So, story time??? Mk, so since there is much to explain, lets start slow. Explain the amazing-ness of the Korean people. Let me start with the most recent experience I just had at this kick ass coffee house called "Paris Bagguette."

(i dont think they know how to spell Baguette)

so i stroll in my jeans, tennies, t-shirt and leather jacket. i'm obviously from out of town--not to mention my pale white skin and goofy grin. homegirl at the counter is all gooey for seeing a foreigner, just like the one that just walked in. teehheee...well, i grab my pastries for tomorrows breakfast, grab a green tea latte

....its not a girls drink, mk, its freaking amazing, dont judge. its got plenty of anti-oxidents...!!

annnnnyway, so the tea is freaking amazing (duh) but i go up to the counter and ask if they're closed by, talking and literally using sign language. literally, signing AMERICAN sign language to asians....good logic eh? so the 4 people working all tune in, the owner comes out, and all the sudden i'm teaching a class. haha, didnt think i've have to do that til tomorow (your today).

so, after finally figuring out what i was trying to say, they said no no--we open, we open. they give me my latte, i ask to sit out side as it was raining earliar and it smells good. duh, everyone loves the smell of the rain, and its like 60 out here right now. the owner comes out, un-does all the chairs for me, grabs a cloth and wipes them all off. then, she gives me a free bagggggget. (like the emphasis on the gness)

anyway, so thats the smallest of the insane jestures the koreans do, just out of the kindness of their hearts. heres a list of just, damn nice things I've had done for me since I've been here...

- the apartment manager came to my apartment and show me how to use the hot water, the floor heater, everything.
- my co-teacher gave me 4 frozen fish as she doesnt think that i eat, (take that as i'm scronny??)
- no worries mother i'm eating, hence the baggggggggggggets
- given coffee, at samsung, while they charged my camera for me....
- walked to the street i need to go, to get a cab, and had the cab paid for me...!
- my co-teacher has taken me everywhere, the hospitarrr*, the bank, the school, shes picking me up tomorrow, bought me coffee (at popeyes, meh)

*=haha, L and R confusion is quite humorous. the korean language has no direct sound object identification, so when they say stuff like lost...it comes out rost, but they nail love...interesting or...micherrrrrrrrrrrr, bahaha, i dont laugh though i promise

thats just a few, i love this city to say the least. i don't start teaching until tomorrow, and my nerves are...well, as nervous as ya would be starting your first real job in a foreign country, with no clue of what to expect tomorrow, with a vice principal who was 'dissapointed in my appearnce' after 31 hours of travel...its korea.

haha, its fun, which leads me to the...flight, and the funny ass people i met along the way.

we'll start in houston, the security guard who kept telling me to go give my mamma one more hug...'now wave, come on man she's crying...wave...dude wave or i'll say you have 3 bombs.' ok he didnt say all that, but he did tell me to wave in a very security kinda way, so i did...;)

Houston to LA met Belinda; a oil rep from Brasil going to Australia. I watched 'the proposal' which was surprisingly funny...got off the plane and was handed my man-card back...:-\...

LA Airport: haha, met Randy. funny guy, going to India for engingeer buisness. told me 3 things about asia...1) treat everyone with respect and you'll be find...2) there are ass-holes everywhere...3) don't mess with the customs, (like the airport customs)...and the hidden number 4....dont get the oink oink flu (bahahahaha)

also met a crazy guy...dyrell...told me 'if you've got time main, you should run to the subway, take the yellow line til it ends, theres a liquor store, you'll have time to finish a bottle by the time that the train gets back....

...cheers to the guy in LA who told me to take a subway til it ends, and go to a liquor store, finish my bottle by the time the train got there....in LA....good call

LA to Seoul: sat next to a north korean, seriously really think so...she woke me up with some 검색도구 열기!!!!!!!!! loud ass korean, and then made fun of me...she had very large hair as well, put your arm up over your head, and thats how large this womans fro was...i called it...the 'bitch'

Got to Seoul and had 2 hours to catch a bus, and get to Gimpo airport, about 45 min away. found the bus ticket place, lady spoke flawless english...got to Gimpo, to fly to Gwangu...

Gimpo Airport (in seoul) to Gwangu: met all the canadian connections people...Brians a funny brit just back from Japan for 4 years of teaching. Neil's in Mokpo...don't remember anyone else...

Gwangu to Mokpo: my co-teacher gave me a lift, a man that knew little...LITTLE english but knew all the bands!! like ACDC, rush, metallica, linken park (like a raw apple in a keg of rum), pearl jam, (meh) seven mary-freaking-three!!! holy crap on that one...! we stopped for water and he paid of course, didnt let me pay at all! kind of annoying...but its cool, i guess

Mokpo: first week...real quick, cause theres too much to tell

Picture down the street:

Other side of the street:

Monday: got in, met the prinicpal, right out of the freaking gate. never saw neil or anyone else after Gwangu's airport, sure i will though. went home to craaaaaaash.

Tuesday: slept, and slept and slept...watched CSI for like 6 hrs, cause apparently its awesome...they have like 3 channels in english.

Wednesday: got a fever from sleeping with the window open tuesday night...didnt know it was artic here at night...hah whoops...get a alien registration card started (2 weeks, they've got my passport)

Thursday: co-teacher thinks i have swine flu and takes me to get a bank acct set up (woman, takes over...can't say her name...like literally can't spell it, or say it...i'll just take that turnpike when i come to it ;) felt not so good

Friday: felt...better, walked down the street, hit Paris Bagggggggggggets for the first time...whole new crew working...then went back to try to sleep off a fever with an ib profin/beer induced slumber.

Saturday: felt MUCH better...walked for like 2 hrs, around...just strolling, met up with some people from london, and a funny irish guy named nigel, FINALLY HAVE AN IRISH FRIEND NAMED NIGEL!!! the bar we went to just opened and its called moe's bar, like on the SIMPSONS, freaking hysterical. the owner's name is mike and he owns a private school (hagwon). he told me just to have energy and if all else fails, just teach roman numerals...the numbers here and there are the same...!

Sunday: got my lesson plan for tomorrow together, in case i need it, but apparently i'm just gonna be backing up homegirl (co-teacher lady). watched bones, which is apparently awesome too...then uh, hit up paris.

so anyway, thats been my crazy experience thus far...the food is freaking incredible! everything here is good. the coffee, the tea, the baggggggggets, the food at the gas station around the corner from my apartment. the people are awesome, its the korean thanksgiving right now so every foreigner has taken a break from mokpo, they're apparently gonna be around soon. but i do love it, and i cant wait to see the harbor and stuff, go to school and figure out what the hell i'll be doing for the next year!

haha, here's to ... we'll see!!!!!


oh i love skydiving!