STUDENTS!!!

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Hello, all!

After nearly 3 months of waiting, next week English Village will have students! I'm so excited! Next week is going to be a big one for me because not only am I working Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but I have students (which is why I can't take vacation on Christmas), AND I'm going to have an international visitor. Spencer will be here to celebrate Christmas with me! It's going to be really nice to have someone from home for the holiday. I think we are going to the Seoul Lights Festival on Friday night for Christmas. It should be very pretty.

A few more milestones are coming up, too! I've officially completed half of my contract, which means that I'll be home in about 6 months. I'm going to try my hand at making Christmas sugar cookies for the first time. Also, I'm throwing a party the day after Christmas. It was originally going to be an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party (oh, like you don't have one! Everyone has two things in their closets - skeletons and embarassing holiday attire). Now, due to my global community full of different belief systems and clothing styles and also in honor of the horrendous "fashion" in this country, I am calling it the Ugly Holiday Attire Party. This change, I have to admit, was inspired by what is quite possibly the most horrifying and embarassing vest ever mass-produced. It's a silk vest covered in Looney Tunes characters and Christmas tree ornaments. Also, it was picked out by Grandpa Darryl. I'm ever-so-appreciative, even if it isn't the coveted Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReinBeer sweater that he wears for Christmas every year. Thanks, Grandpa! 😊

Also, I'm finally going skating in the giant outdoor skating rink outside of City Hall in Seoul. I'm aiming for this Sunday, but that all depends on whether this cold subsides by then (both the weather and my incessant stuffiness and sore throat). I'm very excited about it. I'm even taking the awesome figure skates that Eugene got me for my birthday. Woot!

The big apartment is really starting to feel homier. I've hung up some lights in honor of the holiday, but knowing me I would wager they will probably stay up for a while. I also bought a cheap rug, but it's purple and fuzzy. I really like it and it helps out with the monotonous EV color scheme.

If anyone would like to talk to me on Skype on Christmas or any other time, or if you just want me to call you, you HAVE to email me and tell me when is going to be good for you. I had to deal with a lot of angry people around my birthday and Thanksgiving. Sorry y'all, but I'm not going to spend important holidays camped out around my computer at insane hours waiting for you to answer a phone, nor will I spend any time at all ever as subject to ridiculous guilt trips because I didn't call you on (insert occasion here). I assume that you will be busy on these occasions unless you make an effort to tell me otherwise. Furthermore, please don't expect that anytime that is good for you will automatically be okay for me. If you ask me to call you at 1pm your time because that's when you have a lunch break, chances are I'm not going to call you because that's 3am for me. Know what I mean? Just let me know and I'll work something out with you. I promise. I do miss and love you all dearly and I want to talk to you. Meet me halfway on this.

Okay, that's my rant. I'm done now. 😊

I'm learning how to do things in this job that I never really thought would be a part of my career description, but I love it. For example, I never thought that learning how to make balloon animals would be a must, but I spent a solid two days mastering how to make flowers, teddy bears, swords, mice, dragons, giraffes, etc out of balloons. I had a blast doing it, too! Other new experiences involve deciphering English words written in Korean text, making velcro balls out of tin foil and masking tape, creating a zombie survival guide, learning to knit a hat, and mastering dances to various K-pop and Hannah Montana songs. Don't tell anyone about that last part, okay?

That pretty much covers the goings-on around here for now. I'll keep you all posted. Email me!

Lovelovelovelovelovelovelove!,
Meg

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