Stephanie in Suwon

This month cannot end fucking fast enough. If any of you happen to read about a teacher in South Korea who put a kid-sized hole through the wall of her classroom when, after busting her ass to make it through all the bloody material her school requires her to get through while keeping the children’s rapt attention for two hours discussing photosynthesis and adjective clauses, one of her unwilling, sassy-ass minions called her a bad teacher for never playing games in class, please believe me when I say I tried to restrain myself. But working 12 hour days while prepping for 7 different classes does funny things to one’s perception of right and wrong and I know that most of you, of the three of you who still read this, will understand the sentiment when it comes to something that you know is wrong, but at the time, feels very very right. Alright, alright, so I’m not going to be chucking kids through walls…..probably. Besides, they might not let me leave the country if I started acting on ...

I have been living and breathing work. I am tired. I am sick. I am currently living on approximately $5 per day as the money I have been earning has been eaten up this month by travel plans, exciting but exhausting and doing nothing to diminish my To-Do list, and/or the debt I am trying to pay off to the soul sucking sponge known as the Canadian Government, who I have yet to receive my tax refund from. It is nearly August yet my skin is the color of a cadaver on account of the fact that the majority of my days are spent cooped up in a classroom with a virtual army of unmotivated, unappreciative, Ritalin deprived children who have the audacity to ask me exactly when I am leaving Korea and cheer when I answer, soon. This could be a side affect of the 14 pages of homework I am forced to give them each class in order to keep up with the ridiculous curriculum set by the baby-sitting business I currently work for…oh, I’m sorry, “school”. I can kiss the gym goodbye for the next month, one of...

Thanks for making my month away from school such great one. Thanks for Frankie's and La Merche. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, feelings and laughter with me. You helped make all this a little more real. Cheers to you my fellow Albertan, say hi to the Spolumbo's crew for me! :) Catch ya on the flip side, mkay?!? xoxo

I’m so confused. Allow me to elaborate. Last Friday was the culmination of a 6-day-1-day-break-5-day-work-week. Even after the weekend, I’m fucking exhausted, and it’s only Tuesday, but am finding solace in the bottle of wine I purchased from the 24 hour convenience store located less then a block away from our apartment. Australian Shiraz, on sale. There are times that I love Korea☺. But back to the confusion. My last class on MWF consists of a group of 6th graders who have the camaraderie that can only happen when a group of individuals has been together for an extended period of time. In their case, this particular group of kids has been together for almost a year now. They’re lazy, loud, rambunctious, sarcastic, opinionated and ADD. I fucking love them. But don’t tell them that. Their last teacher let them get away with bloody murder so I’ve been a royal B-I-T-C-H to get them to be more serious about their class work. And they’re getting better (because I’m a fucking rock star teac...

Cherry blossoms in my grape slushy. White butterflies dancing in the sunlight. The smell of the subway, balancing on the edge of the platform and feeling the rush of wind as it arrives and you push your way on while trying to avoid the high heels of the Korean girl in front of you. It’s official. We’ve extended our contracts until October. My feelings regarding this remain dichotomous, as always, ever divided. On one hand, I am excited about this opportunity as this will afford Dave and I the chance to travel more extensively, and travel plans currently include Japan, Thailand (again), possibly Cambodia, and Laos as well. I’m on this side of the globe, I’m damn well going to take advantage of that and it is with great anticipation that I plunge myself into this next segment of this thing that I’ve gotten myself into. On the other hand…I do miss home. I miss my family, I miss my friends. I miss acting. I miss dancing. I miss tea at Steeps and rehearsals with KGB. I miss dinner at The Co...

Weekend hiking in Soraksan with Ashley “Sometimes I am VERY confused” Adamson and Jamie “Fuck you Darwin” Sisler. Thanks guys. I needed that. I'll miss you.

...always a pleasure:)