Stephanie in Suwon

Feelin some love for where I am right now. Not bad. Not bad at all!

Since moving to Korea, I have felt decidedly, un-at-home. I do not belong, in every way one can conceive of. I look different, sound different, behave differently, think differently. My cultural circumstances are obvious to anyone and everyone, and the ironic thing, is that those are the reasons I was asked to come here and do what I am doing. I feel envied and alienated at the same time. It’s odd. At the risk of sounding redundant (and….like…….duh……), I have never before felt so far removed from what I know, like, love and understand. And when one is faced with a situation as thus, I suppose it becomes a natural reaction to gravitate towards things, places and people that remind you of where you have come from. Living in Korea, as amazing as it has been so far, has had its fair share of unpleasant moments. Like being smoked by the handlebars of a speeding scooter while your walking…on the sidewalk. Like getting gawked at in an ungracious way on a very regular basis. Like wanting nothi...

So I actually started this post on Sunday night and this week has been such a gong show that I’m only now getting to post it. My life is insane right now. I realize this post is roughly the size of the Bible….and it’s not even finished☺. Ok, this past weekend was possibly one of the most random experiences of my life. Our story begins on a Friday night which accidentally turned into Drunk Fest ’07 courtesy of Melissa and Amber, 2 of the functioning alcoholics currently employed by YES Youngdo, teaching future leaders of the world how to speak English so as to enhance communication skills and bolster international relations between the west and the east. Functioning alcoholics. But I digress…… There is no such think as one quick drink on a Friday night. Do yourselves a favor and write that one down. I promise you it will come in handy. What do you mean you don’t have a pen? No you won’t remember it……trust me…..alright then fine. But don’t come crying to me when you find yourself stumbl...

Missin my mom☺ Just sayin. Apologies for the lack of postings as of late. I’ve been busy coping. And rediscovering certain gems of wisdom I had forgotten. Example: Everything in life is a little bit better when you’re half-cut. Or fully cut……either/or works really. I will be investing in a few bottles of red. It’s been decided. It’s been a rough go the past few weeks, and I have a sinking feeling we’re not in the clear quite yet. Inner strength that could bend steel non-withstanding, it turns out that uprooting your life, saying goodbye to everyone (well, almost everyone) you love, leaving behind passions that feed your soul and keep you sane, and trading it all in for a job that has you juggling kids and their fucking temper tantrums while smack dab in the middle of a place that is simultaneously technologically supercharged, and devastatingly old-fashioned all while suppressing your urge to vomit/scream in frustration at not being able to communicate with anyone without resorting to...

Fall is in the air and I could not be happier about it. The dense moisture that hangs in the air here is, at last, beginning to cool off and I have even required the assistance of a jacket the past few evenings on my walk home form school. The leaves are starting to turn mottled yellows and reds; there is crispness in the air that wasn’t there before. I’m sure if I were in Calgary, I would be confronted with the begginings of commercials declaring that there are only 78 more shopping days till Christmas and I better get on that shit now!!!!!! Here, however, there is nary a Santa hat in sight, and I can’t say I am unhappy with the fact that it is October 7, and fall is only beginning to happen. Autumn is really when New Year should happen, this is the time when things start to change for people, school gets back into the swing of things, the fantasy world of gorgeous summer days that stretch late into the evening, long slow sunsets, lawns and trees lush with greenery, BBQ’s, Margarita’s...

Things that are helping me feel better about being in Korea: -$5 bottles of Red Wine……it’s not half bad actually…..and it does the job. -My boyfriend -Korean food is actually not bad... -Experiencing a fabulous 100 piece orchestral concert conducted by a Hollywood legend, seeing and feeling for myself how music truly is the universal language and the passion that so many people have for film, music, and art. -The fact that I have found a bar that serves gin. -Mondu-Guk; a kind of dumpling soup with carrot, zucchini, onion and seaweed, only $3 from a restaurant just downstairs from the school. -Baskin Robbins……on EVERY SINGLE CORNER….. -My new computer -Calling Cards -Skype -Walking into my classroom and seeing a student writing, “I love Stephanie Teacher” on the white board. -The new James Blunt album; give it a bit, it grows on you. -The feeling I get when I step off the bus in Gangnam district in Seoul; organized chaos, deafening traffic, the smell of deep friend food, and the feelin...