Cheongnam Dae and the almost upchuck

Teachers dinners.

They are wonderful but at the same time can be a native English teachers worst nightmare...and this is why. Korea, in a way (and don't quote me on this because I am neither smart nor a good writer and this could just be my mouth falling down the stairs), is a very obligatory culture. I say this because from my perspective, there's not a whole lot of personal choice involved in many different scenarios. First, my kids mind as well go to school 365 days out of the year because even though they are officially on summer vacation right now, they are all going to camps, supplementary classes, or to their academies everyday that they're off. But back to the teachers dinner. So basically, we were warned that throughout the year there will be several times where you will be told -most likely the day of -that you have a teachers dinner or outing that evening which also means that any plans that you had should probably be cancelled. And it's difficult too because most Koreans are very indirect so if you said that you couldn't go there's a good chance they won't tell you that you NEED to be there even though you really should be. I've had a couple of them already and it's not that they're bad by any means, I just think it would be more enjoyable if you had a choice...and could communicate with people. Luckily I have a super wonderful staff at my school and there are some teachers that are absolutely hilarious even though I can't understand them but once again I'm totally getting away from the point of this post.

So I was told a week in advance (a miracle-ask any westerner in Korea) that we were having an all day outing on the last day of school so I made zero plans. All I was told was that we were going to the President's house. No idea what that meant but ok. I slept through both of my alarms that morning because I was up until two getting smarter as I watched a marathon of Real Housewives of New York City. I managed to down two cups of coffee just in the twenty minutes that I scrambled around my Korean cave to get ready and then took another huge one with me for my walk to school. I got there and was already feeling nauseous because I had forgotten to eat and if I were to have had an IV at that specific moment it would consist purely of coffee plus I'm completely drenched in sweat which is the norm for every morning. Lovely I know. I must have looked like a train wreck though because one of the teachers told me I looked "sick" and asked if I had eaten breakfast. I told him I forgot...bad idea. I come back upstairs from a meeting with my co-teacher to find a Pepsi, a bulgolgi burger (bulgolgi is marinated Korean meat, usually beef, so don't worry it's not code for canine), and two huge rice cakes. And real quick, a Korean rice cake is nothing like what we consider rice cakes. There's quite a few different kinds actually but this is not a rice cake

This is a rice cake

So the two rice cakes were each about the size of my hand. I knew if I didn't eat all this stuff I might possibly offend someone and get a lecture about how I don't eat enough so I downed it all. Right then my co-teacher came up and told me to hurry because the bus was leaving so I ran downstairs and followed them to the main road where this tour bus was waiting. We all got on and my co teacher tells me we are going to the President's house but first we are going to lunch an hour outside of town. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal but for some reason my childhood problem of motion sickness decided to sneak up on me after about 30 minutes on a windy road through the mountains. And when I say childhood problem I mean BIG problem. Ask anyone who knew me from the ages of 5-12...I was an absolute barfing machine. I used to get carsick on the way to school in the mornings. No joke. One time in fifth grade I threw up in an envelope in the back of my dad's car that I'm pretty sure had some semi important paperwork in it. Anyways though, I start to feel barfy. My co-teacher starts talking about how she is proud of me for all of the crazy foods I've tried since I've been here which was so sweet of her just not a good time to relive the thrashing octopus. She also told me that "if I think Koreans are crazy I should meet a Chinese. They eat everything with four legs except a desk". Hahahaha. But still, I felt barfy. And then...she handed me a handful of candy a.k.a cough drops. I've seen a lot of Koreans eat cough drops as candy which is kind of weird because I personally hate that menthol nastiness. But she hands me three and tells me to eat them all. By the time I chewed all three and was in a near menthol coma I was so close to maybe barfing that I was ready to open the flap on my bag that was on my lap. Luckily we pulled into the restaurant within minutes so I literally sprinted off the bus.

We sat down at the restaurant and it's the whole staff of about 40+ teachers so the principal stands up and gives a speech. When he finishes, Mr. Lee (who everyone at the school is determined to make my husband), pops open the 25 bottles of beer and soju on the table so that everyone can make a toast. In Korean culture, drinking is a pretty big deal and is a symbol of comaraderie so basically if you get drunk with someone you are considered homies for life. Soju is at almost every Korean meal and is similar to vodka but can be made out of rice, wheat, potatoes, or sweet potatoes...and I think it's pretty awful stuff. Especially when I'm carsick. Plus, I'm not a big drinker by any means, and especially by Korean standards. I enjoy a drink at dinner but definitely don't sit in front of 7-11 with a bottle of Soju on Saturday mornings. But Mr. Lee stands up and yells "Ladies and Gentleman! Ashaleigh! SoMek!" and hands me a glass that is half soju and half beer. My co-teacher stands up and makes a toast and when she finishes Mr. Lee says "One! One!" and downs his entire glass of SoMek. I take a sip and he yells "One!" telling me to drink it all. I know that if I drink the entire thing there's a chance that my entire stomach contents will reappear but I took it like a champ and then filled my glass up with coke and left it full because in Korean culture it's rude to let someone's glass be left empty. I managed not to upchuck though and left lunch feeling only halfway barfy...while 95% of the staff left not able to operate any heavy machinery:)
This is soju...and quite possibly the fridge of one of my co-workers, haha. The kimchee is in the back there somewhere...


We drove about 20 more minutes and ended up in the mountains at this building where we all filed off the bus and I found out that we were actually at one of the President's houses! It's called Cheongnam Dae and was a sort of getaway house through about 5 Korean presidencies and is now open to the public as a tourist attraction. It was on this enormous lake and literally went for miles with gardens, a full golf course, hiking trails, and the main house which is now a museum. It was a pretty cool deal and we went on a guided tour, which of course was in Korean, so everywhere we went after the tour guide was done speaking Mr Lee would say "Ladies and Gentleman! Ashaleigh! President room!" or "Ladies and Gentleman! Ashaleigh! This is lake!" hahaha. I'm thankful for having an interpreter:) When we finished we got back on the bus and of course my co-teacher hands be 3 more cough drops so I shove them all in my mouth and when she started to fall asleep 2 minutes later I spit them out and shoved them in my pocket Napoleon Dynamite style. Nice.

My friends Beth and Hannah come in 2 weeks and I am so excited I cannot even begin to explain. I'm going to have them eat every Korean thing I can think of! Get your bellies ready girls...
(compliments of Lynne Houlton photography)

Attaway J!

My friend Heather's family has been my Washington family for the last 7 years or so, which is awesome because if you've ever met anyone from the Johnson/Westering clan you know they are some of the greatest people on earth. If you have never experienced one of their taco nights or watched a football game in their presence then I would suggest adding it to your bucket list. I'm serious. They are SO fun. Mostly because they are the most enthusiatic and positive people ever...and if you didn't know anything about football, I could probably convince you that they single-handedly created the sport. Frosty, Heather's grandpa, is one of the most winningest coaches in college football history and coached at PLU for 30 years. If you don't believe that he's a big deal then just know this...he has his own WIKEPEDIA. Enough said. Aside from being one of the greatest coaches of all time he is also brilliant when it comes to sports psych and sports performance. His son, Scott, took over for him at PLU and has been the head coach since Frosty retired in 2002. Heather's brother, Jason, was the quarterback for Arizona and has since played in Canada and Europe. Her other brother Chad was the quarterback for the 1999 PLU National Championship team. Her husband Chris, who is a super athlete, played at California and then transfered to PLU to play for both Frosty and Scott. And the list goes on. So yes, they did invent football.

Every fourth of July, Scott puts on a fireworks show at Fort Lewis and it is nothing short of amazing. He has former Lute players help him every year and they do things the old school way by lighting the fireworks by hand...and wearing football helmets as protection! Jason made this rad video of footage from the other night and I absolutely had to share it for those of you who didn't have a chance to see it on facebook. Really made me miss being home for the fourth but totally made my day. Attaway J!

Ft. Lewis Fireworks July 4, 2010 from One_Space Films on Vimeo.

All you need is love.

Hands down, my favorite author of all time is Donald Miller. I had never heard of him until three years ago when my friend Beth and I were hiking and she spoke so highly of his book "Blue Like Jazz" that I went to Borders that night and bought it. (Yes I did just throw an advertisement in there...Borders is so way better than Barnes and Noble!). Since then I think I've read it at least 10 times and loved it more everytime. He's written a number of books and I would recommend them to anyone regardless of their background or beliefs because he writes with amazing passion yet is so honest and real that it doesn't make a person feel like he is pushing any ideas or claiming to have all the answers. But anywho. He has a blog that is so fun to read and a couple of days ago I read an entry that was so...awesome I guess would be the only word to describe it. It was titled "The Power of Love" and he was talking about a Hindu guru named Mata Amritanandamayi who has captured a fairly large audience across the world but funny enough, it's not because of her claims to have the answers to every theological question ever posed...it's because she gives hugs.

"Amma is gaining an enormous following because she gives hugs. Seriously, she’s the hugging guru. Her handlers estimate she has given more than thirty-million hugs. And these hugs are not unlike blessings, in which people receive a kind of enlightenment about the importance of loving one another.

Now to the critical Christian mind, this sounds like hogwash and we are tempted to roll our eyes. But the sad truth is people are not drawn to Amma because of her theological soundness, or her ability to give them right direction in life, or even to know their own purpose, people are drawn to her because God has hardwired them to be loved, and she’s willing to give them a hug."

Not to get all mushy on you guys but in the last 5 months I have come to realize the importance of love and relationship more than I ever have before in my life. Being so far away from the people you love the very most all of a sudden makes you want to show them more than ever how much you really do love them. In a way it's kind of like a little science experiment because since I've been here I've really realized that certain relationships I have with people back home are the real deal and so super wonderfully strong. I think, actually I know, that every other teacher in my office thinks that I am absolutely INSANE because I often talk to friends back home on email chat while I'm sitting at my desk and try so hard not to die laughing when they say some ridiculous thing but it happens almost daily where I am sitting there in tears I'm trying so hard not to laugh while drooling coffee all over myself...and I try really hard to make it look like I'm working so I'm sure it looks ridiculous. That's the stuff that is awesome though. It's amazing how one comment can make your entire day. That really wasn't what I wanted to write about though.

The best part about Korea so far is my kids. I know there are some teachers out there who think that I'm crazy for saying that and granted there are days where I want to dropkick every single one of them. But they really are the most wonderful kids on the planet. I'm talking more about my girls because I see them four days out of the week and have really gotten to know a lot of them which I can't say for the boys. If there is one thing I can say I've grown in since I've been here I would definitely say its patience. I'm not naturally the most patient person and get so consumed sometimes that I forget that everyone doesn't operate the way that I do. Being thrown into a culture that is so entirely different challenges me in that a billion times more. I've had to really put a lot of thought into things before I decide to blow up and be an impatient butthead. So I think that because I've had to take the time to question why these kids say the things they do and act the way they do has been huge in just getting to know them as people. So going back to the Hindu guru thing, I guess the greatest thing about the position I'm in is that I don't have to be the greatest teacher on earth, which is lucky because I suck quite often, but I just need to love them so that they genuinely believe I care about them. I firmly believe that as a teacher, if your kids believe that you care about them that you will be a million times more successful...and if you're just there for the paycheck then most of them aren't going to give a crap about what you have to say.

Today was a perfect example because if there was an award for "Saltiest Person Alive" I would have won it during the first part of my day. I was so stinkin grumpy it was unreal. Then I had one of my classes with some pretty hilarious girls in it and all we did was play a review game and talk about the World Cup and which teacher they thought would be a good husband for me. The bell rang and I was so bummed that I had to leave these girls and return to my cave of nonexistent communication a.k.a my office. Seriously though, during student teaching and subbing back home there was NEVER, EVER, NEVER an instant where I didn't want a class period to end. But these girls bring me so much joy and I really think that even though I might not always be the greatest teacher in the world that they know I care about them and they're willing to listen. So if that's all I gotta do then this is officially the greatest job in the world.

Check out Donald Miller's blog if you ever have the chance http://donmilleris.com/. Dang good stuff:)

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)