Malaysia & Thailand Vacation

Time really flies. I can’t believe it’s September. I can’t believe I’m going home in five weeks. I can’t believe that in 2 weeks I will have been in Korea for an entire year.

I promised a blog entry about my vacation to Malaysia and Thailand, so here it is. Oddly, I f

eel it was not Southeast Asia that I learned the most about. For me, this trip ended up being about Korea- what it means to me, what I appreciate about it, what I hate about it, what it has given me as a person and a traveler.

Firstly, here’s a map for reference.

Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok are marked. Here's another map so you can see where Phuket is.

Our first stop was Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. KL is considered a Muslim city, and it dawned on me on the airport shuttle-tran ride that that would actually influence our stay there because at the time, it was Ramadan. As we made our way to the airport exit, I worried about that we wouldn’t be able to find anything to eat during the day. We arrived really late at night so as soon as we made it to our hostel we crashed. We ended up being fine.

I could tell you about all the things we did when we were in KL- saw the Patronus Towers, went shopping, went to the top of the KL tower, but what I took away the most from KL was a sentiment.

It wasn’t until the next morning that I discovered how diverse KL is. I think it came as a shock after having lived in Korea for nearly a year. Every face that passed you on the street was different. Every tongue you heard from the conversations of passer-bys was different. I was in heaven!! Such a feast for the eyes, the ears, and the soul. As we walked around I learned that the population of KL consists of three main groups: native Malays, Indians, and Mandarin Chinese. The cuisine reflected those three ethnicities which mix and match in this beautiful city. (That was why we didn’t have any trouble finding food during the day). Eating in KL and Thailand was a re-introduction to flavors. As you now know from previous posts, Korean food consists of one flavor- hot chili pepper. Malay food, aside from being so diverse, was so flavorful. Garlic, ginger, basil, savory meat- where have you been?!?

The thing that struck me the most about KL was how similar it felt to Cape Town. I kept saying how similar they were but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. I don’t think it was anything tangible- the two cities do not look the same in terms of architecture or anything. “This place reminds me of Cape Town” was one of the first comments I made about KL. I don’t know…there was something about flying down the highway in the airport taxi (on the other side of the road) staring at the palm-treed lined highway and feeling invincible and vulnerable at the same time. KL was the first stop on our trip, the beginning of a trip to foreign places. Beyond accommodation, we hadn’t made any solid itineraries, so anything could happen. The last time I felt that paradox of emotions was on the bus from the Cape Town airport when I first arrived. I felt so excited—a beginning of something unknown and exciting—yet also vulnerability. I didn’t know much about life in Cape Town, and now I didn’t know anything about life in KL.

Besides that, I think the striking diversity of KL made me think of Cape Town. Cape Town was the most diverse place I’d ever been to, and that was one of the things I loved about it. I think being in such a diverse place again reminded of that feeling again. Not to mention, when I calmed myself down enough to order a Savannah Dry (a South African hard cider that was my drink of choice in CT) at a nearby bar, that familiar subtle apple flavor mixed with the bitterness of beer brought back so many memories and emotions. People always talk about how smells can bring back memories and emotions. They never say anything about taste. Whenever I have the occasional craving to recreate my favorite childhood meal—acini de pepi pasta with butter and parmesan cheese accompanied by a glass of chocolate milk— memories and “feelings” of my childhood come flooding back. It’s really incredible, that brain of ours.

Another part I loved about KL was the pleasantness of the population. Folks were smiling, or at least looked content, as they went about their daily lives. You have to understand that this is NOT how it is at all in Korea, which is probably why it felt so refreshing to me. In KL, when I met a stranger’s eyes on the street, they gave me a smile or a polite nod. In Korea, I receive an open-mouthed gape then a quick, embarrassed look away once I stare back at them long enough. In general, Koreans aren’t happy people (not a shocker if you examine their lives, cultural mentalities and expectations). I had forgotten what a difference it makes when people are actually content with their lives. They carry themselves differently-with more ease and a lightness of character. They do not have their faces glued to their Smartphone or Galaxy Tab or iPad. The woman working behind the desk at 7-11—certainly not the most exciting or glamorous job—smiles at you and giggles when you make a face or joke to your friend. She says hello and smiles again when you go in a half-hour later, seemingly happy to see you again. When children see you they do not point; instead, they wave. AAAHHHHHHHHH (sign of relief). What a nice reminder.

After a short 2.5 days in KL, we traveled to our second destination- Phuket, Thailand (pronounced poo-ket…don’t get any ideas). Despite the name, Phuket is, simply put, paradise. It’s where people go for an exotic tropical vacation. I don’t blame them. Never have I seen water so blue. Phuket is definitely a tourist town. Normally, that would bother me, but this was the actually “vacation” part of our trip, so I didn’t mind. Everyone spoke English very well and there were tons of other tourists around (especially German and French). One of my favorite parts of Phuket (and one of the top experiences of the whole trip) was snorkeling. Our hostel helped book us a ferry trip to Ko Phi Phi Island, a famous group of islands about an hour boat ride away from main land Phuket. The ferry ride included snorkeling, views of all the gorgeous islands of Ko Phi Phi (including Maya Bay where the famous Leonardo DiCaprio movie “The Beach” was filmed) and time to explore and shop on the main island. Shopping on the main island was fun, but the snorkeling was definitely the highlight of the day. I mentioned the color of the water before- it was uninhibited, full out, no B.S. turquoise. I seriously didn’t know it was possible for water to look like that. It was in every sense of the word bright blue, as if there was a flood light under the surface shining light on it. I never expected to be surrounded by a turquoise oasis when I put my head into the water to snorkel. Purple and yellow-striped fish swam all around me. Beneath the fish was coral of every shape. If I was to paint what I saw on a canvas, I would use all bright and pastel colors.

I was surprised the fish never touched me because there were so many that seemed to inches from my flailing limbs trying to simultaneously balance in the life jacket and avoid other passengers snorkeling around me. (Funny side note about that. Sending a ferry-full of passengers into the same small section for snorkeling is a recipe for swimming-traffic disaster. I had several head-on collisions into other snorkelers, who were, like me, swimming forward face and eyes down watching fish instead of paying attention to the legs and arms coming towards them at the surface. Everyone was in such wonder that we didn’t even apologize to one another, just turned our bodies and went on our ways. Thinking about it now it was probably very comical for the crew and passengers onboard to watch us all swim into each other.)

Besides the congested traffic situation, it was really a wonderful experience. No really, wonderful. Full of wonder. I don’t think I’ve ever been in such awe of anything before. I was just as fascinated with the fish and coral as I was with the color of the water. At one point I turned around and swam away from the fish and instead into the clear, uninterrupted turquoise. If there was ever a time for music to accompany my life, this was probably it. In my head, Arial the Little Mermaid’s voice ahhh-ing to “Part of Your World” was in my head: “ahh ahh ahhh, ahh ahh ahh, ahh ah ah ah ah ahh ahh ahh AAAHHHHHH!” (You know what I’m talking about right?). I was in such awe of the blue and so deep into my musical daydream that I didn’t even realize that someone from the ferry crew was blowing his whistle at me because I was swimming out of bounds. Oops.

The nightlife in Phuket was really something else-“wonderful” in a completely different way. Thailand has quite an active sex industry, and it’s not tucked away and hidden from tourists. In fact, I think a lot of people, men especially, come to Thailand for that reason. Both nights at Patong Beach we found ourselves at the strip of bars and clubs down the road from our hostel, where advertisers where constantly asking us if we wanted to attend a “Ping Pong Show” which has NOTHING to do with playing ping pong, I’ll tell you that. We also encountered many “ladyboys” – men who (very convincingly) dress like women or have had sex-change procedures. These “ladyboys” (the Thai word for them translates into English as that term) are considered a third gender in Thailand, which I find fascinating. There were everywhere.

The strip of bars also featured girls dancing on ables in outdoor bars. Not drunk party girls dancing on tables, I mean hired scantily clad Thai girls dancing on tables (some of whom didn’t tlook like they could have been much older than my students). I wasn’t shocked to see hired girls dancing on tables, but I was shocked to see it outside for all to see. If I was shocked I can’t imagine how the other family tourists felt. While I was surprised to see the sex industry so blatantly open in a tourist area, I was previously aware of the sex industry in Thailand and how vital it is to their economy because of my HIV/AIDS research papers in college. I knew I was going to be exposed to it in some fashion when I was there. The vacationing families who were there with their 10-year old children clearly were not prepared for that. Parents walked a few paces in front of their children, wide-eyed and terrified while their children looked in awe and confusion all around them. I was disappointed in these people- they should have done their research before they brought their children there. That is, unless they did do their research and had prepared an appropriate discussion to have with their children.

In amongst all of this craziness we managed to find a really awesome bar where there was an awesome live band playing. There, we met a couple Australian guys who were in Phuket for their buddy’s bachelor party. Apparently, they were the only single ones out of the whole group of guys, so they were out. We jammed to the live band for a while and then we all went to a pool hall and played pool. They were genuinely nice guys so it was fun to hang out with them. We played a couple games of pool then went dancing at a club, where we found LOTS of tourist men with Thai women whom they had clearly bought for the night. Although the music and company were really great, I was really uncomfortable with all of that going on, so we left.

The next day, we left for our fancy beach resort at a different beach. The pictures speak for themselves there. It was AWESOME, especially the pool. We enjoyed our evening there a lot, especially watching the sunset from our private balcony.

The pool, from the pool (yes I brought my camera in)

Before I go on, a word about Thai food. Every Thai dish (done well) is said to have all 4 flavors in one- sweet, spicy, sour, and salty. Sadly, a lot of Thai food did not agree with my stomach (I was actually out of commission for one day in Bangkok due to a bout of food poisoning. Mleh), however what I did eat I enjoyed a lot. As I mentioned earlier, it was so nice to well…. not eat Korean food. I can’t say I ever got used to Korean food or enjoy it at all. I certainly won’t miss it when I come home. Someone get me an actually delicious pasta dish please!! Despite my, erm, traveler’s problems, the food was one of the highlights of the entire trip. I looked forward to every meal.

After our relaxing stay at the Karon beach resort, we were off to the airport again for Bangkok. My feelings about Bangkok are like my feelings for NYC- it was fun for a few days, but I could never live there. I honestly didn’t have a fantastic time in Bangkok. By the time we got there I was starting to feel ready to go back to Korea, where I know my way around and how things go, and to see Val. Our first day wasn’t great- we got lost and ended up doing a lot of walking on a very hot day. We did get to see the flower market, though, which I was happy about. The vendors for tuk-tuks (those little open three-tire cars), taxis, restaurants, souvenirs, EVERYTHING, were so aggressive. We were constantly declining offers for everything imaginable, and it got old quick. Not to mention, at the beginning of the day we (almost) got scammed by this guy who at first was being helpful and showing us things to do near our hostel, but then we realized it was a scam later on- the tuk tuk he got for us would supposedly take us to a few places then back to the area our hostel was in, but instead it would take us to a store where we are expected to buy things. We had read about scams like these in our guide book, so once we realized it we got out of it. That was not a pleasant experience, and not a positive introduction to Bangkok.

The next day I was sick in bed the whole day. Our last day there, though, was definitely the best one. We went to Wat Pho, which houses an enormous gold reclining Buddha in addition to many other temples and Buddhist structures. It was really beautiful and I had a field day with my camera. At Wat Pho alone I took almost 200 pictures. Then we went to the Museum of Siam which was one of the coolest museums I’ve ever been to. If I ever go back to Bangkok again, I would want to go with someone who speaks Thai and knows their way around.

Despite those negative experiences, I still really did enjoy my trip. I got to do and see so much and check off yet another region of the world that I’ve been to. I also really liked spending time with my friends Blythe and Michelle. I think one of the best parts of the trip were all of the inside jokes we came out of it with. Those are sometimes the best part of vacations!

When we finally arrived back in Korea, Valery was at the airport with a sign that said “I miss you baby.” So sweet :)

I sort of missed Korea, which surprised me. Although as soon as I was back on Korean soil it was back to being stared at and being surrounded by grumpy people, it felt familiar. Huh. Who’da thought?

If you haven’t heard already, my flight back to the states is booked. October 10^th I will be back on American soil. Here goes my last month of teaching…

Love,

Mel

There's Good Stuff Too!

After reading my post about cultural frustrations, it would be rather safe for you to assume that I hate Korea. In fact, in that moment I was posting (OK, ranting), I probably did hate Korea. However, it is important for you to remember that those moments of, as I said, "full-throttle frustration", are not my only emotions. I want to tell you (and I want to remind myself) of the things that make living in Korea pretty great. Bare with me, as posts of this nature are as much for me as they are for you. As I struggle with the decision of whether or not to re-sign my contract for another year in Korea, writing blog posts in lieu of pro-and-con lists seems to be the most sensible way for me to work out my feelings. Also, they are interesting for you (I hope).

Keeping with the format of the other post, let's do this in list form.

1) Money. When you are earning as much as I am (or any other other foreign English teacher in this country), it is really easy to have fun and to also save money. In other words, life is comfortable, at least financially. Firstly, I get paid pretty big bucks and have great 'perks'. In addition to receiving a steady and decent salary, my apartment rent is paid for my by school, as is half of my medical insurance. That's right. My apartment is free.

Secondly, living expenses are pretty low here. Utility bills are (almost) always under $30. If you're eating out, food is cheap. Eating Korean or Chinese food is rarely over $8 per meal. This includes a large portion of whatever you've ordered (which comes in a jiffy), and unlimited side dishes like kimchi and sweet yellow radishes. Most of the time, it's cheaper to eat out than to buy groceries for a weeks' worth of dinner ingredients. If you go out to a "nice" restaurant -- meaning Western style food-- your meal will never be over $25. Granted, the Western food isn't very good. Well, scratch that. It's not good at all. But still, when you have a craving, it's nice to know that you can still "enjoy" it without having to splurge.

Looking good also doesn't hurt your wallet either. I got my hair done at the "expensive" salon in town and my haircut cost $15. When the ladies at work asked how much my new 'do costs, they were shocked that I had to pay 15 bucks for it. "Ohh, too expensive!" I just laughed and explained to them that in America, most haircuts at nice salons cost around $40. The salon at the American airbase in Songtan that we frequent has pedicures for $25, mani's for $10, and brow waxing for...wait for it.... $6. That is really the only beauty service that I can compare to the U.S. because it's the only one I do. If you've never seen salon prices in the U.S., allow me to explain. Take those numbers, mulitply them by 2 (or 3 for brow waxing). There you have average prices for those services. RIGHT?! Moreover, there are tons of markets around where you can buy cheap clothes, shoes, and accesories.

Medical care is mad cheap too. You're only out 2 or 3 bucks if you need Ibuprofen, or any other medication at the pharmacy. I spoke with someone who had to stay the night at the hospital after a car accident while in Korea. The price for his entire ordeal? 100 USD. Geez, I was in the emergency room for 3 hours a few years ago and had to shell out $700. Now I know we're getting jipped!

That being said, there are some things that are not cheap here. The must frustraing examples are: cocktails, bread, cheese or any other "Western" food product at the grocery store (Friggen' cream cheese costs $6 for a tiny tub), wireless internet, and sandwiches or any other baked good.

2) I cannot list the awesome things about Kore without a mention of the thriving metropolis of Seoul. Just one short bus or subway ride will get me to one of the world's largest, most fascinating, and modern cities. There are so many cool things to do in Seoul. Whether or not you want a little piece of home or an experience that is completly new and cool, you can find it in Seoul. Often, the challenge is finding out what and where those experiences are--you gotta make a bit of an effort to find English sources. There are tons of English news sources and even expat magazines that provide that info, you just gotta know where to look to find them.

I also gotta give a shout-out to my own city, Suwon. Despite living in the shadow of its bigger, cooler, more famous neighbor, Suwon does pretty well for itself. There are lots of cool experiences, especially when it comes to intenational food, to do in Suwon. Even more so than in Seoul, you need to know where to look because there isn't really any good English language sources for Suwon. Your best resource is other expats who have been in Suwon for a while. If you're living in Suwon, you'll likely learn about great places through Suwon vetrans, friends of friends, or a friend's co-worker's ex-colleague's boyfriend's Korean language class classmate's orienation roommate's co-teacher. Or something like that. As for me, I have been able to find some pretty great restaurants thanks to round-about suggestions like those. My friends and I frequent a tucked-away Indian restaurant that a friend of a friend discovered. Delicious, delicious food there. Apparantly there's also a great burger joint around my neighborhood that's been recommended to me by several people. A friend also recommended that Vietnamese shabu shabu I wrote about in a previous entry.

3) An international community. Thanks to the plummeting economies of the West, there is a bustling foreigner community in Korea of people who are to teach, study, or even work (usually at Samsung). In Suwon, the foreigner community is strong but few. As with finding stuff to do, finding people to do stuff with also requires a little bit of digging. I dug a bit and struck gold around December and have been rolling in it ever since. Thanks to many-an-outing to foreigner bars (there are a few in Suwon), chance encounters, friends of friends, and GEPIK orientation (which I blogged about here), etc, I'm meeting people from every corner the world. I have met people from South Africa,Germany, El Salvador, Sweden, Italy, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, England, Russia, Jordan, Canada, China, Columbia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Nigeria, Guatemala, Australia, New Zealand... I could go on forever. I've always loved meeting and befriending people from all over the world, and I was surprised how well I could do that here. Since we're all in the same shoes-- being foreigners in a place that is not always foreigner-friendly-- we stick together and always welcome newcomers.

4) My job. If you factor in how much I paid, my hours, and what is expected of me, this job is a dream come true. I know a lot of recent college graduates who would kill for a job like this. I try to remember that. In truth, I enjoy this job sometimes. I can't say that I love it. It has its moments, though. Some days are great. Most days are O.K. Some days are downright terrible. I don't want to do this job forever-- I know that. In this stage in my life, being able to live comfortably and save money at the same time is really great.

I realize that this is a conflict a lot of people encounter in their lives: stay at a job that you don't enjoy but pays well, or leave it in hopes of finding something better. Which will usually mean not getting paid what you would like to be paid. Readers: have you been in a situation like this? What did you do? What was your decision-making process like?

5) My friends. I don't need to explain much here. I have a number of really great friends here, and am always meeting new people. We have a great time together. It's our dinner dates, cocktail hours, weekend get-togethers, or extravagant weekend plans that get me through particularly frustrating days or weeks. I feel like I have a mini-family here, and they make life pretty great. Like I said, we're all in the same boat. It's comforting.

6) The boif. For those of you who aren't hip and 'with-it', or who are not a 14-year old girl, 'boif' is a cute, juvenile abbreviation for boyfriend. Just trying to lighten the mood before I go all mushy-gushy on you.

The main reason why Korea is pretty great to me is because Valery is here. He is the reason I came here in the first place, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. These 10 months we've spent FINALLY in the same place-- living together, traveling, trying new things, attending social events, becoming part of each other's friend groups-- has proved to me more than ever that he's "the-one" and that we have a real shot of doing this, like, forever. [Cue aaawwww's.] You know all that stuff I raved about how frustrating living in Korea can be? Well I forget all about that when he walks through the door and hugs me like he hasn't seen me in a year. (And remember I actually know what that feels like. It's like that every time, I swear.) If I've had an extra bad day, he's always a patient, supportive, and rational sounding board to my emotional rants. People search their whole lives for what we have, and we got it. And it is life's most wonderful gift. This time, I have a choice- I can stay if I want to. How can I even consider walking away, doing long distance for who knows how long?! So, you see my dilemma.

Oh, and August will be 2.5 years that we've been together. Holy crap.

Lastly, and probably most importantly: Experience. In these 10 months alone, I have felt myself becoming a stronger, more independent, more knowlegable, confident and well-rounded person. The experience of living abroad, teaching students, and navigating cultural barriers is the opportunity of a lifetime. I'm learning so much about myself here. I'm trying new things. I'm discovering new things in this country every day. I'm discovering what is and what is not important to me. I know this job is a stepping-stone to my bigger goals. The question is-- how long do you stay on a stepping stone?

I hope now you can see both sides of life in Korea. As with any foreign country, you have to take the good with the bad. The question is, can the good balance out the bad? I'd like to think so.

Thanks for reading.

La Vie, l'Amour, et l'Apprentissage en la Corée

Bonjour!

My blog is now bilingual! I recently decided to start a new project, just for fun. I will now be translating some of my blog entries into French and posting them on another blog. I actually set up this new blog last during my senior year of college for a French class which required me to blog in French as homework. The blog has been sitting untouched since my last homework assignment, but it will soon receive a makeover and some new content!

Though I've been in Korea for 10 months, my love for French remains strong. My French skill, unfortunately, does not. Valery and I practice speaking occasionally, but in an attempt to keep up my (almost) fluency and ease, I thought it would be fun to practice this way. Translating my own work into French will not only allow me to practice my writing and improve my mastery of the language, but will also (hopefully) expand my writing and insight on this experience to a new audience.

So, if you read/understand French, check out my translations at http://filleamericaneamefrancophone.blogspot.com/ (An American woman, a Francophone Soul).

Bisous!

-Melissa

Can I get an 'Oy Vey'?!

As a traveler, no matter where you are or how much you love where you are, you are bound to go through the I HATE THIS PLACE phase. Whether that phase lasts an hour, a day, a week, a month, a few months depends on the person and the place. When I was in Cape Town, that phase lasted for about 5 minutes. I recently entered this phase in Korea and have been raging with full-throttle frustration since. I can't exactly say when it started, or whether or not there was an occurance that set it off, but I just know that I suddenly felt the little frustrating things about being a foreigner in Korea being not so little anymore. I started to become uncharactaristically cynical, judgemental and short-tempered. My co-workers, whom I typically enjoy spending time with, suddenly became objects of my mental judgements and annoyed reactions that I'd mutter under my breath. (One nice thing about living in Korea is that you can easily vocalize those little mean or rude things you are thinking because no one will understand you.) It took me a while to actually realize that I was in this phase, and unfortunately I still am. Don't worry, I'm OK. I'm lucky to have many, many friends here who know exactly what I'm going through and with whom I can rant and rave with complete confidence that they understand. For all of you out there who aren't waygookins (foreigners), allow me to explain why I often think (and sometimes say), "KOREA WHY ARE YOU SO ANNOYINGGGG?!?!?! *%$#* $#^% @!$# *%#@"

1) As a foreigner in Korea, it's safe to say that you are almost constantly on display. Living in one of the most homogenous countries in the world, Koreans are surprised and fascinated when they see foreigners-- especially people at the two extremes of the age spectrum. Children will often point at you and shout, "waygookin!", as if you were an animal at the zoo. Of course it's hard to get angry at children (especially since I'm convinced Korean kids have an extra 'cute' gene in them--they are SO ridiculously adorable). Adults, however, are not adorable. They have a similar habit as their children to make a point of noticing foreigners, but instead they "point" with their eyes. Their expressions often have a hint of accusation, as if to say, "what are you doing here? you don't belong here...this place is for Koreans." The worst is the older folks. I will say on their behalf, however, that the Korea they grew up in was virtually foreigner-less. Only in the past 3-5 years, the number of foreigners living in Korea has sky-rocketed. So, now in their old age, they sort of have a legit excuse to be a little surprised and curious. That being said, I wonder if back in those days they were taught manners. I'm tired of getting 'elevator eyes' (looking someone up and down, head-to-toe and up again) from, like, EVERY person who sees me. The vertical shifty eyes are quick, often not lingering, but they're there. (I mean, have you ever had someone look you up and down and NOT notice?) I can sense the process of thoughts in their heads: 'Huh? Oh! She's a foreigner. Wow, look at her. How interesting. Let me look at her outfit and make judgements about it. MY EYES!!! She's not wearing stockings under her knee-length skirt. Oh, and her neckline goes below her collarbone. SLUT. Oh, look at how she walks. She can walk pretty well for a foreigner. That's amazing.'

Ok ok, maybe I'm taking this a little too far. But with the level of utter dumbfoundedness (is that even a word? My web browser is telling me it's not, but I can't think of another word to use...) with which people look at me, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what they're thinking. I can feel their eyes every moment they're watching. People literally stop walking in order to watch me go by. Didn't they learn that it's rude to stare? I'm not a circus animal for them to gawk at. I'm a human being. Don't they understand that? I mean, I understand the curiosity, but it's one think to look, another to gawk. Now that its summertime, I have found some solace in my sunglasses. Without my eyes visible, I am often mistaken for a Korean at first since my dark hair and short height match most Korean women (though the size of my chest or backside do not). I notice when I'm riding my bike or walking down the street while wearing my sunglasses, I don't receive lingering stares. It's so very nice.

When Valery and I are together especially, we receive many stares. Hardcore stares. People will stare at us as we walk toward them. We glare right back at them to challenge them, telepathically saying "what are YOU looking at?!". Often times, staring as we walk by isn't enough. They will stop walking and turn around to continue watching us as we walk away. Ugh. Really?!

This is something you sort of get used to after a few months here, but it doesn't really make it any more bearable. Most of the time, you tolerate it. Sometimes, like now for me, it infuriates you. I try not to think about it. I often find myself now avoiding eye contact with people. Which is so not me. BUT, staying true to form, I look for the positives in a negative situation. I've always thought of myself to be a confident person, but the demeaning looks I receive have done some damage to that. After a while I deciding I wasn't going to let that ruin me. So, I have adapted a new mindset. The idea is, people are going to stare at me regardless- I might as well do what I want. So now, no more itchy stockings after work. More experiments with different clothing styles (hats, layering, funky patterns, etc). More jamming to my iPod on the subway and bus. More tight-fitting jeans that show off my curves. I have to say, It is pretty liberating, so I guess it's blessing in disguise.


2) Stripper heels. I'm not sure why this bothers me so much, but Korean women wear HUGE high heels. Not just when they're going out for an evening outing. All the time, everyone. I find myself staring in disbelief at these 5, maybe even 6" heels on women whose jobs involve standing. Hairdressers, store clerks, etc. How do their feet not killing after 5 minutes in those shoes? The reason I call them stripper heels is because at home, the only women who wear heels that high are strippers (or women who want the same kind of attention as strippers get). Plus, when matched with mini-skirts (as they so often are) and Korean womens' beautiful, long legs, Korean women dressed like that look to me indecent. The worst part is that 80% of the women in these heels can't even walk properly in them. This was a sight I saw often at home, especially at night out in da clubs: women just shuffling their way from here to there, taking tiny steps because they can't straighten their knees all the way because their heels are too high. It's pathetic. Here's a little tip for choosing shoes: if you can't walk in them, don't wear them. Duuurrrr! Just today, when walking to the park, we passed a girl who was walking very awkwardly; it looked like she may have been injured somehow or maybe even slightly handicapped. On her feet were 3-inch stiletto-style heels. I couldn't believe it.

Don't have much of a positive light to shine on this matter, except that it makes me feel better about myself when I'm comfortably walking around in my flats while the Koreans stumble along in their monster heels. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I was trying to catch the attention of a Korean male, but I'm not. So, that's that.

3) As much as I'd like to think of myself as wordly and adventurous, I really don't like most Korean food. The reason being, that the majority of Korean food is spicy or exotic (to me) seafood. Eel, octopus, and squid are ingredients in regular meals- even school lunches. Now, when I say spicy, I'm not talking about food with a little kick that puts the cherry on top of a delectable bite. No, I'm talking about EVERYTHING- vegetables, meat, fish, and soup, all absolutely drowning in chili pepper paste. You can't get away from it. Koreans really like to eat things that are "good for your health", which explains why they love the chili pepper. However, it is literally the only spice they use. Salty foods are "bad for your health", so at school lunch, there is rarely a salty item. My rule of thumb for any item I see on the menu is- if it's red, it's spicy. This means I am usually left to choking down the spicy food (as my nose starts running--and its rude to blow your nose at the table in Korea), or resorting to eating solely rice for my meal. This explains why I gained a good 5 pounds since I've been here-- I've just been eating a lot of white rice! Nowadays, my spicy tolerance has increased just a bit, so I can enjoy some of the spicy vegetables, especially if they are cold. A cold vegetable salad of cucumbers and scallions is my favorite. That, or very thinly sliced kimchi (so I can eat only a little at a time). Granted, I do have to accompany any bite of these with a heap of rice, but hey...at least I'm improving!

On that note, we move on to point # 3.5.) Korea is a culture of food. So, it goes without saying, that as someone who doesn't like a lot of Korean food, it can be pretty frustrating. In Korea, when someone offers you food, you eat it. Even if it's not specifically offered to you, you eat it. Basically, if there is food in the same vicinity as you, you are expected to eat it. I went along with this at the beginning as much as I could. Even now, when I return to the office after a class and there is a rice cake (NOT delicious) on the desk for me, I kindly thank whoever put it there and put it in my purse "for later". The minute I get home, I throw it away or offer it to a student I see on my way out of work. Or there is ginger juice (yes, that exists. And it tastes and looks like dirt) on my desk. I take a sip and when no one is looking, I dump the rest in the water fountain and throw it away as if I finished it. For the sake of my taste buds and sometimes my health, however, I am put in an awkward situation where it's either eat something you don't want or refuse (and subsequently be considered rude). Now that I've started a mini-diet to shed the little "rice baby" that has been growing in me, this has become a bit more of a problem.

Other teachers or parents will leave some food in the office for people to share. Often, it is something sweet and fatty like birthday cake, nasty and Korean like rice cakes, or even something I like to eat like kimbap or fruit. When the food arrives (or when someone notices it), they go and eat it. I sometimes choose not to eat it because, well, I don't feel like it. A normal sentiment in America, where people choosing not to eat something is a personal decision. But in Korea, OY! Exhibit A. When I arrived at school this morning, there were grapes in the office. I like grapes, in fact they are good for me while I diet, but I had just finished scarfing down my breakfast, so I didn't eat any. The following is NOT a dramatization.
Colleague 1, the minute I sit at my desk: "Melissa, are you busy?"
"No, not really."
"Have some grapes."
(in my head) THANK YOU I SEE THEM I'LL EAT THEM IF I WANT THEM.
"No, thanks."
"Why?"
"Um, well, I just had breakfast, so I don't feel like eating anything right now."
*Confused, a bit offended look on colleagues face.*


30 minutes later, colleague #2: "Melissa! Have some grapes!!!"
"No, thanks. I don't want any right now."
"Don't you like grapes?"
(in head) ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?
"I do, I'll just have some later."
*Same, confused, offended expression*

You might be thinking, 'Melissa, just eat the damn grapes.' But this is a mild example, because it's often something I just don't enjoy eating. This happens on a regular basis, especially at meals. Exhibit B: Lunchtime. I always put kimchi (or any other spicy item) on my tray because if I don't people notice and ask me why I didn't take any kimchi (or other spicy item). I usually eat a bite or two, just so I don't feel totally bad about wasting it, but the rest of it I usually throw away. (And the environmental enthusiast in me squirms.) However, if someone notices that I'm not eating my kimchi, or spicy fish, or octopus, etc, they say, "Melissa, why aren't you eating your [kimchi]? Oh, maybe its too spicy for you. Foreigners don't like spicy food." So, now I represent ALL foreigners? Everyone. Everywhere. Did they already forget that the previous native English teacher, who was originally from Mexico, loved spicy food?! or, "Melissa, you don't like those (whole) little fishes on a pile on your plate? They are so delicious! It's such a great feeling when their little eyes bore into your soul while you pinch them with your chosticks. Try!" OK FINE I'LL EAT THE KIMCHI!!!

OK, that may have been a dramatization.

4) Koreans are shallow. I've mentioned this in previous posts, but the truth of this statement has become clearer and clearer the longer I've been here. So much in this society is based on looks and money. Did you know that when you send a resume to a company, you must send along your picture as well? I had to do the same thing when I applied to this job. Koreans base their search for a life parter on money. I didn't think this concept was so pervasive until after a few conversations with my co-workers. Nam teacher, the youngest one and the one who I'm closest with, is 29 and still single. Her love life often becomes the topic of conversation when we are out. I (half-jokingly) mentioned that I knew a very tall, handsome, sexy Korean man who dances (really, really good) salsa where I take lessons. The minute they heard 'dancer', though, they immediately said "Nooooo, no artists. Korean mothers do not like that. Samsung man. Yes! Samsung man is better! Very rich. No artists, not rich." Now, I know this is not just a Korean concept. But I consider these women my friends, and sometimes I forgot that they are Korean. These sensible, smart, modern women actually think like that? It reminded me how this way of thinking really does permeate into most people's perspectives. This part of Korean culture doesn't influence me as much as the previous ones, but it definitely adds to my frustration.

I can understand and appreciate the social importance of the Korean identity, food, and good looks have in this country. However, it's totally differnt thing to be in it. This is a lesson I've learned while I've been here. As a passionate anthropology major, I always prided myself in being able to easily accept and understand other societies' paradigms. It never occured to me, though, how different it is to be in that society. From the outside, I understand a lot about why things are the way there are. Its just difficult to be part of it. It doesn't feel right. It pulls me away from my comfort zone, my beliefs, what makes me me. Does that make me stubborn, ignorant, unadaptable? Deep down, am I as unaccepting and close-minded as I believe many Americans to be? This is the intellectual and personal struggle I'm enduring at the moment. What does it mean to be an American, a person for that matter, living in another country? Is it really possible to stick to my beliefs all the while conforming with the ones around me in order to fit in and not offend people? Is my defiance against some Korean customs the action of a close-minded traveler or of a strong, individual?


I don't want this entire entry to be a downer or intellectual crunch time. So, here are some quick, interesting updates from my everyday life :)

Val spent the month of June in Cameroon (hey that rhymes!), visiting his family. It was really hard being far away from him again, but at least this time it was just a month. He arrives back in Korea on Wednesday (the 29). I can't wait for him to be back! His presence always helps to sooth my frustrations. When he's around, everything is OK. Things are going great with us.

Also, I booked my big vacation. Blythe, Michelle, and I are going to Malaysia and Thailand for 10 days in August. WOOOOO! We leave August 10th. We'll spend 2.5 days in Kuala Lampur (Malaysia), 3 days in Phuket (Thailand), and 5 days in Bangkok.


Many of you have been asking me about when I'm coming home, and/or if I'm staying another year here after my contract ends October 1st. This is a quite a difficult decision for me, seeing as life in Korea is clearly very frustrating at times, though my friends are awesome, and of course the love of my life is here and will be for another couple years. I will announce my decision as soon as I make it. If I do decide to renew my contract, I'll be in the states for the entire month of October, and then will return to Korea to start work again in November. If I don't renew, I'll definitely be stateside for some time. What comes next is still in the works--I've got some (exciting) ideas floating around in my head, but aren't really ready to share them yet. Again, as soon as I I know, you'll know!

Thanks for reading, folks.

Bisous,
Mel

A Long Weekend of Pancakes & Festivals

I love long weekends. And springtime. Andfestivals. And friends. Luckily for me, the past few days have encompassed all of these! This week I have Monday and Tuesday off (5/8 and 5/9) for Buddha's Birthday, plus I had last Thursday off for another public holiday, Children's Day. Luckily, the weather has been very accommodating to our plans for these extra days of playtime!

Thursday, Blythe hosted a Pancake Party, with the help of my enormous bag of pancake mix I purchased from Costco way back when. Everybody hadthe day off, so we gathered at Blythe's and ate our hearts out, played games, got to know some new people while I flipped the pancakes. It was a beautiful day, so once everyone had finished their pancakes, eggs, and fruit we all headed to Manseok Park near Blythe's apartment to enjoy the beautiful weather we had that day. The group of 20-ish waygookins (foreigners) made quite a spectacle walking through the park, but we found a grassy spot to lay down our blankets and bask in the beautiful sunshine. It was such a great day of new friends, relaxation, and sun. Good times!

Pancake Party attendees all piled onto Blythe's bed. I'm way in the back corner.

Friday evening, Blythe, Michelle, and our new chingu (friend) Gina, who is Blythe's friend from Sacremento now teachingin Suwon also, decided to try out a new meal for dinner in nearby Hwaseo. After a recommendation from a friend, we decided we couldn't wait any longer to try these Vietnamese shabu-shabu spring rolls. Shabu-shabu is the mongolian stew with the very thinly sliced meat and veggies that you cook at the table in a delicious broth. At this restaurant, we made the shabu-shabu, then placed the cooked meat and veggies inrice paper and made our own spring rolls with ingredients like carrots, cucumbers, radish, sprouts, and lettuce. The waitress, recognizing our inexperience in making the spring rolls, showed us how to do it and even fed her example-roll to us! Needless to say, it was DELICIOUS. By far one of the best meals I've had in Korea so far/coolest things I've done in Korea. I will definitely be going back soon.

Vietnamese Spring Roll pre-rolled. Mashisoyo! =)

That brings me to the Buddhist Lantern Festival andParade in Insadong on Saturday, also on the top of my list of coolest things I've done in Korea. The festival was held at the Jogyesa Temple, one of the many Buddhist Temples in Seoul. We walked along lantern-lined streets from the subway station to the temple. Once we arrived we saw that a roof had been created by lanterns that stretched across the entire grounds of the temple. The temple was decorated on the inside as well, and when you looked in you could see people praying. It started getting dark, so we went to stake out a spot for the parade. We were able to find an AWESOME spot to watch the incredible, hand-made lanterns parade by us. The parade itself was very festive, with musicians, colorful Korean traditional clothing, and people and lanterns by the thousands. What an incredible experience I was able to have there.

Street lined with laterns

Canopy of lanterns outside the temple

My festival-ing continued the following day when Gina & I checked out the Street Arts Festival in Ansan, a city about 40 minutes of Suwon. Once again the weather accommodated our day outdoors, spreading sunshine across a clear blue sky. It was the official initiation of sandal and skirt (without leggings under) season for me! Gina & I perused the booths of hand-made jewelry and clothing and enjoyed a few clowning/miming/mask performances at the festival. We returned to Suwon in the early evening each with some new jewelry and unique dresses from Turkish vendors at the festival. Fantastic! Once we were back in Suwon, the day was not over for me as I went home to quickly change into pants and was en-route again, this time to Itaewon (the foreigner district of Seoul). I took the hour + 10min journey from Suwon (bus from my apartment to a subway stop in the outskirts of Seoul where I can catch Line 4, which goes straight towards Seoul, a transfer to line 6 to Itaewon) to meet Val & his friends at a bar after a Cameroonian Society meeting. After making my rounds and saying hi to the others there, Val and 5 of his friends and I decided to go dancing in Hongdae, a university area about 20 min away by subway. We ended up going to the same place I went for New Year's Eve, and it was just how I remembered it-- crowded and bad music. Oh well, it was fun to spend a night with my "boys". We got home around 2:00am and crashed.

Monday was spent at Suwon Station with Blythe and Michelle. We got lunch at our favorite Indian/Turkish food place, then took advantage of the rainy day and went to the movies. The only English movie that had showings around the time we were there was Source Code, an action movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal (hey, I spelled his name right the first time!). It was OK. The ending kind of sucked. After the movie we got coffee at a little cafe nearby- Cafe Soho. After warming up a bit I braved the rain to get to the bus stop and went home. Monday evening and all day Tuesday were spent at home, relaxing with Val. Aaaah. Now that's what vacation is all about.

That's enough for you to digest for now. More to come!

Love,

Mel

UPDATE: Pics are now up on Facebook. For those of you who are not on Facebook, you can see the pics here:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.577878385216.2082511.29503208&l=12ad3ff53e

The Adult in the Room

안영! (Anyeong = Hi!)

It was time for a makeover. You likey?

The past few weeks have been super busy for me. Work has been wearing me out now that I’m teaching a conversation class in the morning (8:05-8:50) Mon-Thursday, and also teaching an advanced speaking class on Monday and advanced essay class on Thursdays after school. The students’ behavior has gotten a little worse now that their finally settled into the school year routine, plus midterms are coming up (already) in two weeks. The good news for me is, though, that while the students are preparing for midterms next week, I won’t be teaching them at all. Not even my extra classes. Then of course the following week will be exam week so I won’t be teaching then either. So, I have a 2 week break from teaching. I still have to come into work every day, but this will give me plenty of time to relax and to plan for the rest of the year. I’m also excited to have time to catch up on all my T.V. shows since the internet’s been down in my apartment. Gotta find out if Kasia makes it through next panel on Top Model. Will House and Cuddy (spelling?) get back together? What mystery did Castle and Beckett solve last week? What ridiculousness did the Walkers get themselves into this time? What kind of sick criminal did Stabler, Benson & co catch this time? Such questions have been burning in my brain for the past few weeks.

Moving on to more important matters...

I think my teaching has improved. This week I have my open class, which means that the VP and other English teachers from the school come to my class and evaluate my teaching. I am nervous, but I did a test-run earlier this week and it went well. When I mentioned to my co-teachers that I was nervous, they all assured me that I shouldn’t be because my teaching and lessons are always great. It feels good to know that people who have actually studied to be teachers and have a lot of experience think that I can hold my own. I’m relieved about the timing of my open class also—it will be over with by my 2-week “break” so I won’t be fretting over it for all of that time.

The more situations I encounter here the more I learn about the Korean teaching, student, and school culture. I don’t know why I’m still surprised by my students’ extremely low self-esteem level, but 2 weeks ago I had an interesting experience. After none (out of 40) of my 8th grade students raised their hand to answer a simple question (that I know they all knew the answer to already), Cho Teacher asked me over lunch not to ask students to raise their hands for answers. It is better, she said, to ask the class as a whole and have them shout out answers to me. When I inquired why, she said that the smarter students are very shy to raise their hand and answer correctly because if they do, they will get beat up in the hallway by the other students who are jealous. I mean, that happened when I was in middle school and high school but the teachers didn’t give in to that! Wouldn’t you think that the teachers would want to find a way to prevent the beatings instead of not wanting students to work to their highest potential in class? I was so frustrated and confused when she said that to me.

In comparing the middle and high schools I attended and Korean schools, another big difference here is that there is no hallway monitoring. Teachers do not stand in the hallways to be sure that things like that don’t happen. So, as you can imagine, walking through the hallway is an adventure. Koreans in general do not watch where they are going. This fact is very clear anytime you walk on the street, in the subway station, etc. Getting bumped into or zig-zagging/dodging your way towards to subway or to the crosswalk are daily occurrences. So, as Koreans, Sannam Middle School students do not seem aware of anyone else besides the people they are talking to when they are in the hallway. It is very frustrating. This is terrifying when you’re carrying your laptop, full coffee mug, and papers in the hallway en route to your classroom and are dodging students who are sprinting, chasing each other down the hallway, playfully (or not so playfully) shoving each other, flying out of their classrooms into the hallway, shouting, running up and down the stairs, etc. I never felt so much like an “old” adult until I realized how much energy these “kids” have.

I also never realized how much being the adult in the room (literally) has revealed my ability to be stern, aggressive, and sooo not doubtful of myself. If you doubt yourself often or have self-esteem issues, put yourself in front of 40 foreign teenagers in a classroom and be in charge. Your inner adult will really come through. Today in my class, while playing a game that involves a little bit of running, two 6th grade boys got into a fist fight. While running to their tables to dictate a sentence to teammates, Boy A shoved Boy B, who threw a punch in response. Soon Boy B was punching Boy A in the head and shoulders and Boy A was shoving him back in defense. Before I knew it I was grabbing Boy B by the waist (he was taller than me) and pulling him away from Boy A. He got away so I grabbed him again and shoved him hard towards his chair, yelling angrily and sternly (never heard myself so angry before) SIT DOWN IN YOUR SEAT RIGHT NOW. He paused as if he was going to, then lunged towards Boy A again. This time I grabbed his vest but it slipped out of my hands. I then wrapped both hands firmly around his wrist while (FINALLY) my co-teacher came over and the two of us managed to ‘herd’ the fight to the hallway where they calmed down and my co-t gave them a talking-to. That’s all she did, I would have liked a harsher punishment, especially since they completely ignored me (even when I was physically stopping them) and completely disrupted the class. Huff. Raging hormones. I never thought I’d see the day when I’d be the one to break up a fight of 2 teenage boys. Like I said—the role of “adult in the room” really gets to ya.

Outside of work, life is good. I’m meeting more and more new people with every outing and seeing new things. Last weekend we had beautiful spring weather (close to 70 degrees). Friday night I had dinner and drinks with Nam Teacher and Hyung Kyung (a new teacher at the school who co-teaches with me). Saturday, after Mexican food and Coldstone in Itaewon, I went to Myeongdong in Seoul with Michelle, Blythe, and new friends Gina and Jamie. Myeongdong is a popular shopping area near center Seoul where you can find stores like Forever 21 and H&M. The Forever 21 there was 4 stories. 4 stories of cheap, cute, stylish heaven. 3 hours shopping and less than $150 later, I walked out of there with 8 new work-appropriate spring wardrobe items. We then headed to H&M where I was able to find 2 pairs of jeans. Woooowoo! I hadn’t been shopping since I got here. It was such a fun girls’ afternoon.

I'll stop there. More to come in the next 2 weeks when I'll be bored at work!

Hope you are all doing well. I miss my homies. Don't forget to update me on your lives!

Love,
Melissa

New School Year

Wow, it's been exactly a month since I blogged last. As you might have guessed, my lack of blogging recently is due to school starting up again and my work schedule making me very busy! So I’ll cover all the basics to catch up my loyal blog readers (and random stumblers-upon).

This year is incredibly busy. On average I teach 4 classes a day. This week I started the after-school classes (advanced speaking on Monday and advanced essay writing on Thursday) and starting next week, I will be teaching a conversation class every morning before classes start. Unlike last year, my 6^th grade classes are divided by level. Hallelujah! This makes planning my lessons much more efficient and teaching them even more so. My higher-level students are wonderful and so attentive in class. They willingly participate and they laugh at my jokes. Finally! Just what I imagined teaching would be like. So, those classes are a treat. As for the lower-level classes, they are more like my classes last year- very talkative, un-attentive and frankly, rude. I am often frustrated after those classes, however since I know they are lower level I can adjust my lesson plans to their level. I think I am partially to blame for their un-attentiveness. Perhaps I need some more work on making more interactive, interesting lesson plans. I do what I can. After every class I evaluate how it went and try to modify my lesson plan. Already this week I’ve changed my lesson plan a lot! My 8^th graders in class are somewhere in-between the two. They are more eager to interact with me as they come into class but as soon as class begins they are very shy to participate. Also, the 8^th graders are not divided by level, so teaching those classes are difficult for me. With the regular teaching hours and the extra classes, my days fly by and I’m very tired by the end of it. Overall, I am enjoying this year more than last year. I like that I could establish my own classroom setting instead of stepping into someone else’s and trying to do my own thing. I think this has helped the students feel more comfortable with me. Most days, two 6^th grade girls, Annie and Leah, come see me during lunch. Sometimes they want help with their homework, sometimes they want me to teach them French, other times they just want to chat. Sometimes they bring their friends to come hang in the English room with me. It feels nice to have fans hahaha. They are very sweet girls and I enjoy their visits! Now that I can read Korean, I’m also starting to actually remember students’ names when they tell me hahaha.

Next week I am teaching an April Fool’s Day lesson. I’m giving my students a fake test and telling them it’s super important for their grades. The test is totally bogus—multiple questions with no right answers, ridiculously hard questions, etc. At the bottom of the page it says “this test is a joke!” I’m telling them they must read the whole test before they start taking it, that way they’ll see that it’s a joke before they get too freaked out! The week I’m teaching them text message slang, then the next week I have to teach my open class. An open class is when other native teachers come watch me teach and evaluate me. I’m really nervous and need to start planning for it soon. I think it will be really nerve-wracking, but I chose my best class to be the one I teach for the open class. I’ll be glad when it’s over.

A few weeks ago, I started taking salsa lessons at this salsa studio in Suwon called Turn. After meeting the owner of the studio, Rex, at The Big Chill (foreigner bar in Suwon I frequent) and spontaneously salsa dancing with him, I found out that they offer lessons on Wednesdays for only 7,000 won (7 bucks) a week. Glad to finally find a dance class opportunity in Suwon, I started going to the next week. Tonight will be my 4^th week. The first two weeks I was in the beginner class, but by the 3^rd week Rex told me that I should join his intermediate class, that happens simultaneously. Everyone at Turn is very friendly and most of the people who go there speak English (including Rex and the other teacher Anu Pmark who is from Thailand). I already feel like part of the Turn family even after just a couple of weeks! They also have free dance/practice nights every day. I usually try to go on Sundays.

Weekends have been fun. My birthday was very special- it made me realize how many friends I have here. I had dinner with Val, Blythe, and Michelle, then met some friends at The Big Chill. The next day was the Saint Patrick’s Day Festival (organized by the Irish Association of Korea? Yup, that exists) in Seoul. I went with friends there and just hung out and listened to a U2 cover band and watched my friends day drink. The festival was OK, but I did get to meet some new people and then have a DELICIOUS Mediterranean dinner at Petra, the middle-eastern restaurant in Noksapyeong. Noksapyeong is one subway stop from Itaewon, the foreigner district in Seoul. I ordered the lamb couscous. YUMMY IN MA TUMMY. We went back to Noksaypeong the next weekend for Vietnamese food, which was delicious also. I ordered pho, a noodle, meat, and veggie soup in a deliciously spiced broth.

Yesterday I went to Madeline, a hair salon chain with locations all over the place, to get a major haircut. Even though my Korean is pretty much non-existent, I figured I would be able to communicate to them that I just wanted it cut—no style change or anything. I was wrong. When I got there the woman gave me a book with pictures of women’s hairstyles (all modeled on Korean women, of course) and wanted me to choose one. I tried to tell her charades-style that none of these would work on my hair since it’s naturally curly, but to no avail. So I eventually put my faith in her and let her choose one for me. She cut it uber short and I sort of look like Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men. Ha. Oh well.

Well, that’s all there is to report, really. Thanks for reading!

Cheers,
Melissa Teach-a