So it is the most wonderful time of the year. No really, ask anyone. Well, anyone who has spent an October or even a November in Korea. Autumn is absolutely amazng. Even today, as the snow that has been collecting dirt on the sides of the slushy roads in Calgary melts on a rare temperate November afternoon, the leaves (some still completely green and lush) cling tightly to the branches of the big, protective trees that line every "heavenly" street in Bundang. They say Bundang means "under heaven" in Korean. If you can't get to heaven yet, the next best thing [View Full Entry]

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OK, I knew I always wanted to be a teacher during the holidays, but this was something else. First of all, it is safe to say I will have a hard time thinking kids back home are half as cute as a school full of Koreans dressed up as various idols from Western pop culture. Second of all, today is the day I learned just how fabulous my kids really are. They are, by far, the coolest kids in Korea....that is NOT a biased opinion. I swear. They were a RIOT! they always are, but totally, utterly priceless today. Really. I [View Full Entry]

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I won't give a big speech. All I will say is, YAY! My poor children are bearing the brunt of my obsession. But they are loving it. They are brilliant little apprentices. Check out the video. [View Full Entry]

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OK, so I have a problem. I have a lot of problems...this I am starting to realize. Maybe I should quit the obsessions and take a look at why I am having them? But obsessing is so much fun! Hockey starts on Friday, which does not leave a lot of room for anything else in my obsessive little heart, so Everland today was probably the perfect time to go. I gave er my all. It was an excellent day, and I am grateful for the fact that Katie was with me to gorge on all the candy and churros and burgers [View Full Entry]

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I do acknowledge that Thanksgiving has become, as of the past few years, a small dinner, a small moment of gratefulness for family, and good food, and a day off. The hoopla it may have once held, or may hold for other families, has dwindled for our family...and by that I mean that we have accepted it as a wonderful excuse to cook a turkey, and actually sit down at the dinner table together. It is not a large gathering of friends and family...it is not an excuse to overdo it on wine and tell embarassing stories to members of your [View Full Entry]

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What I really needed was a little traditional Korean spontenaity. That is exactly what I got. My role that day was to be tour guide...bring the new guys to the oh-so-wonderful Emart for a shopping spree. But I really wanted to wander around Seoul, really really badly, that afternoon. Afterall, Emart isn't going anywhere. And it is local, only a short jaunt down the road...that can be accomplished anytime. Anyway, I knew the boys would be in for a little sightseeing. Who wouldn't be, it's Insadong...and it was an amazingly beautiful day. No day to be fighting the bargainhunter crowds, no [View Full Entry]

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I think life is a constant flux of emotion. I don't think this really needs to be mentioned. However, it is those moments when the emotions plateau at an altitude that lets you appreciate fully how lucky you are, in that particular part of your life, to have the benefits and opportunities you have only for that specific time and that specific place. Walking has been the saving grace for my experience here. And I really don't mean to be melodramatic, but simple exploratory exercise in a place like Bundang gives a person a whole new (or repetitive) appreciation for the [View Full Entry]

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Though it shouldn't be, it is safe to say that blogging when you are away become a significant chore at times. There is no real creative inspiration fueling my words, and my entries become dull, tedious, lacklustre. For that I apologize to all my many admirers (...sigh....I think I heard an echo at the end of that sentence, the sound of an empty audience) for my unstimulating digressions. The problem is that the photos I take spastically at all times of the day pile up so quickly, and the process of transferring them onto the internet is so agonizing, that when [View Full Entry]

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Rough. There really isn't any other way to put it. So many people I love have left me this month I feel, as Jen put it, like I am being punched int he stomach over and over again. You think when you leave Calgary that your "goodbyes" are behind you until you go home and the "hellos" begin. But alas, Korea is all about goodbyes. In fact, you say so many that you evenutally start turning off the emotions all together and hiding away from everyone. I have been good lately though. I have gotten my ass out of the apartment [View Full Entry]

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So in all honesty I really debated the sanity I had when I agreed to do this camp. Fortunately it turned out to be not only worth every second of "work" time for the free everland ticket, but going to see a light parade, a laser show, riding rides, and and eating candy is A THOUSAND times better with kids than without. It gave Everland the quality it was lacking last time...a child's awe. I loved it so wuch. FABULOUS way to spend the weekend, even if i didn't get a break from kids......... [View Full Entry]

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