tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056159872509774412011-09-30T13:12:51.210-05:00Working for my community in the past and present!Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.comBlogger1121100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-49311362592096088622011-06-27T08:18:00.000-05:002011-06-27T08:18:26.570-05:00

I managed, a few years ago--and actually even a few years before that--to get a hold of some CSS coding techniques. But let me explain what that means. That means that I copied the template for my Livejournal onto my own computer and changed things until it looked the way I wanted it to. I taught it to myself, back in--I do believe--2007, while I worked at the History Center for the first time. I

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-33139809558829624482011-06-19T08:55:00.000-05:002011-06-19T08:55:40.895-05:00

Have been rather uneventful and quiet. I'm now approaching my seven-month mark here in the USA. It's hard to believe. When you first arrive anywhere, you feel like a visitor. When you know the lay of the land, it's a really enchanting place to be. When I first arrived here, I definitely felt as if I--as a visitor--had lots to learn and take from this delightful city, that was also my home. Of

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-35579076372071629422011-05-05T15:00:00.000-05:002011-05-05T15:00:07.425-05:00

So! I've been up to a lot of things, but predominantly, right now--it's working, watching tv, and drawing. Here are the two most recent images that I've posted. As always, you can see these images on my website at http://www.kagaipalace.com.  This image is called "Barren Tree". It's mostly a filler image--I wanted to draw more trains, a tree, and it came together through shape. I added some

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-32208582774537377762011-04-24T15:23:00.000-05:002011-04-24T15:23:39.392-05:00

Easter never used to be one of my favorite holidays, but over the years of "adulthood", I've really started to value it more and more. In the Christian sense, its a holiday about triumph over suffering, pain, and (especially for Mary Magdalene) total loss. When you think everything has been taken from you--even the body of a beloved teacher--suddenly all that pain is conquered by a new life that

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-87863335181769516922011-04-14T22:22:00.000-05:002011-04-14T22:22:24.760-05:00

Once again my mind has run off on a tangent with a novel: this time, I've returned to an old, old story that I crafted a bajillion years ago. Over time, these characters have been shaped, and I think I finally have the mental compass to write it. The story has always been loosely based on the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, where seven very young conspirators lined the streets of

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-21723760067801789322011-03-23T09:09:00.000-05:002011-03-23T09:09:21.642-05:00

There's a phenomenon in Minnesota--a phenomenon that probably all the northern states experience, but perhaps Minnesota experiences it in more severity. It is the March Snowstorm. You see, in a typical year (and this year was not typical) the months of January and February are often too cold to produce heavy snowfall, and thus in March, when the weather begins to warm up, and the pre-spring

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-28785975517264254162011-03-02T10:21:00.000-06:002011-03-02T10:21:29.695-06:00

I'm pleased to announce that life is grand. Despite how exhausting the last few weeks have been, I feel like it was all worth it. I attended the Mahle Lecture in Progressive Christian Thought last night at Hamline. It was fantastic. The lecturer, Sara Miles, wrote an amazing book about how she suddenly found herself a Christian convert in middle age: as a married, lesbian, left-wing journalist.

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-21318795478639086722011-02-21T14:20:00.000-06:002011-02-21T14:20:51.796-06:00

Well, Minneapolis is now worthy of the Colbert Report, since he's been really concerned about the occurrences of thundersnow. It's still snowing and we've already got 16 inches in some places. I've been in the house for quite some time. No where to go, anyway. It's President's Day and I've got time to kill. Been working on my originals--fixing the water damage from the massive collision between

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-38488110536235705402011-02-05T13:38:00.000-06:002011-02-05T13:38:16.758-06:00

And I've definitely been going through a transition. It's hard to believe that I've only been in the USA for a little over two months. In those two months, I've done a lot, but I'm really happy with the things I've been able to do in just these two months. I'm currently working, which is spectacular. I sent out resume after resume, and I'm just now starting to hear the curt "no's", but luckily

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-2433309158622705932011-01-02T17:39:00.000-06:002011-01-02T17:39:35.255-06:00

I've been enjoying the past week and a half at my father's house in Staunton, VA. I like Staunton, with its remarkable architecture, warmer weather, and gorgeous hills. I also really like Trinity Church, where my dad is now presiding. It's a really active church, the kind of community that offers excellent outreach--a daily lunch program for homeless--and a lot of spiritual practices. It's a

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-25516347373982618352010-11-24T07:22:00.000-06:002010-11-24T07:22:50.966-06:00

Well, sadly I did not get around to doing any posting on Ellora and Ajanta. But I have a lot of spectacular things to say about it. You'll all have to stay tuned for when I write a book, which is (thanks to a mostly botched Nano) about 23,000 words in the making. This is the first year that I've started Nano successfully and really failed. Ah well. I'll survive, and over the next few months I

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-54623362514298712862010-11-12T06:26:00.000-06:002010-11-12T06:26:02.736-06:00

I've been horrible about posting here in India. Internet has been iffy at best, and likes to quit and pretend not to work. We've been teaching song and dance and drama to the kids these days. Some of the other teachers and I wrote out words for the Waka Waka song for the kids to preform--instead of Africa, this time for India. The kids love it, and so do the teachers. It's a lot of fun. Teaching

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-28298530680812777222010-10-30T04:08:00.000-05:002010-10-30T04:08:36.330-05:00

In the only Jewish studies class I ever took, my professor told me that the Hebrew Testament is full of the distrust of cities. I can see why. Cities have a mind of their own. They eat things and dissolve things, and turn people and buildings and trees and oceans into things they weren't before. Life is more difficult in a city, but it is also so much more interesting. There are things you forget

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-11792164229589946632010-10-17T11:11:00.000-05:002010-10-17T11:11:27.803-05:00

I was on a train for twenty two hours to get here. It didn't feel that long, in a dirty but comfortable sleeper car, dozing and not eating, chugging along as the train wobbled over the tracks through rural India. It gets cold at night. We met two wonderful Hare Krishna women from Mauritius, who gave us banana chips and were so very very kind. We got danced on by a begging eunuch, and I didn't

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-76166099417813479582010-10-08T08:16:00.000-05:002010-10-08T08:16:03.843-05:00

Trying to do everything about this past week will be absolutely impossible. It doesn't feel like a week. It feels longer and shorter. Longer because it's so different. Shorter because it's been much less stressful and exhausting than a week at a Korean school. (Of course, back then... the weeks went fast at the beginning as well.) On Sunday, my first day here, the volunteers and I went to

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-1066530629951746582010-09-29T20:03:00.000-05:002010-09-29T20:03:32.955-05:00

I've been woefully absent on my blog, but that's because I've had so much to do. And, in some ways, Korea has really become regular, daily life that doesn't really require a 'blog.' These days I've been training in the new teacher, Lauren, who is really competent. She has more training at this than either Emily or I had, and I know she'll do just fine. She's taught in the States, so she'll have

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-74651238390807535172010-09-20T22:24:00.000-05:002010-09-20T22:24:33.516-05:00

It's now Chuseok break again. Last year for Chuseok, I went to Gonju to see the old Baekje capital. This year I'm staying in my apartment, packing, cleaning, and just relaxing. I leave for India in eleven days. It's raining now, and it was raining yesterday morning too. I like waking up to the quiet rain, with the windows open and a slightly melancholy, yet calm feeling in the air. You feel

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-36574216348116498862010-09-07T12:02:00.000-05:002010-09-07T12:02:47.945-05:00

And I have some major goals to achieve. 1. Black Belt Test, September 19 Some of my students will be there, and that's going to be pretty funny. They're also testing, because it's a nation-wide test date, and all the schools with students qualifying with be there. I'm super nervous. I'm really not that good, and I'm going to stand out like a sore thumb, watching people who I probably don't know.

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-46829564549371278602010-08-28T00:11:00.000-05:002010-08-28T00:11:29.430-05:00

Torturous task, but you feel a real sense of accomplishment once it is finished. I went to go get passport photos taken at a small photo shop where I had printed photos before, and where I had my artwork once scanned. However, upon arrival, I discovered that the place was no longer a photo shop, and was in fact a pharmacy in the making. Frustrated, I tooled around on my bike until I found a

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-52787026268008538802010-08-26T19:11:00.000-05:002010-08-26T19:11:51.733-05:00

This past week has been consumed with visa questions and stuff related to India. It's all a little complicated, and not a little bit of it really frustrating. In the end I know it'll be worth it, but currently it makes me feel really powerless. At first, the travel agent with whom I booked the ticket had spelled my name wrong. This was causing problems because maybe the Korean government

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-91058369643834912502010-08-15T00:29:00.000-05:002010-08-15T00:29:13.826-05:00

I never finished my vacation chronicle, but there wasn't really much to say. Sokcho was interesting, but a little weird--things had really exploded there and so it turned into a resort town that my meager wallet wasn't happy with. I wandered through fish restaurant street, saw a beautiful temple on the sea, and went up to the top of one of Seoraksan's famous mountains--mostly to see nothing

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-75989162768679636272010-08-03T06:01:00.001-05:002010-08-03T06:01:34.920-05:00

Well I've been on vacation since Thursday, which means that I took to the bus-filled streets and went to some really weird, remote places. On Thursday, as I said last time, I embarked on the Scanner Adventure. On Friday, I took off for Jeonju, where I met up with Stephanie, wandered the streets of the hanok village, and got lots of mosquito bites. The city of Jeonju, despite its traditional

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-76801383971863187202010-07-29T03:19:00.000-05:002010-07-29T03:19:03.157-05:00

Well, after a long time of chasing down a "boksa" shop, or photocopy shop, I ended up at this small place near Chungnam University, where the employees allowed me to scan my art (in English Photoshop, no less!) for a mere 3,000 won. It was great. So I have a few new images--and some higher quality scans of the old ones. (Clicking on an image will take you to a full sized one.) This one is

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-67572298555358532742010-07-25T01:51:00.000-05:002010-07-25T01:51:38.735-05:00

I started, at the end of June, writing little notes when the kids did something, or something struck me as particularly interesting or cute. It's helped me to keep a writer's mind as I drift through things, ignoring the teachings of the Buddha and not being present in time. Now I've finished that notebook, so I ripped them out and I thought I'd share a few with you. 6.22.10 / Before classes

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-55276507607997966432010-07-20T22:15:00.000-05:002010-07-20T22:15:18.359-05:00

I just haven't had anything to say lately. Life in Korea has been business as usual, and I'm really itching for a change. Lately I've been going to Taekwondo in the morning instead of the evening, which gives me a lot more energy. I've also been working on my novel, but it's sticking at the end, and I'm frustrated with it, and with my plans for the future--I'm having a hard time putting things in

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-8197925378714197982010-07-04T20:15:00.000-05:002010-07-04T20:15:51.821-05:00

I mean, there has been news, but I haven't felt like talking about it. The most frustrating thing was a couple of dreams that I had last night about going home and being lost. The first one, I went home, but it was too early. I got the chance to go home, and I leapt on it, and I couldn't say goodbye to my students, or my Taekwondo Teachers. I just disappeared. And while I feel like my students (

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-88393313251960381092010-06-22T23:07:00.000-05:002010-06-22T23:07:12.065-05:00

I finally plowed through the final scenes of my book! I might write one more epilogue style scene, but right now I'm reserving that for after I do some serious reconstruction work on the last several chapters. It feels really good, but there's still a lot of work to do in the writing--and then after that, after that I get to start the difficult process of looking at agents--understanding what

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-78321244045516394462010-06-21T08:59:00.000-05:002010-06-21T08:59:50.145-05:00

Even though my patience completely expired, and I wanted to hide in the bathroom--I still left the school loving teaching and loving my kids. I feel this way.. maybe 1 week out of the month. I started to write things down when they struck me. Today in my 2.25 class, the kids were role playing the story (which they call "CHARACTER, TEACHER!!!") when one of the student's pants started to buzz

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-51123828402781203922010-06-19T06:38:00.000-05:002010-06-19T06:38:54.972-05:00

There are a lot of things I love about this country--and partially about being abroad in general. It's always amazing to watch soccer with people who really, really care about soccer. When Korea played Argentina on Thursday, it was a wild mess. Classes were canceled. (Not mine, though.) The streets were empty, and the game could be heard or seen from every television in the entire city. In the

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-48301071706647697482010-06-13T20:36:00.000-05:002010-06-13T20:36:14.318-05:00

Last night, a little restless and bored, unable to sit down to read or write, I called up Kristen and we went for beers at the local convenience store. Sitting outside on a summer night, drinking liter bottles of beer outside of a convenience store is something quintessentially Korean, which I have really desired to do since I got here. However, instead of sitting at the store (which was about

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-79379624295267358572010-06-10T21:43:00.000-05:002010-06-10T21:43:32.471-05:00

I've been doing a lot of stuff. Last weekend I traveled to Busan for a little while, sat on the beach, enjoyed Mexican food, and listened to friends of a friend rap their little hearts out at an expat beach bar. Lot's of fun, I'll tell you. (I was even purchased a non-alcoholic shot by the wonderful bar tender, who refused to leave me alone about drinks, even though I insisted that I refused to

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-2619963236018278852010-06-02T21:25:00.000-05:002010-06-02T21:25:46.775-05:00

Yesterday was election day, and so I had a very exciting holiday, in which I *finally* made it to Gyereong National Park. It's probably the only place in Daejeon that's famous, and it was really wonderful. The park is huge, with many peaks to climb, but we took a short (and very steep) course up to some small pagodas and a tiny mountain hermitage. It was only about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) but it

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-39120751145724063432010-05-29T23:40:00.000-05:002010-05-29T23:40:08.910-05:00

Is not as bad as it looks on the news. These images of people burning stuff in the streets is pretty funny, but that is SO not the South Korea that I know. I mean, people certainly aren't happy about it, but this is Korea, and everything is business as usual unless the sky falls down. So anyone who may or may not be concerned about my safety, you should know that it's business as usual--and

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-54519304542632657082010-05-23T21:50:00.000-05:002010-05-23T21:50:10.903-05:00

Trip was mostly a bust because it rained the whole time, but Kristen and I did have some excellent rain adventures on Saturday. Friday was gorgeous, but we spent most of the time in transit--until we rented our bicycles and took off into the setting sun and rice patties galore. Sunday was cold and wet and things just working out for us, but one thing I really wanted to write down was that I saw

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-45681671454432705162010-05-18T21:14:00.002-05:002010-05-18T21:22:04.337-05:00

Feeling thoroughly inspired by my collection of short stories by Neil Gaiman, Smoke and Mirrors, I felt inspired to spin a short story. I like the concept but I'm not sure I really spun the tale the way it should have been spun, so I'm posting it here for you to examine and criticize. Please rip it to shreds, so that a better story comes out. The Most Famous Destination on Earth (Working Title)

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-89896110228979101452010-05-15T09:17:00.000-05:002010-05-15T09:17:59.479-05:00

I have an article on Suite 101, an online publishing website. Check it out! Three Weekend Adventures in South Korea: Off the Beaten Track

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-4993674876312928492010-05-11T21:32:00.000-05:002010-05-11T21:32:27.640-05:00

Spent this weekend in Seoul to with Kristen--basically doing all the things I didn't do last weekend. We had a great time wondering around Insadong, the artsy fartsy, touristy trinkety area of Seoul. There are a lot of amazing things to buy there--everything from tourist kitsch to real antiques. I was basically in heaven, but held off and didn't really buy anything substantial. After having an

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-31128727893998333062010-05-05T22:05:00.000-05:002010-05-05T22:05:41.496-05:00

My work has been published online for the Teach ESL Korea newsletter. I have two stories up now, one for the April issue on Magoksa Temple, and the other for the May issue on Jeonju. Check it out, make comments, and look at what other people have to say about life in Korea. Magoksa - Jeonju

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-77886116631289061892010-05-05T22:01:00.000-05:002010-05-05T22:01:08.577-05:00

The weather is fantastic--humid, but it's quite warm and it smells like deliciousness. I've been looking for patios all the time, just sitting around and enjoying myself in a regular day-to-day kind of life. This week we had Wednesday off, which is a wonderful way to have a week--haha, I never want to work on Wednesday again. This weekend I enjoyed just sitting on patios and being social. I

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-65444245068107043902010-04-26T21:41:00.000-05:002010-04-26T21:41:25.558-05:00

The sun came out after an entire day of pelting rain yesterday. I wanted to be upset and moody because it was raining AND it was Monday, but oddly enough I started to feel kind of calm. I remembered that I was in Asia, and for some reason, yesterday, that was just enough. Reading is a great thing for me, because I start to look at my own life less like something I "have to do" and more like a

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-62176597918271236802010-04-25T20:01:00.000-05:002010-04-25T20:01:40.695-05:00

One of the great ways to get into the mind of a foreign culture is by picking up literature from that country. I loved reading Ghanaian literature and watching Ghanaian movies because I could peek into the imagination of Ghanaians, and the fictionalized stories helped me to understand what was really happening in the world around me. Anyway I absolutely tore through two short stories yesterday

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-12318178386841093092010-04-25T03:53:00.000-05:002010-04-25T03:53:51.375-05:00

+ Go back to Ghana and Volunteer with a community program or orphanage + Visit/Volunteer in India + Get a TEFL or other equivalent certificate + Hold another art show; sell some originals + significantly reduce my undergrad debt + study Arabic in an Arabic speaking country Just been popping around the Matador site lately. Also been working on an article about Jeonju for my recruiter's newsletter

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-5424779031017679382010-04-18T22:31:00.000-05:002010-04-18T22:31:07.127-05:00

Well my exciting Magoksa Temple Stay Festival turned out to be somewhat iffy. It seemed as though things were really poorly planned, especially since my tour group showed up with 2 buses instead of the 1 that they apparently said they were bringing. They were also an hour and a half late, so I sat around with this guy outside the traditional Buddhist Center just chatting for a while. He had

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-62584009916544785312010-04-15T22:40:00.000-05:002010-04-15T22:40:13.100-05:00

They are just absolutely adorable. Brand new kids, with innocent little hearts, adorable little faces, and strange behavior. The new students at my hagwon are ALL my students. We have two foreign teachers here, but my coworker wasn't given any of the new students. There could be plenty of reasons why, but I think my boss just thought that--on top of everything--they'd want to see a female

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-27604333018652716452010-04-08T21:08:00.000-05:002010-04-08T21:08:31.326-05:00

Well I had a pretty uneventful week. My Ghanaian friend came back into town, but I missed him--it appears as though the Daejeon auto companies don't have a lot of good stuff this time around, so he headed up to Incheon before I had enough time to meet up with him. Bummer. Been making an effort to get out in the morning, but this morning my goal is to clean my house, because I'll be gone all

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-50988010931377101552010-04-02T23:10:00.000-05:002010-04-02T23:10:56.948-05:00

Jeonju (전주) is a small city just south of me, about an hour's bus ride from the Yuseong terminal. On Sunday, I went down to explore the traditional building district, or Hanok district, of this small, delightful city. I spent a lot of time walking. It was comforting to wander around, and this city had some definite charm to it. The buildings are almost all squat hovels, and even outside the

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-52418683975832667942010-04-02T21:50:00.000-05:002010-04-02T21:50:17.601-05:00

Ran across this link posted by a friend on Facebook. English teachers in Korea spend a lot of time being pissed off about Korea's bad English, or the mistakes that make their way into the public, when there are a million English teachers here who can fix it. But it appears, in America as well, we have some issues with spelling--especially those who have a certain opinion about the "Official"

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-40855968907867289052010-03-28T21:39:00.000-05:002010-03-28T21:39:36.099-05:00

On Friday something astounding happened. One of my classes got switched for a really bad class--a class that nobody knew what to do with--so they switched teachers and gave the class to me. The coteacher and my boss were talking about the class, and she said how she was maintaining order--if they lost a certain amount of points, then they would be in trouble. But my boss said "no, you should

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-9940500605328999142010-03-26T21:44:00.000-05:002010-03-26T21:44:01.883-05:00

I haven't been doing much here. I've been trying to save money. Mostly because I got the idea that I could go to India for a month after finishing my contract. On top of all my other plans. That means that I really need to start putting away money. But I think I can do it. I'm writing down all the money I spend, and I'm being more careful. On Saturday I went to the Daejeon Art Museum again with

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-76686424452597783492010-03-10T19:35:00.001-06:002010-03-10T20:01:57.161-06:00

[In this episode, we wander aimlessly until an ajumma hand-feeds us, get on a boat, and spelunk.] This weekend, Kristen, Tom, and Lee, and I headed out to Chungju, a town (or tiny city), northeast of Daejeon. Chungju is the proud owner of the Chungju Dam, a hydro electric extravaganza that has created one of the most beautiful lakes in the country. There are regular ferries on this lake, too,

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-1385390296623155122010-03-07T09:25:00.001-06:002010-03-10T20:04:25.559-06:00

Last weekend was Korea's independence day (March 1, 1945--from the Japanese), and it's a national holiday--which means that I had a very exciting day off. To pass the time, I went to a soccer game with Tom, Kristen, and Kristen's friend from Suwon. Daejeon was playing FC Seoul, and we lost terribly--a whopping 5/2. But the first goal of the game was scored by a Weiguk, so I was a little bit

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-22080409762417482692010-02-23T20:31:00.000-06:002010-02-23T20:31:30.256-06:00

[In which we ride the oldest bus in Korea on the twistiest roads in Korea, and are forced to eat temple food by an enthusiastic monk.]  Lately Gongju has simply been the best place to start for intriguing day trips. People in search of some interesting destinations around Daejeon would do well to start there. On Sunday, we decided to enjoy the warmer weather and take the day to do something

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-37795455761300188512010-02-21T07:39:00.000-06:002010-02-21T07:39:54.815-06:00

Daejeon is conveniently located in what used to be the Baekje Kingdom. During the Three Kingdom's period of Korea--before Korea was a unified country--from roughly 55BC to 668AD. Baekje, Goguryeo and Silla fought and shifted borders, and at one time throughout the 700 year period, each one controlled a large portion of Korea. At that time, Daejeon was basically nothing but it was located in the

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-54357019854864278982010-02-20T20:30:00.000-06:002010-02-20T20:30:10.721-06:00

On Sunday, Stephanie and I headed out to Songnisan National Park. Songnisan is a little ways north of Daejeon, and it is quite famous in the summer months. However, in the winter months, it is snowy and quaint. The little town outside the park entrance was sleepy, but full of orange tents that looked as though they would be trinket shops. Inside everyone was doing New Year's rituals. In fact, we

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-60987805565749656722010-02-17T20:00:00.000-06:002010-02-17T20:00:25.700-06:00

Me: "Yes?" Libby: "Do you know Ka-duh?" Me: "What? Cod? Like the fish?" Yale: "No--Libby, geez. God. God." Me: "Yeah, I know God." Libby: (acts out Jesus dying on the cross.) Me: "Oh that's not God. You mean Jesus." Libby: "YEAH. Jesus and Buddha kai-bai-bo (rock, paper scissors.)" Me: "What??" Libby: "Yeah. And Jesus is win. So Jesus hit Buddha in head with finger. Like this--and Buddha get

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-42817896886565426302010-02-16T20:20:00.000-06:002010-02-16T20:20:29.402-06:00

Since I didn't make any resolutions for Solar New Year (epic fail), I figured I might as well make some for Lunar New Year, or Seolnal, which was this weekend. One of those resolutions is to be better about blogging, so here we go. We had Monday off, and Stephanie came down to visit Daejeon. Since there isn't really much to do in Daejeon itself, we took some interesting day trips, and hung out

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-19075774305665207712010-02-07T08:27:00.000-06:002010-02-07T08:27:36.921-06:00

I'm trying to step back and see things with the right glasses. Thinking a lot about the episodes of Greys Anatomy and Private Practice (and, embarrassingly, even Desperate Housewives) that I watched today. They're substituting for good quality girl talk these days. It's February now, but I don't really feel like much has happened around here. Next week is Lunar New Year and Stephanie is coming

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-27489290807806916152010-01-30T21:35:00.001-06:002010-03-26T21:44:54.300-05:00

Last night somebody appears to have logged into my email and sent everyone on my list messages about an insurance company--in very bad English. The account was open somewhere in Kyonggi-do, Seoul (according to google, when I found the IP address.) Anyway... if you get a message from me that says "Dear Friend", ignore it. Besides, you know my English is much better than that. I changed my

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-19909920617058095022010-01-30T06:55:00.000-06:002010-01-30T06:55:14.857-06:00

I did the ultimate of stupid things yesterday, which has really impacted me and I feel... well actually I feel mostly okay, but I'm waiting for it to settle in. I might still be a little bit in shock. I destroyed my sketchbook. Not on purpose. Of course. I carried it to work because I wanted to draw on my break. But after work, I put my drinking bottle into my bag. The bottle is American, air

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-32394775778866929412010-01-28T19:01:00.000-06:002010-01-28T19:01:38.844-06:00

Except that I have to go to the dentist today, which I 100% do NOT want to do. But that's okay, I guess I'll just get through it. My kids were so sweet yesterday. My Thursday kids are just great.. they see me twice a week, so I have a chance to actually have a relationship with them, so it's easier to control them, and it's easier to care about them. My first class of the day is my E3 girls,

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-27930091150276175212010-01-27T19:58:00.000-06:002010-01-27T19:58:36.541-06:00

For those of you who don't know (and I can't imagine anyone who DOESN'T, considering how much I complain about this), I have a crazy tooth in the back of my mouth. When the tooth first came in, it had a "bubble" in it, or an uninfected cavity. They peeled back the skin to fill it before the tooth even arrived in my mouth. Then after I switched dentists, before Ghana, the adult dentist said "that

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-7636103789784918562010-01-27T06:20:00.000-06:002010-01-27T06:20:39.522-06:00

They're probably going to ask the boy with the anger issues to quit. The bad news is... well. Still lookin for something to make me feel like I have a soul. But you guys are supportive, and it makes me feel better. Thanks. And I'm still trying to study Korean vocabulary, which is slow at best.

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-90968558680279479302010-01-25T11:35:00.000-06:002010-01-25T11:35:40.406-06:00

Everything becomes just one step away from the last straw. But the last straw is never clearly defined, and you know deep down that there never will be one, because all you're doing is holding on and holding on. I have to admit that these days I am struggling. I rarely update because I rarely have anything to say. I've stopped looking for things that I want to write about, and I have tried to

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-8964931943430332462010-01-24T20:20:00.000-06:002010-01-24T20:20:12.091-06:00

Spent an interesting weekend--and when I say spent, I mean SPENT, because I went shopping and bought SO MUCH that I might have set back my saving plans by weeks. Lord. But I now have a pair of THE coolest boots on the face of the earth. For less than 40 bucks. And who can beat that, anyhow? I went shopping with Kristen, the girl who works at Avalon down the street from me. She's a lot of fun,

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-8125808294240748522010-01-18T06:46:00.000-06:002010-01-18T06:46:29.546-06:00

The ice on the streets is melting, so I might take my bike to work tomorrow. I've been down with a pretty miserable cold the past five days or so. I actually was teaching some classes on Thursday and Friday with no voice. That was real bad. Now I'm just coughing up my life every time somebody makes me laugh. Thus, because of the sick, this weekend was really uneventful. But I've been practicing

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-75194722059699996862010-01-11T20:01:00.000-06:002010-01-11T20:01:18.208-06:00

These days I wonder what I'm doing here, and like always, I say: "Shouldn't I just ditch all this and go to art school?" Or writing school... or whatever. I always get in this mood in the winter, or when I'm unhappy with my current job choice, or if I feel like things are too hard. But for sure even if I did just "ditch reality" and go to art school, in the winter, I would hate art school, and

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-13820196142666524752010-01-09T22:54:00.000-06:002010-01-09T22:54:30.277-06:00

This week was a long one. I slugged through it with a lot of grumpiness. It wasn't a particularly bad week, and in fact my new classes look as though they are going to be much better than my old ones. Lots of sweet little girls, adorable little boys, and not too many trouble makers. On Monday I had a class of kids who were BRAND NEW to the hagwon. Never studied English before. Absolutely silent.

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-19284035512889450612010-01-01T22:07:00.001-06:002010-01-01T22:08:05.760-06:00

Wow. A whole decade. It makes you feel kind of old. I mean, since this is the first time that I've been old enough to remember the turn of the last decade. (And I do remember hoping--just a little--that Y2K would hit and I would suddenly become the heroine of a young adult post-apocalyptic novel.) I had an excellent New Years, and spent the evening with my friend Maddie and her family, who were

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-79788073944490630742009-12-30T21:24:00.000-06:002009-12-30T21:24:18.477-06:00

Well my Jeju trip was good fun, full of touristy stuff, which at times was good, and at times was quite tedious, but I had a good time. I got some great pictures, which are posted on Facebook. Now, though, is my long winter vacation (long, read, 3 days off plus the 2 day weekend) and I'm mostly just chilling in Daejeon. I went out to meet some friends last night, and I had a really excellent time

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-45882318187390868672009-12-28T23:13:00.000-06:002009-12-28T23:13:47.507-06:00

But to tide you over, here is a little giggle about my school's illustrious English teaching program. Yesterday I taught a story to one of the older classes, about a cat that didn't chase mice. The mom got scared because there was a mouse. So the dad bought a cat. And the son said: "Wow, what a nice cat. We'll name her SNATCH because she will snatch up all the mice!" How nice. A pussy cat

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-20328329006035110522009-12-23T19:47:00.000-06:002009-12-23T19:47:15.984-06:00

Tonight is going to be an adventure! I discovered all these great ways to get to Seoul, but there was no way that I could have exchanged my KTX ticket, so I am riding the train anyhow. I guess that's okay, really, since the train has these lovely things called bathrooms. I plan to get into Seoul around 12:30 and find a jimjilbang somewhere around the Seoul Station. I might be able to find a bus

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-80127402338543479112009-12-20T20:10:00.000-06:002009-12-20T20:10:34.070-06:00

That's the title of a paper craft company here, which published the planner that I'm using now. It's very Maggie, with adorable little houses everywhere, and a crowded cityscape. It's also got a misplaced "the", but I don't mind that much. The more I think about whether or not the "the" is misplaced, the more I think maybe it isn't... maybe there is a certain kind of happiness that they are

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-9333972891418938102009-12-16T19:51:00.001-06:002009-12-23T19:48:06.492-06:00

Exploring my City with A Camera! Here we are behind the main road, in the small farmy place where I like to ride my bike at night.  (Or I did, before it got really cold.) Small road bordering a field, and the houses behind it. It's odd, but I ride though this area and all of a sudden I could be in a very Asian looking Ghana. There are water tanks on top of the houses, and they are flat,

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-90972211938725075522009-12-15T19:00:00.000-06:002009-12-15T19:00:57.398-06:00

So I discovered last night that if I flush my toilet, I get my hot water back. A couple weeks ago the hot water stopped working in my shower--its hot for about two or three minutes, and then cuts out. But last night I discovered that it will come back for a minute or so if I flush the toilet while it is running. Hmmmm. Interesting. Things around here have been pretty routine and run of the mill.

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-7655631844570043842009-12-11T03:27:00.000-06:002009-12-11T03:27:32.398-06:00

Me: "Justin, why is your foot on his head?!" Henry: "... Happy ending because, teacher!" Me: "..... Tom please answer the next question." I have NO idea what that was supposed to or not supposed to mean, but I am cracking UP.

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-12373041581125619412009-12-08T19:50:00.000-06:002009-12-08T19:50:17.429-06:00

Proclaimed one of my students yesterday. He was explaining to me that the monster in the story was furry, but the monster in the picture was not. Then he said: "Made in China!" Apparently it is synonymous with "Error, teacher!" So I've been taking Taekwondo. And Ohhhh man does it hurt. I pulled a neck muscle at some point and now I can't look to one side. My stomach also hurts because of sit ups

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-26864832321441589232009-12-02T21:12:00.001-06:002009-12-02T21:13:32.476-06:00

So on Friday night I left straight from work to hitch the train to Seoul. The last bullet train leaves around midnight. It always surprises me that things run so late here. I think it's a side-effect of a country that never stops working--except when they're drinking, and sometimes they're doing both. Anyway, I hit an earlier train, and even got to Seoul before the subways closed down. Using my

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-77772518552887190092009-11-29T22:13:00.000-06:002009-11-29T22:13:03.464-06:00

Well, in the States, Thanksgiving weekend is huge! We get a couple days off, and several years out I have spent my time flying hurriedly through some assignment or another, be it Nanowrimo, my thesis outline, or you know, whatever. This time, of course, I didn't have time off, but I did have an excellent weekend, complete with some serious mountain trekking. (I don't want to say climbing,

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-58377212780498561012009-11-24T21:12:00.000-06:002009-11-24T21:12:08.356-06:00

So here in Korea there are a lot of foreigners with very little time. So some people have made up special tour companies that run really jam packed tours on weekends. So instead of moping around that it's thanksgiving and I don't have anywhere to go, I decided to book a trip to a hot spring and mountain in Jeolla-do. At only 90,000 for the whole weekend, I figure I can't go too wrong. (Though

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-20782910638015762792009-11-23T21:38:00.000-06:002009-11-23T21:38:16.424-06:00

So Nano is drawing to a close soon, and I'm sitting at 42k. This is a lot better than before, and I know that once you get to 40k, you sail through. It's about 82 pages now. I didn't realize how LONG that was. Man! My characters are fumbling around, and my plot is somewhat disjointed, with varying degrees of character development, but at least I'm plowing towards the end. I won't get there, but

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-90462684944155589152009-11-22T21:09:00.000-06:002009-11-22T21:09:23.669-06:00

I've not been doing too many touristy things. Mostly I've just been riding my bike around, trying to keep my apartment clean, and watching as the weather slowly gets colder. (It's nice and warm these days though, back up to almost 55.) Yesterday I went shopping and bought some new clothes... boots with fuzzy insides, a sweater that shocks everything it touches, and a cute little black shirt with

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-17679865335985693342009-11-15T01:16:00.000-06:002009-11-15T01:16:18.583-06:00

1. Riding my bike at 1:30am with the Transformer's soundtrack. (An excellent piece of music, I must say.) Seeing tiny little buildings heaped up on each other, and tiny little roads that climb up hills, and things that look, smell, and feel like countryside right in the middle of a city. 2. The Jimjilbang and the sauna. The Jimjilbang is a Korean spa. Many are open 24 hours, and they have one

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-46989818637519652422009-11-12T21:29:00.000-06:002009-11-12T21:29:48.135-06:00

I have this one kid in one of my older glasses who is spherical. I think I've talked about him before. But it's not that he's spherical--it's that he ROCKS it. Like he is fat and proud. And I love it. He's such a jolly kid. He's got a lot of spunk. He's hell to try and control in class, but whatever. At least he's a happy kid. This is also the kid that asks me EVERY DAY if I like Lamborghinis.

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-61336060644384937122009-11-09T20:14:00.000-06:002009-11-09T20:14:31.293-06:00

I've been having a low key week. I'm trying to focus on socializing, but it's tuckered me out just a little bit. Work has been a big effort these past few days, and the weather is getting grimey. I'm behind on my word count, but not by too much. It's sitting now at about 15,000. Today we have a big meeting with Center 1 and Center 2, and we are discussing the "Presentation" portion of class for

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-62703170387851916432009-11-01T20:43:00.000-06:002009-11-01T20:43:48.373-06:00

Word Count: 2,062 On track with my word count so far, but getting up this morning wasn't any fun. I set my alarm for 9, but I hit snooze until 10:00, but then they are laying something in the in-construction house next door. It was a snooze time filled with strange crashes and confusion. I finally got ear plugs, but I wasn't coherent enough to use them. Then I was up long enough to make my

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-41625087447326735922009-10-31T00:18:00.002-05:002009-11-01T20:45:14.802-06:00

Horray for the weekend! H1N1 panic is back in style. This time, though, it seems like people have a real reason for it. At least one of my students flat out told me "Oh, I was gone last week because I had swine flu." Yesterday we were forced to wear masks during passing time in class. It was kind of like an impromptu Halloween costume. I'm so nervous that my kids are going to get me sick. Kids

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-11207032576194504112009-10-29T21:33:00.000-05:002009-11-01T20:45:42.971-06:00

As some of my favorite students would say... "Oh--my--COD!!" (In Korean language, the 'g' sound only comes in the center of a word, so forming words that BEGIN with 'g' is hard for them. They will often make the k sound instead, which makes it sound like they are calling upon the divine cod.) So naturally this past week I have been working hard to get my chapter plans in order so that I can

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-4665006359727848182009-10-20T23:07:00.000-05:002009-10-20T23:07:36.661-05:00

I guess that's okay, most of the time. But I am enjoying reading some of the other things that I run across--more bloggy things, and I wonder--how can I do that? My mom sent me this article on the Matador, called: "The Expat Conundrum: The Longer You Stay, The More You Complain". It is kind of an interesting article. They are taking about Mexico, but I do feel like the people who have been here

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-58602767194205581372009-10-18T11:35:00.000-05:002009-11-01T20:51:06.955-06:00

So this weekend I made my first trip up to Seoul from Daejeon to visit Stephanie! We had an excellent time. We ate at an Indian-Nepalese restaurant, an African (Ghanaian!!) restaurant, AND a Mexican Restaurant! We went to a beautiful palace AND a beautiful temple, and we even heard some amazing chanting. I bought shoes, shirts, and kitchy trinkets that I l-l-love! We even went to a book store! I

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-10098081247263552252009-10-15T21:12:00.000-05:002009-11-01T20:47:06.452-06:00

Oh my! Well, on Wednesday I cracked and decided that I was just going to buy a shiny new bike. I've never had a shiny new bike before--I mean, not one that I bought for myself. My little red baby is back at home, probably rusting away... ;.; but it was a gift/hand me down--and on top of that, it was the prize of the party when it came to being retro. This cute little bike had no gears and back

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-38208490843789539992009-10-10T01:01:00.000-05:002009-10-10T01:01:38.752-05:00

Check this OUT! This white man can speak Twi like CRAZY!  I am so jealous. It inspires me to do all kinds of things... like attempt to practice Korean more. Someday I just hope that someone will have the same reaction I am having when they hear me speak some language. Actually I went into the kimbab shop that I frequent the other day, and I was quite proud of myself because I ordered my

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-70032543816216229422009-10-10T00:00:00.000-05:002009-11-01T20:50:18.037-06:00

Hahaha. Last night we went to Norebang at about 5 in the morning. Norebang is Korean Karaoke, which literally, I think, means "singing room". You get your own room, with microphones, a tv to show you the lyrics, and a lot of awkward people screaming their hearts out. Even if they don't have a voice to scream with--holy buckets. And now I don't have a voice at ALL, haha. But I guess it was worth

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-27377778265692189022009-10-08T23:00:00.000-05:002009-11-01T20:50:44.929-06:00

My kids are good, the weekend is near, and life is just simpler. Energy is abundant, because I don't have to save it for anything else. The online tv that I have been watching has too many love stories in it. I like the action and the adventure, but the love stories make me lonely. I mean, that makes sense of course. I should be lonely. I don't know anyone here very well. I was thinking

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-15159057222621569612009-10-03T23:54:00.001-05:002010-02-21T07:41:37.775-06:00

Or rather, King Muryeongwang kept his capital in Gongju, in about 500AD. This weekend is Chuseok weekend. I have two days off and it's been spectacular so far. Stephanie came down from Yongin to visit, and we've been doing plenty of things. On Friday we discovered that there is an enormous market across the street from my subway station... it sells mostly food, so I don't know how often I will

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-9908859371019607872009-09-30T21:59:00.000-05:002009-09-30T21:59:11.109-05:00

This isn't true. Yesterday I was just venting about the day ahead of me--Wednesdays beat me down, and this one definitely did. But Tuesdays and Thursdays--I like those kids a lot. I have one difficult class, but I know how to maintain it. It's my turf, I understand certain things. Anyway, today I have a bunch of great kids. My favorite class is one where everybody gets really excited about role

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-41988069775316444592009-09-29T21:05:00.000-05:002009-11-01T20:51:22.732-06:00

"King Kevin Keeps a Kettle in his Kitchen." "King Kevin Keeps a Koala in his Kitchen." My explanation skills are weakening because I keep trying to simplify how I explain things. Use the simplest words to achieve the least levels of complexity. For someone that thrives off of the complex, this is difficult. It's a challenge, though. Fun and interesting. I tried to teach one glass a few

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-87535308434500189722009-09-27T20:42:00.000-05:002009-09-27T20:42:51.777-05:00

I tried harder to learn this language when I wasn't submerged in it. Maybe it's because I didn't realize just how seriously I would drown, lol. I went shopping yesterday! I got new jeans. Except I tried on the 30 and the woman gave me the 29... sigh. So I'll have to loose some weight. Less Donkatsu for me, I guess, haha. I'm having a hard time getting quality food in my own home, though, which

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-22882723463744755792009-09-20T21:57:00.000-05:002009-09-20T21:57:42.991-05:00

So this weekend was a lot of fun! I went out on Friday with a couple coworkers--danced off my issues with work, haha, and met some folks. It takes a while to find a niche here, but then again, in comparison to Hamline cliques, I suppose that's probably a good thing. Finding your niche too early can guarantee that you're stuck there, for better or worse. On Saturday I met with my Ghanaian friend-

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-59332700317988595252009-09-17T20:31:00.000-05:002009-09-17T20:31:35.602-05:00

And kids can be relentless. I don't mean Korean kids, either, ALL kids. Any kids. I am so glad that it's Friday. Wednesday and Thursday are hard days. Haha, but I do have a habit of writing down the cutest things that the kids do. One of the kids--who looks kind of like a jolly, chubby train conductor, always says "Yes Sir Captain!" When I tell him to do anything. It is seriously the cutest thing

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-805615987250977441.post-13480941783863816302009-09-14T22:21:00.002-05:002009-11-01T20:51:38.725-06:00

Some photos posted on Facebook, some of the ones I posted before, but others... like my walk to work and my apartment. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034759&id=67700894&ref=mf Please let me know if it gives you an error message. It should be public.

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09934402121172788668noreply@blogger.com0