What is your blood type?

One of the weirder things I've experienced in Korea so far has been the "What is your blood type?" conversation. To Koreans, asking someone their blood type is like asking what your sign is, or when your birthday is. It's completely normal and not at all creepy like it would be if someone you just met asked you in the US. I myself have been asked this at least 10 times already by people I just met (including my co-teacher's husband on the car ride to my homestay). Koreans believe that they can tell your personality based on your blood type, and I think they take it kind of seriously. Here is an explanation of the different blood type personalities I found online. I'm type B, which I actually think suits me almost to a T.

KOREAN BLOOD TYPE PERSONALITIES:
Blood Type A:
Positive Traits: Conservative, introverted, reserved, patient, punctual and inclined to be perfectionists.
Worst Traits: Obsessive, stubborn, self conscious and uptight.
Referred as ‘farmers’ in some descriptions, Type A’s are said to be considerate of others and loyal to a fault. Although they apparently don’t find it easy to like, they can also be secretive and reluctant to share their feelings. Apparently they don’t hold their liquor well, either.

Blood Type B:
Best Traits: Animal-loving, creative, flexible, individualistic, optimistic and passionate.
Worst Traits: Forgetful, irresponsible and self-centered.
Referred to as ‘hunters’, Type B’s have very independent natures and tend not to be concerned about what other people think of them. Although often described as shallow and lazy, they can be quite passionate about the things they hold dear. Patience is not their strong suit either.
Type B men have acquired a very negative reputation in Korea and are not considered by many to be good husband material. Often described as ‘players’, they are perceived as being selfish and mercurial, quick to anger and not terribly reliable. That said, their bad boy image makes them very attractive to women, but not for the long term. (Type B women do not share in this bad rep, for some unexplained reason).

Blood Type AB:
Best Traits: Cool, controlled, empathic, introverted and rational.
Worst Traits: Aloof, critical, indecisive and unforgiving.
Referred to as ‘humanists’, Type AB’s are said to be controlled more by their heads, than by their hearts. They are rational, good with money, but unpredictable. Although inclined to be distant, they prefer harmony and as such, work well with mediators. Some consider them two-faced, and therefore untrustworthy.

Blood Type O:
Best Traits: Ambitious, athletic, robust and self-confident.
Worst Traits: Arrogant, insensitive, ruthless and vain.
Referred to as ‘warriors’, Type O’s are viewed as natural leaders and are often, also, natural athletes. They tend to be outgoing, expressive and passionate, but can also bore others to death with their obsessive drive for success coupled with their absolute convictions that they are winners. This certainty that they will always win explains why they aren’t afraid to take risks or gamble. They have a strong physical presence and are unlikely to ever be overlooked.

In typical Korean Konglish style, as a reward for completing English camp, my students were given small notepads by my co-teacher with the phrase "What is your blood type?" written in big letters on the front. Only in Korea...

Random anecdotes from the past few days:

*I had my first experience with a Korean medical clinic on Monday. I woke up in the middle of the night with some sort of stomach virus and pretty much hugged the toilet until my host mom woke and decided I needed to go to the clinic. I'm pretty sure I have not been that sick for many years...not fun. The clinic was an experience in itself. No one spoke a word of English the entire time, so I'm not really sure what was going on. All I know was that I was led to a table to lay down on, had an IV inserted in me, and then 2 other syringes filled with god only knows what injected into me. I was made to lay with the IV in my arm for over two hours. Luckily, I was somehow able to fall asleep on the table for most of the two hours. Maybe one of the syringes had anesthesia...who knows. It was the first time since I'd arrived in Korea that I found myself thinking, "What the f*** am I doing in this country?" I've since gotten over that, but I'm hoping that I don't get sick like that again for the rest of the year (fingers crossed).

*Yesterday at lunch my host mom said to me "Cassidy, after lunch maybe I teach you how to quilt." I said "Okay host mom", since I had nothing else planned for the rest of the day. So after lunch I am lounging on the couch, still in my PJs and glasses waiting for my host mom, when she comes out of her room with her purse and bag and says to me, "Okay! Let's go!". Welcome to the world of Korea, where what you think is going to happen usually is not what is going to happen at all. Apparently by "teach you how to quilt" my mom meant "bring you to my quilting class in some random woman's apartment with me". She gave me just enough time to throw on some normal clothes before whisking me off to some other Korean mom's apartment where I was taught how to quilt a change purse. It ended up being really fun (since I already really enjoy sewing) and I think it may become a weekly thing. I'm pretty excited about it. We will see though. I have heard about 20 different things my host mom and I are going to be doing together and most of them have not materialized yet.

*Today while walking home from downtown, I had a random woman on the sidewalk come up to me and introduce herself as "Esther". For five minutes she then begged me to teach her English in my free time and kept asking me where I lived. Super awkward. I just kept telling her "maybe" and that I was very busy. I was a little worried she was going to follow me home.

*Tomorrow is the first day of the three day English camp I am going to be teaching at at Namsung Elementary School. I met with one of the other English teachers for a short while yesterday and again today, and I still have no clue what is going on. I know that we are doing self introductions, body parts, feelings, and how to make a BLT sandwich (RANDOM!) but I was never told what I am actually teaching or what I need to know to explain. Guess I will have to wing it! I was also told to make a 5 question quiz on...anything. That's exactly what my teacher told me. Hmmm... should be an interesting three days.


Funny friend story of the day:
"We've had the homestay stories- now that we're all teaching, we should branch out into those hilarious school moments we've surely all been having. I'll begin. Today I told my students to write about themselves. Here are a few responses.

Student 1
My favorite sports is baseball. I love myself. thanks.

Student 2
English class is very boring. I think Ben teacher is very look like
obama.

Student 3
English class is like penis/ Not Fun

and my favorite, Student 4
I can play the violin. I learn 6 years. I want to play the piano. I am
Christ.

That's right, folks. The second coming is upon us, and I'm his
teacher. Talk about being at the right place at the right time."

Saturday Excursion

This afternoon my host parents took me on an outing to see a lake and damn outside of Cheongju, as well as a traditional Korean folk village. It was a nice chance to spend some time with them. I also learned a whole lot about what life was like when they were growing up.

Host parents at the lake



In the mountains over to the left is the Korean version of Camp David. My host mom says she will take me there someday soon.


Statues of Korean patriots inside the folk village


Random art museum in the folk village...really liked these paintings though


Example of a commoner's house


My host mom told me that when she was little she had a "small chicken" that looked just like this (meaning small kitchen).


Buildings used to sell grains, dried fruits, etc.




A "Yeomak"...a hut built for the sole purpose of mourning. Some Koreans would mourn the loss of their parents for years at a time.


Inside the Yeomak


I thought it was really funny that inside the traditional Yeomak someone thought it was appropriate to include a modern Soju bottle.


Host dad and I


The village's guest house...I wouldn't mind staying here


These rock piles are all over the place in Korea. My host mom told me that people put rocks on top of the pile when they want to make a wish...I assume it's like the Korean version of throwing pennies in fountains.



We are going to come back and have a picnic here in the fall!


Also, here is your daily dose of funny homestay stories...

"Ok so last night I'm watching baseball with my homestay brother. He's about 15 and were both kind of tired. Gwangju is losing again so whatever. My host dad finally gets home acting completely smashed. He stripes down to his boxers (not unusual). Next he insists that my host brother and I also strip down to our boxers. We're like, this is weird but ok. I never know whats going on anyways. Now he indicates that we are to do pushups while he counts [o-ship, no less]. We start to do pushups and I'm cracking up laughing but host pops (an intimidating guy) indicates this is some serious shit. Whatever, we do our pushups. No he indicates that we are to lay on the floor. I'm sweating rather profusely by this time, and guess we are going to do situps. Not so. Instead he has me and my host brother arm wrestle. This is awkward and I try to keep it even but hes a young kid and eventually I win. In reward I get to / have to arm wrestle my host farther. So we're laying on our stomachs, only wearing boxers, arm wrestling. He makes a big deal of stretching / making strange noises. I let him win. In reward I am presented with bread and beer, and feel great. He asks me if I want to meet his parents in the country tomorrow. I say sure. He says it will be strenuous work harvesting all day in the fields, but because he knows I am strong, I will be able to "sweat a lot." Great."

"Today I went to the beach and got so sunburned that I look like an X-Man whose superpower is to look like a weirdo. I told my host mother that it really isn't a big deal, but after dinner she had me lie on the floor in the living room while she applied fresh-cut cucumber slices to my face. After she applied and removed two layers she declared that we needed a "massage upgrade" and she covered my face with some kind of pasty, gloopy cucumber mud mask and I continued to lie on the floor of the living room, unable to see, listening to some Korean drama on the television, hoping to God that my host father didn't walk in while I was in such a ridiculous position. Luckily the spa-treatment finished before pops got home."

address

If any at point you would like to send me a letter or a package, here is my address at my homestay:

ATTN: Cassidy Walko
Chungcheongbuk-do Cheongju City
Hungdeok-gu Bunpyeong-dong
Jugong Apt. 701 Dong 703 Ho
361-772
South Korea

Lessons I have learned so far in my homestay (most of which I had been warned about previously):

1. Saying "maybe" after everything you say or request goes a very long way. Koreans bust out the "maybes" like it is their job. For example, "Maybe later I will go and meet my ETA friend for Dunkin Donuts". This is usually a good way to test the waters when you are unsure if something is okay or not.

2. Just because someone tells you what you are going to be doing that day, does not mean that it will actually happen. In fact, it may be very far from what actually happens. Two examples: 1) This morning I told my mother that "Maybe I will go take a rest after breakfast (translation: Why am I up so freakin early when I have absolutely nothing to do today). My mom's response, "Maybe we can walk to the river so that next time you want to go on a walk you can go alone." Okay, I can put of my nap for a 10 minute walk to the river. I throw on some jeans (because all of my shorts are in the laundry) and flip flops and grab my big purse, ready for my casual stroll to the river. I later find out that in fact we are going on a 4 mile walk to and up and down the river in like 95% humidity. And of course I had to act like I was having fun the whole time. 2) My friend Kate told me a story today about how the other day she thought she was going with her co-teacher to get her cell phone and set up her bank out. Someone called the house for her to come down and meet them. She went downstairs only to find her Vice Principal and his daughter who then proceeded to take her on an hour car ride to see a temple, and then out for food. I'm pretty sure we would call that kidnapping in the US.

3. The Korean words for "very delicious", "thank you", and "it's okay" can pretty much get you through most awkward, language-barrier situations.


Also, here are some more funny anecdotes from my fellow ETA's.

"Anyway, here is a little tale from the first night of the great ETA diaspora. after eating at a western (read "western") restaurant with my vp, co-teach, head teach, hs mom and bro, and a whole host of unidentifiable others, my hs mom drove me home in her orange kia morning, and i attempted to make conversation. of course, by attempted i mean failed, and by conversation i mean hand gestures. so as i was trying to feel out her english ability, i started off with real simple statements like, "i like your car." this seemed to go over well, so the rest of the time in the car was spent talking about the car. i told her that i drive i rearry small car at home too, and that i love to drive rearry small cars. my hs mom just nodded the whole way and finally, as we pulled up to the apt complex, slammed on the brakes, turned to me, and said "small cars are good for fucking." me: wide-eyed. her (as if i didnt speak her language or something): "small cars very very good for fucking." needless to say i just nodded and left it at that. (i mean, to each his own.) but later that night, as i was asking my younger bro to spell out his name for me, he dictated it as he wrote "park sang-moon." fact: in korea, fucking is parking. (let this be a lesson to you all, especially you ___, and your saucy ideas for your unsuspecting students."

"So this morning before I went to school, my host mom decided to use Google translator to communicate with me (since no one in the family can really speak English).
She was trying to say something like, "After school, come home and eat bread and relax." Google translator said, "Come home to eat and fuck.""

사랑해요 <3

I am in love with Cheongju and my host family. I really couldn't have asked for a better situation. Today was a very exciting day. I started out by meeting my principal for the first time, which was very nerve wracking. He seems like a very kind man, but he is definitely very powerful within the school. My co-teacher, host mother and I went to meet him and had tea with him for about 30 minutes. He doesn't speak any English so he mostly spoke to my host mother. The only words I could understand from their conversation were "Cassidy", "teacher", "Korean food", and "friend". I'm pretty sure they talked about me for the entire half hour, but I'm still not sure because no one bothered to translate for me. At the end of the meeting I gave the principal two gifts (a tie I bought in Korea and a bag I brought from home with Philadelphia on it) and he was really embarrassed and humbled by it...super cute. After that they took me to set up my bank account and to get a cell phone. My cell phone is by far cooler than any one I ever had in the states. It has a Korean-English dictionary and a map of all of the major subway systems in Korea including a program where you can type in your location and destination and it tells you the best subway route to take. In the afternoon my mother was going to go fish shopping with her sister, aunt and mother so they all came over to the house. As soon as they walked in and saw me, they ran over happily shouting in Korean. Grandma was the most excited to see me and proceeded to touch every part of my body, including grabbing my butt. My mother told me she said I looked like Barbie. I really hope I get to see those people again haha. Since both of my parents were gone in the afternoon, so I took my little sister down the street to buy some ice cream. Then we played UNO for a while. For dinner I met my co-teacher and 2 other English teachers for some samgyeopsal. The other teachers are soooo sweet. They are in their twenties too and speak decent English. We had some really funny conversations and ended up going out for coffee after dinner. I had a lot of fun and really hope we can become good friends throughout the year. Hopefully they felt the same way about me. When I came home from dinner, Tammy was drawing in the living so I decided to join her. She told me she wanted me to draw a picture of a lotus flower she had so I started to draw it and she and her mother were (for some reason unbeknownst to me) completely infatuated with my drawing. They both sat and watched me finish the picture and every so often would say "Waah" (Korean version of "wow"). They ended up hanging my picture up on the wall. My sister drew this picture to put on my bedroom door:


After our art session my host mom, sister and I had some quality bonding time over tea. We talked about Korean holidays and traditions and spoke a little about Buddhism. I also gave my family their gifts which they were very excited about. My host dad came home late and I've never seen a man get so excited over a baseball hat. I'll be sure to get a picture of him the first time he wears it. Tomorrow my host mom is going to teach me how to make kimbop, and she is taking me out to Baskin Robbins after dinner. I am also apparently supposed to teach Tammy how to draw...not really sure how to do that but I will try. I am also trying to meet up with one of my best ETA friends for some coffee/tea after dinner.






Tammy wearing her traditional Hanbok dress (she wears this twice a year...once for the Korean version of Thanksgiving and again for New Years)


Mrs. Bang & Tammy


My close ETA friends and I have started a google group where we are going to share our stories and make plans to meet up and to travel together. The past few days we have been sharing our most awkward and funniest moments from our homestay so far, and I feel like some of them are worth sharing with you, anonymously of course. Please enjoy.

"Okay I'll start out the little group email with my best story so far. I've told a couple of you already but I think this may top any story we heard during Orientation. First night after having dinner with my host family, my principal, and the head of the English department at my high school we go back to my homestay. I get settled in then my host brothers and I go to my school to play basketball outside. When we come back my host mom just says "shower-ha-ku-ship-oy-yo?" to which I say yes to. I grab some clothes and go into the bathroom and as I go to put my clothes in the cabinet my two host brothers run in, completely naked, and turn on the water. Meanwhile, the door is open and my host mom is asking for the clothes I played basketball in to put in the laundry. I kind of look at her and she just tells me to give her my clothes. So I take off all my clothes except my boxers and give them to her...so much for not being shirtless around your homestay family. So then....I proceed to take a shower with my two host brothers. First homestay shower turns out to be a group shower. IETC has nothing on my homestay. Then tonight I ran errands with my host brothers and when we got back the same routine happened. my host mom insisted i shower-hey-yo "katchi" the bros"

"I knew I wouldn't learn any Korean this year when I walked into my homestay and said "안녕하세요" to my host brother. He responded, "What?"
Also, my host brother sleeps in his room all day long. Literally the only times I have seen him before our first 5 second introduction have been for meals. And I have yet to see him wearing pants.
This morning I came to visit my school for the first time. Some of you may have heard that it is on top of a mountain and my host father makes his ETAs hike up to school with him. This is all true. And it's no casual stroll. It is a forty minute trek on steep, muddy, rocky inclines through the forest. Think Apocalypse Now and you'll get a good idea. So after we arrive at school drenched in sweat (keep in mind today was the first day for me to meet my principle and vice principle) my host father leads us to a shower room. That's when we get naked and shower together."

"So no one in my family really speaks any English at all, which is good for me in the long run, since I'll be forced to learn a lot of Korean. But it has kind of cut down on the humor.
But just a second ago I asked my host brother if he had an English teacher last year. He shook his head and said, "Yes. She is dead."
I couldn't get any other details, so I'll assume she was gunned downed in the streets by roving gangs."

"So I had randomly met up with Derek yesterday and tonight my host mother invited him out to dinner with us. Me and him were sitting at a table together and at another table was my mom and a group of her friends. After a little while a Korean boy walks in, talks to the women, and sits down with me and Derek. I recognize him as Jang-mu, my host brother. I introduce him to Derek. The conversation went something like this:
"Derek, this is Jang-mu. Jang-mu, this is Derek. Jang-mu is my host brother. I have another brother named Jang-ho, but this is Jang-mu. Jang-mu and I are friends."
"Nice to meet you Jang-mu" says Derek.
A few minutes pass.
"Jang-mu, how was hagwon?" I ask.
He looks at me and says, "I am not Jang-mu."
"What?" I say.
"Jang-mu is my friend. I am Jong-somethingoranother."
Apparently he was the son of one of the ladies. And I can't tell any one of these mid-pubescent Korean lads apart."

Welcome to Cheongju!

The past 5 days have been kind of a blur. I’m not even sure where to start. I guess I’ll begin by giving you a brief overview of my weekend in Seoul. We arrived in Seoul Friday afternoon and unpacked our things in our hotel rooms and were allowed to take some things from our other suitcase that has been in storage since we arrived in Korea (looking into my other suitcase was comparable to Christmas morning...I forgot I even owned some of the stuff in there). We then all met at the Fulbright Building for a talk by the only American and Korean trained doctor in Korea. He was very interesting to listen to. He had grown up in Korea with missionary parents, and studied medicine in the states. He then took the Korean bar exam (part of which is in Chinese) and now runs a medical center. He is pretty much our lifeline if we encounter any sort of health problems, from diarrhea (which he spent at least 20 minutes explaining) to major car crashes. After our talk we went to the US Ambassador’s house for a pool party. The highlight of the event was definitely the food: hamburgers, hotdogs, fresh fruit, tater tots, Mexican dip and tortilla chips, all different kinds of soda, chicken nuggets, s’mores, etc. I think I ate my weight in food only because I didn’t know when I was going to see all of that food again. I also had the chance to talk to some of the people who work at the US Embassy. One man in particular who is in charge of immigrant visas was very interesting. He is from Pennsylvania, attended Penn State and knows all about Millersville. He told us an interesting story from his tour in Mauritania where he was almost stoned to death by some rallying college students.

After the pool party, my friends and I walked to city hall because we had been told the Seoul Phil Harmonic Orchestra was giving a free performance in the park. It turned out to be really spectacular. I had one of those moments while we were all sitting watching the performance together in the open air surrounded by tall city buildings at night where I thought to myself, “Wow. I can not believe that I am actually here.” I’ve had a few of those moments so far. Another one of those was on my way to my homestay, but I’ll get to that later.


Outside of the Embassy.



delicious American food



ETAs with the Ambassador and Mike Honda from CA



The stage in the park in front of city hall



Friday was also Liberation Day in South Korea so they were handing out free flags at the concert. Seth and I showing our Korean pride.

After we saw some of the orchestra’s performance, we freshened up and went out to find the bar/club district in Seoul. It ended up being kind of a disaster and we wandered around the area for a good hour before we found the district and bar to sit and drink at. Our goal that night was to go dancing at a club, and we did end up finding one called “Sexy Bikini Party”. There were no sexy bikinis but it was the craziest night club I have been to yet. Just imagine lots of people crammed onto a dance floor with green lasers and strobe lights and fog machines. We all had a really great time.


My girlfriends and I dressed up for a night on the town.



Ho Bar 4...not to be confused with....



Luxury Ho Bar (or Ho Bar I, II, III, and so on)

Saturday I went shopping with Kate in the big shopping area called Myeong-Dung. There were so many people it was hard to get around anywhere. We somehow managed to buy a few things and then ran into one of our friends from KEY Club in Chuncheon who had come to Seoul to go out with us Saturday night. He shopped with us for a while and showed us a sweet ice cream place where you can get gigantic cones for around 80 cents.



giant ice cream cones!





The crowded streets of Myeong-Dung

Saturday night we went out again with about 20 other ETAs for two of our friends birthdays. We went to a bar and then to another night club where a lot of Westerners frequent. I also met two of Seth’s Korean friends he made while he was in Korea last time who were very nice (as apparently all Koreans are).





ETA's on the streets of Seoul



The bar had pitchers of beer with dry ice in them to keep the beer cold

Sunday we went shopping in an area called Insadong to see if we could find gifts for our host families and teachers and principals. It wasn’t a very successful trip, but it was a neat street to see...many street vendors selling somewhat-touristy Korean gifts.



Some random guy we saw on the street with these squirrel/chipmunk looking things all over him.



Some of the strange dried seafood they sell on the streets...because when I'm walking around in 90 degree heat, I always get a craving for a whole dried octopus.



Kate, me and Kelly at Insadong (wearing my new Korean-style hat)

Monday was D-Day a.k.a. the day we met our co-teachers and/or principals and were whisked off to our own separate corners of South Korea. I don’t think I have ever been so nervous in my entire life. I think that day may end up being one of the most memorable days of my life. Nothing super remarkable happened, but I have never done anything like going off to some city in a country I know very little about with people I only met a few hours before to go and live with people I know absolutely nothing about besides their ages and occupations. Very intense. Anyway, it turns out that only my co-teacher came to retrieve me along with her very funny husband. My co-teacher’s name is Min Hi Son and I’m pretty sure we’re going to be good friends by the end of the year. She is very cute and speaks very good English. Min Hi, her husband (who is also an English teacher) and I had some pretty funny conversations in the car...we talked about everything from how he things Obama is sexy to blood transfusions to my marital status.





sad to be leaving everyone :(



prom picture much?



some of my handsome friends

After a 3 hour car ride that began with the husband rear-ending the car parked in front of us, we finally arrived in Cheongju. From what I can tell, Cheongju is a very quiet small city. My host family lives in a cute apartment on the seventh floor of one of the many apartment buildings in the area. The name of the apartment complex means Happy Village. I am blessed to have my own room with a pretty comfy bed and desk and air conditioning. The apartment itself is nice and I learned that my host family loves pets...they have about 100 fish and 2 turtles named Mimi and Juju (I think). My host mom does not like TV so there is no TV in the house. Normally I would be a little upset by this but I can’t exactly understand Korean television shows so I don’t think I’m missing out on anything. My host mom gave me a quick tour of the area surrounding the apartment building and so far I know that my favorite kimbop chain, Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Emart, and a number of American clothing stores are all in walking distance from where I live. My elementary school, Namsung Elementary School, is also only a 5 minute walk from where I live.

I’m already in love with my host family. My host mom, Mrs. Bang is super sweet and is going out of her way to make me feel at home. She studied English Literature and is an English tutor in her home, so we speak mostly in English to each other. I have a younger Korean sister who I call Tammy (her Korean name is Tam-Hi) who is 10 years old. She is adorable and really energetic. My first night in the home we painted our toenails together and she was very excited that I let her use my nail polish. I’m going to teach her how to play UNO tonight. She also really likes to draw so I’m hoping we can do that together in the future. My host dad, Mr. So, is very quiet around me because he does not speak any English. He is also super cute and seems very kind. Mrs. Bang translates for the two of us. I’m hoping I can learn some more Korean so that we can actually communicate with each other, at least on a basic level. He does some sort of work with computers and seems to be working all of the time. Mrs. Bang and I have already talked a little about things to do on weekends together. The family likes to go hiking and to go see mountains and other natural things so I think we will be doing a lot of that, which I am excited for. I think the whole family is very excited to have me in their home. They hosted a former ETA last year, but only for one month after he had to switch out of his previous homestay.



Tammy and I



our painted toenails

I’m still not sure if it has hit me yet that I am going to be here in this home for the next 11 months. I already miss my friends from orientation, but I know I will be seeing them very soon. I think once I get a cell phone and get my internet working in my room it will be a lot easier because I won’t be completely cut off from everyone back home and around Korea.

I’m sure I could write a lot more about everything that has been going on. I wish I had a video camera to follow me around because I want to share all of the little things I’ve seen and experienced with all of you. I can only imagine the crazy and exciting things that are to come.

언영힠히캐세요 Chuncheon!

Yesterday was our ETA talent show. It was one of my favorite things we have done so far here as a group. My face hurt from laughing so much during the show. The 70 people I am here with are pretty much incredible in terms of how talented they are. Some of the acts included: singing & guitar playing, Josh jumping over his girlfriend while she was standing up (apparently Asian men can jump), Josh & Cornelius singing their own version of "It's Business Time" from Flight of the Conchords called "It's Lesson Planning Time" (will post video later), jump roping, rapping, slide shows, and videos. Below are a few pictures from the show.



The language teachers getting ready to compete against the OCs (How cute are they!)



Ben, Dara and Dan playing guitar and singing


Patpingsu eating contest



The winners: Dave & Jen



Josh & Cornelius singing "It's Lesson Planning Time"



Last night we went out to (and took over) a bar in Chuncheon for one of the OC's birthdays. It was awesome having everyone out at once. It was also the first time the OCs were able to go out and have a good time with us. Its a shame it had to wait until the very end of orientation to happen. Here are some pictures from last night.




This morning we had our Korean language class graduation ceremony. We all had to get dressed up and the head of the Fbright program, Mrs. Shim and her crew came for the ceremony. They gave out some awards to the students who scored the highest and who improved the most throughout the 5 weeks of class. Then each class performed a skit/song/video/slide show in Korean. My class performed a medley of 3 songs (Sweet Home Alabama, Proud Mary, and Sweet Caroline) that we rewrote lyrics to in Korean. Sweet Caroline was about our daily life, Proud Mary was about our class, and Sweet Caroline (or Sweet 선생님) was about how much we love our teachers. I'll post a video later of our performance. I kind of took charge of our performance, so it was cool to see how much everyone else enjoyed it.





Mrs. Shim giving Cornelius an award.



Teacher J with classes B3 and B4.



Teacher J and I <3



Dara & Kelly showing off the diploma.



Keeran & Dave were very excited to get their diplomas.

Tomorrow I'm off to Seoul! I'm not sure when I'll have internet again since I still don't know anything about my homestay, so it may be a little while until I post again. Wish me luck!

PS~ Leave some comments please! <3