sexy pencil

now that i've gotten your attention....

had a disturbing discovery the other day: some of my students watch "adult" videos! i know this shouldn't really be that surprising, they are high school girls after all, but still! i guess it's just because i see them as so young and innocent who blush when i ask them about cute boybands.

and now some of my students think i'm dirty-minded because one student's story was titled "sexy pencil's romantic journey" and i asked her why she included "sexy." and then she was trying to explain something about how the pencil is like a body. and c'mon, what would you think if you saw a pencil that someone was relating to the human body? wouldn't you think about the male body? and so i thought this is what my student was saying (she is one of the students who's admitted to watching adult videos) to me. then they were all like "noooo teacher! so dirty teacher!"

sigh.

i do wonder why they feel so comfortable talking about this stuff with me. trust that i did NOT bring this topic up or anything close to it in class. maybe it's because the stereotype that americans are more sexual? i don't know. i really don't know.

in other news, i can't believe i only have a little over a month left here. even though i'll be in korea for another year, it will be completely different: new shcool, new city, my own apartment. i'll really miss my adorable students who make me laugh and smile, and my wonderful homestay family who were so kind to me. i won't, however, miss my school. they're actually the reason i'm leaving. i can't deal with them another year, especially my utterly clueless co-teacher.

a fresh start is always good, right?

Road Trip

I'm going away for the weekend--to Busan. I'm pretty excited as I haven't been down there before. Also, weather permitting (fingers crossed!) the beaches I hear are quite nice. Anyway, I know I've been lagging behind in updates. I'll try to best to get back on track next week. Maybe.

Of Cliques and Hipsters

Check it:

Look at this F***** Hipster via Gawker

Hilarious blog. It's not that I actually hate hipsters. I just find their fake irony and pretension irritating. I also feel like they all try way, way too hard. The way they dress especially fascinates me. Hipster boys who wear too-tight jeans (dude I don't need nor want to see your package) and the hipster girls wearing well, crap like the crap you see above. It's either granny gear or purposefully mismatched clothes that also ends up looking like... crap. Oh and why do all those hipster boys proudly display their chest hair? (Actually not just hipsters do that). Trust me when I say no one wants to see that mess. And while I like my indie music as much as a hipster (did I really just say that?) there's some just god-awful music out there that's supposed to be all "artsy" and "intellectual" or whatever but just sounds like CRAP. If you have to struggle through a song in order to "get" it, it's probably not a good song.

Also, I used to be kind of a music snob like a lot of hipsters are, but now I'm like "who cares?" My iTunes is chock full of music I should probably be embarrassed about (Britney Spears, Fergie, Lady Gaga, The friggin' Pussycat Dolls--I can't help it, "Buttons" is a good dance song) but I could care less what people think about my taste in music. I like what I like. I guess I also just don't get the whole clique thing. Like dressing a certain way, listening to the same music, whatever superficial "rules" one must observe in order to belong to a clique--I don't get it.

It's not that I think cliques are bad, I just never felt like I could ever conform to the rigid rules one must observe in order to belong to them. Maybe I shunned them in part because I could never truly belong to one--there was always something that prevented me from fully belonging. That's not to say that I live a solitary existence, I have plenty of friends but I'd call us a group, not a clique. We're all different people with different tastes and styles. I'm not sure what our identifying marker would be--that we're all basically good people? Which sounds arrogant perhaps, but I grew up with the most moral parents ever who instilled in me a strong moral fiber. The older I get, the more impatient I become with people who turn out to not be as "good" as I thought they were. And by "good," all I mean is decent people who usually observe the Golden Rule. People who are honest and trustworthy.

And the older I get the more I realize that my naive assumption that most people are good people is really, really wrong. I'm not looking to befriend saints (aren't we all sinners?) because I'm definitely not perfect myself, but I consider myself a person who treats others well. I may not like you, but I won't backstab you, try to screw you over, or spread fake rumors about you.

On the other hand, I've met some of the kindest people in Korea. Random strangers who will give you thier umbrella when it's pouring rain because you don't have one. Seated grandmothers on the bus who offer to hold your bag for you while you stand. My host mom offering to sneak me into the hospital using her daughter's insurance card when I was sick (I declined the offer) so I wouldn't have to pay as much. I've found that, for the most part, when you ask a Korean for help or for directions, they'll give you much more than you bargained for. But in a good way--they'll tell you exactly the best route to get there, or the best place to go to or whatever you're seeking.

I'm not sure how I started with hipsters and ended up here, but in short, I dislike hipsters, have lost most of my faith in humanity but do appreciate the lengths Koreans will go to in order to help you.

Does this mean I've become more cynical or less?

Hot Seat

Had some extra time for the second half of my sophomore class so I decided to play a game with them. Instead of the usual Hangman which I'm frankly sick of (how can the students not be?) I decided to try this game I found online "Hot Seat." Basically you divide the class into 2 teams, each team sends one player to the front. They sit with their backs facing the rest of the class. I write a word down and show the rest of the class who have to give clues to their teammate. I knew the girls were competitive but I didn't know how much-they were screaming like crazy. My ears are still ringing. And actually it was amazing how they were able to get even the difficult words like "economy" and "justice." Overall though, really great class. This was actually my favorite class out of all the sophomores so I'm sad that today was our last class.

To Do List

I have off for midterms :)

Mini-Break To Do List:

1) Study for LSATs.
2) Work on applications.
3) Clean/organize room. (I'm trying to start sorting out things now so I'm not frantically packing last minute when I leave.)
4) Laundry. (Always SO MUCH laundry to do.)
5) Buy fruit and headphones. The former because I haven't eaten fresh fruit in a long while. The latter because earbuds obviously not good for the ear right now and I can't live without my shuffle.
6) Bake. I love baking so much (but oddly enough, dislike cooking). I wish I knew how to make more than brownies and cookies though.
7) Shopping. I need clothes. I've literally worn the same cardigan everyday for the past 2 weeks. And then I wash and re-wear it for another 2 weeks.
8) Visit L in Gimcheon.
9) Visit Seoul. (I can't quit you.)
10) Sleep. (yessss.)

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Let me count the ways:

1) I've been sick in one way or another for the past 3 weeks.

2) I thought I had off today (like everyone else) but no, I have to come in to supervise 2 classes for NO REASON at all.

3) I barely got any sleep last night and felt terrible and sick (nauseous, chills) this morning.

4) Had to go to all the way to Seoul for my doctor's appointment (I figured it'd be better if I actually understood what my doctor was saying).

5) Turns out I have an ear infection. That I probably got from my nasty cold. Yay! Also, the doctor couldn't have been more of a douche. He was apparantly befuddled by my messed-up ears but not giving me a diagnosis or anything. No, I had to ask what was wrong with me. I don't often go to the doctor, but that just seems so basic to me.

5) I was manhandled twice on the bus today. The buses are effin' crazy here, weaving in and out of lanes and making sharp corners and generally making everyone go everywhere. And for some godforsaken reason, people like to grab onto ME when they're losing they're balance. Do I look like a strapping, muscular person who will steady you? NO. What will happen is only inevitable--you grabbing onto me will only make BOTH of us fall.

So the first time this happened, the lady literally dug her nails into me as she's holding on to ME for dear life. If you know anything about me, you know that I strongly abhor other people, especially strangers, touching me. Male or female. And those nails friggin' hurt. Second time I was manhandled was by yet another lady who practically was hugging me for support. And made me start to lose my balance. I nearly fell. I even made groaning noises when she was using me as her personal support pole, but she didn't give a f*ck. I swear, next time someone tries to grab onto me, I'm gonna yell. Seriosly. I am not here for you to grab onto. There have been plenty of times where I too have been about to lose my balance on the bus, but somehow I have never had to hold onto someone. I always manage to regain it myself. It's not hard people.

6) Some ahjusshi (middle-aged man) trying to f*ck with my mind on the train. So the trains in Korea are pretty sweet. Nice cushioned seats, plenty of leg room, even a cafe on board the tran if you're hungry, plus a bathroom in between every traincar. You also get assigned seats when you buy a ticket. So I'm sitting there in my assigned seat and I was pretty happy because I got the window seat which I always prefer. There was this bag of groceries in front of me which I figured someone ahd left behind so I was like whatevs. Then this ahjusshi comes and asks me if I'm in the right seat. And I'm like "huh?" Because I was pretty sure I was in the right seat, but he seemed so insistent so I double-checked.

Meanwhile I had even apologized to him because I thought he was right--sometimes I mess up the seats so it was possible. But then I check my ticket again and everything, and I am in the right seat. So then I'm all confused. I even showed the ahjusshi my ticket and he kept examining it like I'm lying or something. By this point things are getting a little shady. Like clearly the ahjusshi wants that window seat. Because he's even somehow managed to switch seats with me at that point and was definitely not going to move. And even though I kept telling him that it was MY seat, he kept trying to say it wasn't.

Then he decided to switch tactics and instead was all like "But I have this bag of stuff." And then I sighed and gave up. Like goddamn, ahjusshi, if it's so goddamn important to you to have the window seat--to the point where you're willing to try and lie and play mental games with me about it--then just friggin' take it. Jesus. Maybe it sounds like I'm overreacting, but really his attitude was completely condescending, like "oh you stupid little girl who can't read her train ticket right" mixed in with "well, i'm OLDER so that means you MUST give up your seat for me." Did he thank me? Hell no. I seriously hate people like that. You know, if he had just asked me nicely from the beginning for the seat, I probably would've given it to him. Because at the end of the day it's just a friggin seat on the train. But no, he had to lie and try to confuse me like I'm stupid or something. I'm not stupid ahjusshi, I'm just not petty like you are.

7) My teeth hurt. I think my wisdom teeth are coming in.

Sigh.

That's Not Good

My ear is bleeding. I still don't have full hearing back in that ear (I've had a nasty cold all week). And I'm freaking out about it.

Also, why do insurance policies have to be so friggin' complicated? I don't even KNOW what I'm reading anymore. I'm just gonna go ahead and guess that bleeding ears are covered.

I hope.