My new vocabulary, Korean menus, and some other stuff.

Probably one of the coolest things about this whole experience is being able to hang out with people from so many different countries. In the process of getting to know these awesome people though, I've made two very important discoveries: 1. I have never wanted an accent more in my entire life. and 2. I need to expand my vocabulary.

First, accents are the sweetest things ever. Whenever I've first met someone with an accent, I've automatically thought they were the most neat-o person on earth even if they are a complete turkey. And if it's been a male, specifically with an Australian accent, my first thought is "Please Lord, let this be my husband." Or an Irish acccent, those are good too. I've even considered moving to one of those locations in the past week.

Second, I think us Americans have some pretty awesome slang. No other country I know of uses the words "radical" and "tubular". But, we definitely don't compare to other countries, especially the UK or South Africa. So I've decided that I'm going to expand my vocabulary...and if I come home and some of you are thinking "Wow, Ash is way cooler than she was before she left because she's saying really super cool words but I have no clue what they mean" here's your rough guide:
-knackered-also known as "I'm pooped."
-bloody-I'm sure you've heard this one before. Ex: fan-bloody-tastic.
-keen-"Are you keen to go for a 100 mile run today after work?"
-shame-I think this word is the coolest, but I'm obviously not with it because the day after I decided I want to say it all the time, one of my best friends from back home said it. Love this example from urban dictionary: Guy 1: Your mum. Guy 2: Shame.
-dog's bollocks-who knew that this would be a compliment? I also didn't know that Northern Ireland was part of the UK though so that's not saying much.
-wonky-LOVE this. Ex: "I feel a bit wonky."
-bugger off-aka "get lost"
And if you're called a prat, berk, tosspot, gimp or a git you probably owe someone an apology :)

I took pictures of some of my favorite menus that my kids made. Trash potstickers, running nose dessert, in the ear dirt juice, puppy's dirty salad, food trash cake, and acid ice cream...doesn't get better than this, haha. There are ants in your body!!!!













The crummiest thing about being all the way over in Asia is when you find out some bummer thing that happened back home and just wish more than anything you could show up at that person's house to give them a hug. The cool thing about this whole deal though is that it's really a great test of friendship, you definitely find out which ones are for reals. And I am so blessed to have the most amazing friends ever in the history of the world:) I know some of you are going through some tough stuff but know that I am always thinking about you and praying for you...and I can't wait to see you when I see you! This year is already going by so stinking fast.

That's all for tonight folks! Have a great week and check out the rat urine cider next time you go out to eat...it's delightful.

Lynne in Korea! Woo!

This past week my mom came to Korea! She was here for 10 days and although I was still busy with school and other stuff we were able to do loads. I've realized how cool it probably is to visit a country when you know someone who lives there because you really get to experience parts of it that you wouldn't otherwise. Actually, having her here made me realize a ton of things. First, I think the most enlightening part of it all was having someone from back home over here. And it's hard to explain but it's almost like my life here and my life there are two totally seperate dimensions so when you put them together for the first time it blows your mind a bit. I realized how for the past 4 months I've not reeeeally had to think about anyone other than myself...I don't have a roommate, teammates, family, players, or friends from different places to think about. Don't get me wrong, I've made some amazing friends here over the past 4 months. I just mean the balancing act of having different circles of people with a a lot of history and very different relationships. Here I have my teacher friends and my students. I go to school, say the same thing all day, go home, and only really think about myself for the rest of the day. So it was great to have that knock me over the head a bit. At the same time, I think having an outsider here made me realize that even though I've gotten used to it and don't think twice about it, my daily life is so much more exhausting than it previously had been at home. Constantly being ultra-aware of what you do and say, trying to communicate, walking everywhere, etc. is such a different lifestyle than I was formerly used to but I think it's hard to see unless you're suddenly thrown into it.

Lynne was a TROOPER though! She tried every food put in front of her and ate some pretty knarly stuff. She came to school with me everyday and let each class drill her with questions like "Is your hair real?", "How old are you?", and "What was Ashleigh like when she was in high school?" (my heart rate skyrocketed everytime the last one was asked, haha). The good news is she didn't get the same questions that I still get asked on a weekly basis like "Ashleigh teacher when are you getting married?" and "Did you have plastic surgery? Are you sure?" But it was so much fun. AND we saw an Olympic ice skating event in Seoul! We were wandering around the Olympic stadium and happened upon an event where all of the Olympic and World Champion ice skaters from all over the world were putting on this dealy so we got tickets and went! Seriously one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I'd marry one of those guys even though their pants are a little too tight...






Mom being brave:)


My mom did an excellent job of taking pictures without telling me so I look like I want to kill someone when really I was probably pretty happy. I love the fish market I promise!



Having my mom here did kind of remind me though of how far I really am. When I was at the airport I saw flights to Seattle on the departure board and for a split second wanted to buy a ticket right then and there. I must say though, and I'm probably going to sound like a grandmother when I say this, but technology is amazing. Seriously. It's crazy that I can talk to people on their cell phones and it feels like I'm 5 minutes away. I've had arguments over text with one of my best friends over who is better at predicting LOST. Heck, the other day my bro Nolan called me on Skype at work and asked me to call my dad and tell him that he needed to be picked up for his swimming meet because he didn't know where his phone was. Stuff like that is so cool...until you look at a map and realize that you aren't as close as you feel at times.

In other news, I'm going to die of heat stroke before my year here is up. It's so unbelievably humid and it's only going to get worse. Good news is my school doesn't think turning on the AC or even the fans is appropriate (I'm being sarcastic)...it's ridiculous. When we go running we look like we have just jumped into the river...although tonight one of my running buddies did feel the need to throw me in a fountain mid-run and I have yet to dry off because of this stinking humidity. Thanks Riley.

Quick story....last thing I promise. This week we are finishing up a lesson on menus and ordering food at a restaurant. Each of the groups are doing mini presentations on their menus and they are HILARIOUS. But one group nearly killed me. Their restaurant's name was "ALONE" and they had dishes like "sadness steak" and "lonely chicken for one" and under drinks and beverages they only had soju and beer listed with a little statement at the bottom that said "alcohol only to drink. you are alone." Depressing but hilarious!

february flashback

Looking back at the month of February is a bit like when something really awful or embarrassing happens to you and it takes a while for you to be able to laugh about it. Kind of like when I was a freshman in college hanging out in 2 of my teammates dorm room and I got my hands stuck in their loft. Instead of helping me out they pantsed me down to my knees and their door was wide open which was wonderful because it was a good minute before I got my hands undone and there were at least a dozen people that saw. Good news is, the next day I put every single bulb from her Christmas lights strung around her bed up my nose and told her later to put them in her mouth because it would be funny to watch her cheeks light up. But really, during the entire month of February I kind of felt like I had my pants around my knees. Now that I've been here almost four months (wowza) I can laugh about it because it all is pretty hilarious to think about...so I thought I'd share so you can make fun of me too:)

First week of February: I had been going through this month long ordeal of being told that I was on a waiting list basically because they had hired too many teachers. Midweek though, I get a call saying that basically I either wasn't going to be going to Korea or I would potentially be leaving at the end of March. So, I had completely moved out of my house and had left my car in Arizona at Christmas so was both carless and homeless. Luckily I have amazing friends. Unluckily for them, I was an absolute horror to be around. I went from crying to contemplating alcoholism in the midst of an "Intervention" marathon on A&E on a daily basis. One friend in particular kept me as sane as I possibly could be and carted me around for an entire month even when I did have either fire or tears coming from my eyes. Bless her heart.

Second week: Still a monster to be around. On Friday of this week though I get a phone call from UPS saying they have a package for me from South Korea. I call my recruiters and they say "Oh, we haven't heard anything about you getting a notice of appointment." She calls me back 5 minutes later and says "Welp, that's your notice of appointment which means you'll need to be in Korea by next Thursday meaning that you'll have to leave by Wednesday at the latest." So, I spent the next four days going back and forth from Seattle getting my visa situated, putting my every belonging into storage (Harrison family is amazing), booking my ticket, and freaking out.

Third week: I made desperate attempts to see everyone and felt like a complete turd knowing that I wouldn't get to see some of my friends before I left. Tuesday night Tim had the team over for dessert so we could say goodbye and it wasn't until everyone started to leave that I realized this wasn't a normal team dealy and I wasn't going to get to see these people for an entire year. So, I tried my best not to cry as I said goodbyes and when I got to Missy I felt like I wanted to bawl but tried super hard to hold it together. Not that I love Miss more than anyone else, haha. I was just an emotional basketcase. Funny thing is that for an hour after everytime someone said "Missy" the floodgates would open. It's like that word was the cue for me to cry. I stayed with one of my best friends that night and I cried for a good 30 minutes while I was trying to fall asleep and I'm pretty sure she had no clue. The next day was a blur. All I know is that I felt like I was gonna either barf or cry at the drop of a dime the entire day.

Fourth week: During my first 7 days in Korea, I was at a University with 400 other Westerners and it was awesome. The dorm rooms were like the Queen's palace compared to PLU's (sorry PLU...just sayin...) and we were living in this little English bubble. But that Friday came the bomb. We were taken to our cities and dropped off with our co-teachers. That night I ate a dog and then was taken to my apartment that looked like a Korean jail cell (don't worry it's better now. I've put so many things on my walls it's almost ridiculous). I woke up that next morning and went for a good 3 hour walk where I got incredibly lost. When I finally got back to the jail cell, I sat down at my computer and cried harder than I've probably cried since I was twelve years old. No joke. I felt like I had been dropped off in space...except I think I would have felt more comfortable if I was dropped off in actual space...with no spacesuit.

It's kind of fun to think back because in a way you can see so obviously how much you've grown through the whole process of being thrown into another culture that has almost no comparison to your own. I was such a pansy 4 months ago.

And geez louise do I cry a lot.

Bad Pork and a Dang Good Video!

Last night I had one of those nights where it was so awful it almost felt like it never happened...a nightmare for sure. I got home at 10 after a good run and a korean bbq dinner with my two running compadres and around midnight I went from feeling great to wanting to die in a matter of about 60 seconds. The Houltons are known for their weak stomachs and ability to barf like they get paid to do it...and let's just say that I upheld that reputation well last night. If I ever need to drop a few pounds I know where to eat in the future. So anyways, I stayed home from school and my sister-in-law Kelsey Skyped me with the rest of my family and told me they had a surprise to show me. I don't know if you all read the blog a few weeks back where I posted a "Won Cashing" commercial which is this ridiculous commercial I see over and over when I turn on my TV. A bunch of people said they wanted to try to replicate it...but the Houltons actually did. And it's AMAZING! (In case you never saw the original I posted it underneath)