in search of shopping of course. When we found nothing spectacular, we sat in a coffee shop drinking lattes and watching the surf competition from the window.  Yes, surfing in Korea. Silly I know.  Then it was time to go home! Busan, you did good.  I would definitely go back. Good memories, lots of laughs, enough naked women to last a lifetime. 

3 Months Down! and the Shoes Don't Fit.

So I'm on my third month here, and I just cannot believe how quickly time is passing! It's been an amazing adventure so far, I've seen and done so much! Still loving teaching... (Did you see the pictures? Who wouldn't want to hang out with them all day?) Their little personalities are coming out more and more each day and their English is really getting so good! I'm amazed at what they are picking up! Each sentence has so many words in it, they are finding ways to communicate their tiny thoughts and I am thrilled! I feel so great about work now.  I was a little overwhelmed with the workload this last week or two, but things are slowing down again.  The weather is becoming beautiful! Many of my northern coworkers are complaining about the heat, but it's nothing like Tennessee yet.  I hear the humidity will be crazy soon, but if I can survive a Memphis summer, I think I can do just about anything.  It's around 65-70 and sunny most days.  I hope it stays like this for a while... I am able to take the babies to the park.  They LOVE going outside.  I feel like it's my duty to let them run around freely, make messes, and not be perfect for an hour or two.  They look so genuinely happy blowing bubbles and picking dandelions.  (which of course, are a beautiful bouquet for Marissa Teacher.) We had mini-Olympics two weeks ago.   Basically we dressed them up in SLP t-shirts and had them run around the park doing really silly things. It was more enjoyable for me than them I think, because I couldn't stop laughing when they had to run around a tree with two of them in a hoola hoop, put on the sunglasses and crazy hair wig and then run back. Then they had to run to a tray of white flour and use only their mouths to "dig worms (gummy) out of the sand."  These are all becoming official Olympic sports next year.  So classes are wonderful, the kids are being so sweet. I have had two successful experiences with CCTV now (where the mothers/fathers of the kids come to watch your class from a hidden camera while you get scored on how well you are teaching).  So YAY for that.  And tomorrow is TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY!!! I'm excited. Apparently they bring us flowers and candy and tell us how wonderful we are.  Sounds like my kind of holiday.  Only I won't be eating the candy because I'm on a major health kick at the moment. I've been running and working out, eating much better and cutting out sugar.  I have to start looking bathing suit ready for when my beautiful boyfriend comes to visit! (SOMETIME IN JUNE for allllllll the people that keep wondering :) We are wonderful, God has blessed our relationship beyond belief. Not a day goes by that we do not thank Him for keeping us healthy, happy, and so incredibly in love.  Cheesy, I know, but so true!

I found Mexican food. Well, I say I, but really my friend Anna found it.  There's an On the Boarder in Bumgay... yes, funny name.  Bumgay is about 30 minutes on the subway from me, and so far I've been twice in the past two weeks. The tacos are SO expensive, but I probably would have paid $100 to eat Mexican. It did not disappoint.  I have been shopping a little bit and looking for new shoes... the shoes here do not go past a 7 in US sizes.  I am so sad :( My feet are too big :( Luckily my Mama is sending some rainboots my way! The monsoon season is not far off! This weekend is Buddha's birthday which means we get a day off of school on Friday! Jaclyn, Kade, Michelle, Kate and I are going to Busan (beach town about 5 hours away) for some leisurely sightseeing and beach time! I'm soooooo  ready to be on the beach, sleeping in the sunshine.  Hopefully the rain holds off so I can live this weekend in wonderland.  I have booked my first 8 day vacation which is at the end of July, beginning of August. I am going with Michelle and Anna to Japan! YAY!  I have always wanted to go there and see the Geisha district and the flower gardens and temples. We will be going to Kyoto and Osaka for 6 days and it's going to be AWESOME.

So, in summary, I have a lot coming up! Teacher's Day tomorrow, Busan this weekend, Adam's coming within the month, Dad's visiting 4th of July, Japan at the end of July, and hopefully my Mama will be here in September! I'm one lucky girl, and I am so thankful for my many blessings.  If someone reads this to my Grandma, please tell her I love her a bushel and a peck.  I think about her often and wish she had a smart phone. It's on my list of things to get her.  Also, on the next shipment that someone decides to send me, if you could just box up Madison and Makenzie, that'd be sufficient. I miss them more than almost anything.   Being around these babies all day just makes me realize how sweet and far away my two favorites are :( Your Aunt Issa misses you girls! Bode family: I am teaching the big kids about family trees.  I drew ours on the board. It took up the ENTIRE board.  I am so happy to have such a big wonderful family :) You should have seen the Asian 3rd graders trying to pronounce your names... I said "Who is Marissa Teacher's 2nd Uncle?" They said, "STOVE." hah. "Who is Marissa Teacher's Aunt?" to which they replied, "BeCAW".  It was kind of like having you all there with me.  Please know you are loved, and I wish all of you a very happy month of May.  Nine more to go until we're together again! xox

Healthy Again and Back to the Grind!

So I've been pretty ill for about 3 weeks now, and I'm FINALLY feeling better! Praise the Lord! I have had some sort of flu bug/sinus infection/ cold/ allergic reaction thing/ annoying cough, and now I'm almost completely back to normal :) I basically spent the last three weeks going to work, blowing my nose, talking to Adam on Skype, and feeling miserable.  I came straight home from work each day and went right to bed.  I haven't done much in the way of exciting news, but this past weekend (today is Tuesday), I actually went out and had adventures!

So it all started on a Friday evening, when I felt like I was getting a weird head cold.  I went to the doctor after work, hoping I could nip it in the bud before it ruined my weekend plans, which were to go to a Buddhist Temple and stay overnight doing Buddhist things. Needless to say, I have been looking forward to this for like, ever.  I didn't make it there that weekend on account of my 104 fever I developed sometime that night.  I had gotten medicine for the flu, but it wasn't helping. I stayed in bed all of Saturday and Sunday (Jaclyn and Leah went to the temple and had an awesome time, brought me back a lovely souveniere!) And by Monday when my fever was still at 103 consistently, decided to go hospital.  I didn't go to work that day, my one missed day, and instead was lying in a hospital bed with an IV.  It was super scary being in a hospital in Korea all by myself.  I must have passed out during the IV because when I woke up, there were five Korean doctors standing around mumbling things in Korean and I was very afraid.  I'm glad that's over.  I went home and rested for the day, went back to work on Tuesday but felt awful for the next two and a half weeks, and finally felt up to doing things this passed weekend.  The cough was persistent but it's nearly gone now!  I can sing my songs in class again and life is good.  I am sure I will make it to a Buddhist Temple stay before I go back home.

So this weekend: On Saturday, I went with some friends to Seoul where we visited Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul which is the main palace here.  It had a lovely English tour beginning right as we arrived so I got to hear all about the history of Korean's Empire.  It was fascinating! They had a king who had many restrictions, hardly any freedoms, and tons of responsibility.  Once the Queen had been chosen from the noble class, her main job was to have the children.  Once the children were born, they stayed in the palace until age 5 or 6 when a successor was chosen from either the first son, or the most capable.  The other children were married and forced to leave the palace at age 10.  An interesting tradition was that they enjoyed their wedding night five years later when they reached 15.  The Queen's job was not then complete, as she had power in the palace.  When the King died, usually early from too much stress or illness, her job was to help the crowned Prince understand his duties and responsibilities.  Then she had to stick around in case the Prince died childless, to which she was to rule until a more suitable King was chosen.  All of the palace buildings had heat and air systems that ran under the floor for the King's convenience, but none of the rooms contained furniture as it was common to have assassins hide behind things to murder the king.  Even the King's bedroom was completely bare until he was ready to go to sleep, they would bring in a mattress and blankets.  He had lady servants around him at all times for further safety.  They even had to taste all of his food before he ate it in case there was poison in something!!! Horrible job! Anyways, there were lovely gardens, it was a beautiful day outside and I loved walking around enjoying the sunshine.  The palace was also connected to the Korean Folk Museum which happened to be having a cultural performance as soon as we got there! (talk about perfect timing!) I sat down and watched what should have been a very expensive performance, for free! I was stoked.  There were beautiful hanboks (traditional costumes), singers, dancers, fans and scarves, and instruments.  Then I ate ice cream.  The perfect day.  It continued when we went to Insadong and shopped along the busy market streets.  I was enjoying watching the Korean people haggle over trinkets and see the pretty jewelry and artwork.  When I have visitors here, we will visit there for sure! It ended with a trip to Itaewon to eat good old fashioned American dinner, I had a burger, yay.  Still craving some Mexican food and I'd love it if I could get about 8 lbs. of dill pickles.  I went to bed early as I am still pretty tired after a busy week with five-year-olds.  Sunday I slept in, went to the park to grade tests and make report cards, enjoyed a coffee with my Korean Bestie! :) and then went to bible study where I shared lovely fellowship with an awesome group of inspiring ladies.  Oh also, I'm working out again. Wish me luck. I'm doing Zumba videos and this redic. arm workout I found on Pinterest.  IT HURTS.  The weekend basically rocked and I'm sad that it's over.

All in all, life is pretty great when you're healthy and loved.  Thankful for sweet friends who bring you milkshakes and pastries and awesome paper lanterns, yay for Moms and Dads who send you lovely medical advice and talk to you at all hours of the morning, evening and in between, yay for boyfriends who tell you you're beautiful even though your nose is red and your eyes are puffy and you're basically coughing up your lungs, yay for a bible study that sends you home with a full belly and lots of American cold medications, and yay for a job that has beautiful little germ carriers to cheer you up even when you're feeling your worst.  I love being a teacher. Still can't say it enough.  I love every day getting to spend time laughing and loving tiny people who will one day grow up to do amazing things in the world.  I love getting to be a part of the future.  Maybe one day, one of them will think back, (chances are slim since they're only 5 and you don't remember much from age 5,)  and they will think of the teacher they had and how happy she was to see them each day.  They will remember their childhood as being better because her.  Even if they don't, I will remember my 20's as being better because of them and this opportunity.  Loving where I'm at, loving who I'm with, missing you back home, and knowing you're missing me.  More to come...

Korean Kareoke and Boiling Bath Water!

So, in Korea, they have these things called bongs.  "Bong" is the Korean term for "room".  They have all sorts of bongs, including Wii bong, Pool bong, TV bong, PC bong, Screen Golf bong, and Norebong, literally meaning, singing room.  When you want to do kareoke, there is always a Norebong around every corner.  When you walk in, it's like a hotel sort of, where many different rooms contain kareoke setups.  You pay for your room and you and your friends sit on comfy couches, order food and drinks, and sing kareoke as loud and obnoxiously to your heart's content.  There's no waiting in line for your turn, everyone just sings every song because there's enough microphones to go around.  Bad dancing is also encouraged.  Amazingly, they are filled with American songs that you would sing at typical kareoke! They have Michael Buble and the Aladin theme song, so I was happy :) There are also black lights and disco lights to accompany all of the wonderful performances.  This is how I spent my Friday evening, after a wonderful dinner of the spiciest thing I've ever put into my mouth. It was just fried chicken, but the sauce was like fire.  It was good after you realized you were indeed going to live through the experience.  I got to meet some new friends and enjoy a traditional Korean evening of fun.  Needless to say, Saturday I was worthless, having stayed out until the wee hours of the morning.  That's ok though because it rained most of the day.  I went to lunch with some Korean friends at an awesome noodle shop, and then we had coffee at an interesting cafe close to Hanyang University.  It's where the students mostly hang out.  Let's just say, I had a life altering latte at that cafe.  It was the most amazing coffee I've ever had, and I've had a lot of coffee.  It was even better than Italian or Costa Rican coffee, and you know how I raved about those! I will most definitely be going back there! Sunday was laid back as well, going to church in the morning and then exploring Ansan some more with Jaclyn.  We went to a Bar B Q place for lunch and ordered all by ourselves! It was quite an accomplishment.  Then we bought groceries and I had an early night in, baking cookies in my toaster oven and using nutella as frosting, also experimenting with Dove chocolate on top that melted all gooey... um, yum..  Also during that evening, it was discovered that there was no hot water to speak of, and that made me a little bit angry.  Apparently, no names mentioned, someone in charge of these things neglected to pay certain portions of said gas bill for a while and the heat got shut off in our building.  Bummer.  I, being the princess that I am, was not about to take a cold shower, so I got to work boiling water on the stove and transferring it into the kitchen sink.  Once I had a sink full, my lovely friend and neighbor came over to help me wash my hair.  (There's video footage of this because I'm basically complaining the whole time about how Korea is turning into a third world country) . Then I made her leave so I could attempt to wash the rest of my body with the hot water that I had boiled on the stove.  (sorry no video footage of this).  hah.  Hot water is now restored, which is good because I thought I was going to have to go all ranger on someone soon.  I am loving talking to my handsome ranger boyfriend on skype and facetime now that he's out of rangerland and back in the real world! :) The days are flying by, I'm not evacuating yet, but I have developed an escape plan for all those that are concerned! I love you a million!