This is a very popular YouTube video I saw months ago and randomly came across it again. I think some of you might’ve seen it already.Charlie and Harry are ineffably ADORABLE! I don’t know how many times I watched this video, and it never gets sickening!

Little Harry’s accent is so cute! I love how children are so genuinely spontaneous, and they have no idea how amusing they are!

Yes. I have less than 2 months left before I head back to the states, and I’m starting to grow more and more homesick by the day. During the last week of my stay in Korea, I’m planning to meet relatives on my dad’s side I’ve never met yet. As a matter of fact, I just met my dad’s sister for the first time just a couple days ago. She came down from her hometown about 4-5 hours away just to come meet me. I got to know a little bit more about my dad’s personal life through her because my dad never really talked about his past to us, particularly because they were memories he did not want to remember. My dad and I have always had a somewhat distant relationship. Usually, the only time we would engage in a conversation is when we needed something from one another but we would never go anywhere beyond this. That is perhaps both of our faults because we’re both very introverted about our inner feelings. Actually, my whole family are like that, which is why I believe I’ve grown up to be such an introvert as I am today. Anyway, I hope by meeting a lot of my relatives from my dad’s side of my family, I hope to become closer to my dad when I get home again. My dad rarely ever talked about his family that I never knew they even existed. My dad is pretty old. He’s past 70 now so I surmised they had passed away by now. I didn’t even know he had a younger sister (who I met a couple days ago) so when I got a call from her out of the blue saying that she is my dad’s sister, I was awestruck for a moment and didn’t really know what to say. I was too busy on weekdays and weekends so we mett on one of my schooldays for just a little over an hour due to lack of time. It was a little too hasty, but I will have more time to spend with her and my other relatives later in Seoul next month. I only wish my dad could be a part of it because he hasn’t been to Korea nor seen his family since I was born.

During school today, I had just witnessed one of my 3rd grade female students giving her crush (in her same class) a big smacking kiss on his cheek. He was unsuccessfully resisting the kiss but seeing that he didn’t attempt to wipe off her saliva or screamed out a grotesque “ewwwwwwww,” I’m guessing he liked her as well but was too shy to admit it in front of the other kids in the class. I don’t know. Children are so darn cute!!

It’s the weekend, finally! Something I’ve been waiting very long for nowadays. Tomorrow, I’m planning to visit some tourist sites with a friend in a city I haven’t visited yet called Namwon (남원). I’m visiting the Gwanghallu Garden, which is one of the locations where one of my favorite korean dramas, “쾌걸춘향” (My Delightful Girl Choon-hyang) was taped so I sort have a visual reference of what the place looks like. Pictures will come later! Korea is a pretty small country, and I want to go around and visit all these different places I haven’t been to yet before my time is up in Korea. I love to travel around, especially in Korea because you can practically go anywhere in the country directly one-way or two-way inexpensively by bus. So convenient! I think this is one of the things I’ll miss about Korea a lot. Traveling very easily despite not having a car and without worrying about costing too much.

My gayageum (가야금) class is going well, and it’s heaps of fun! I didn’t think I was ready to move onto playing a song yet, but I started learning 아리랑 (arirang) last week and it’s not so hard as I thought. It’s making me want to buy my own instrument so I can practice more at home (2 hours a week is not enough) and learn other traditional pieces at the same time. I wish I had started this class a lot sooner than I did.

Well, that’s it! I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

I’m really tired right now. It’s only 6:40PM, and I can plop into bed right now and fall into a doze. But I’m not since I’m blogging right now and right after this, I must work on my lesson plans for my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders tomorrow. I’m supposed to have another class of 5th and 6th graders, but they’re all going on a 2-day and 1-night camping trip so I work an hour less for the next two days. Yes! I know I know I’m lazy. Actually, I love teaching my 5th and 6th graders out of all the other grades I teach because they’re mature (most of them) and they listen to me well in class. On the other hand, I wish it were my 2nd graders who are leaving. They’re insane kids who don’t seem to know the difference between right and wrong, and they leave me and my co-teacher markedly exhausted by the end of the merely 40-minute class. If I only omit them, my teaching job is wonderful.

Anyway, GUESS WHAT! Today is officially the first day I’ve ever owned a very expensive name-brand handbag. I volunteer at the elementary kid’s english service at my church every Sunday and there is this one adorable student who comes in every Sunday along with her Mom who is a doctor. (a doctor… you know what that means) After church ended, she and her daughter took me to a department store today and bought me a handbag worth over 400,000W, which is about $380 in USD:

Double M, Milano

She’s so amazing… I can’t believe she bought it for me! Why did she buy it for me? Not really sure why… just out of good gesture, especially because I’m a foreigner. I really didn’t want her to spend so much money on me, but I had a hard time talking her out of it. I’ve been wanting an expensive handbag not for its brand or value but more for the quality. To my frustration, I’ve squandered a lot of money buying many different handbags in the past that kept on falling apart in just a short period of time. Hopefully, I won’t need to worry about it for awhile thanks to her. Now, I must think of a categorically nice present to give her. Actually, there’s a lot of people I would like to buy presents for in Korea before I leave but that’s not until later. Shopping in Korea is addicting because they have cuter versions of everything than what I’ve seen back in my home-country, and I go absolutely nutsy after cutesy stuff. I can’t wait to go shopping!!

I caught another cold again. I’ve caught a cold about a dozen times since I got to Korea last August. I hope I don’t lose my voice again like I did once. I need it to yell on top of a class of ten 2nd graders tomorrow.

So cute!

Gosh, I guess I couldn’t say goodbye for good. It’s kind of a waste of my money to let this site idly sit so I’ve decided to use it until it expires which is within less than a year. Then, this site will probably be ciao for good. I want to write and update my blog every single day but this is one annoying habit I have. When I start on something, I often struggle to continue with it for a long period of time due to laziness or indifference or just not having anything meaningful to write/share about. Regardless, I’ll try to keep writing as much as I can.

So what have I been up to since I’ve been aloof from the blogging realm… I’m still in South Korea teaching kids in after school classes every weekday. I’m anticipating the day I go back to the states, but I’m also wishing for the time to go slower so that I can have more time to do some cultural experiencing and also to spend more time with the people I’ve met here. I still haven’t had enough of Korea, especially when I’m just going to school on the weekends and having my weekend as my only time to do whatever I want or go wherever I want! Actually, I don’t really have that either because I volunteer at a church in a different city so traveling too far isn’t an option for me like going to Seoul where all the fun and action resides. It’s getting kind of dull and stale traveling around the southern part of the country (mostly rural) all the time. I really don’t want to go back to America knowing that I have to start school in less than a month from the day I arrive and knowing that I’m going to deal with financial difficulties. I’m going to be dorming at school for the first time, and it’s ridiculously expensive! Probably all the money that I’ve saved up while teaching here for a year will barely cover my dorm fees when I also have tuition, meal plan, textbook, and other expenses to worry about. I hate being in debt so I’m iffy about taking out loans, but I guess it’s inevitable if I don’t have any other choice.

By the way, speaking of cultural experiencing, just last week I took up 가야금 (gayageum) lessons for a cheap price. 30,000W a month (approximately $26-27USD) whereas the cost is generally over 50,000W. Not only is the price good but the school is conveniently located from where I live and instead of a large class, it’s one-on-one with just the student and the teacher. The gayageum is a long instrument made out of wood and 12 strings as you see right here:

I think it’s a beautiful instrument, and I love the sound it elicits. My lessons are moving slow since I’m a novice, and I only practice 2 hours a week. I want to learn how to play a full short song before I leave in August but at this pace, I’m not so sure if it’ll be possible. Oh well, I’m satisfied taking this experience back home with me since I know I’ll never find one when I go back to America and this is something I’ve been wanting to know how to play before I even came to Korea. I know my parents will be proud when I tell them about it. Being born and raised in America my whole life, it feels great to authentically experience the culture of my ethnic background. Oh, and I can’t forget the authentic Korean food.

Bummer. It’s going to be pouring down hard tomorrow and my plans to hang out with my two co-teachers from my English classes are canceled due to the inclement weather. Strangely, it’s been mostly raining on the weekends only as if nature is doing it on purpose to ravage everyone’s weekends. Darn you, Mother Nature!

I haven’t gone to a karaoke room in awhile, and I have a very strong urge to go right now. Who wants to join me? I’m so lonely.