clocked out.

Today was my last day of work at Gyeonggi English Village, South Korea where I have been for the past three and a half years. Not only is three and a half years a really long time to meet amazing people and form incredible friendships, but when you live and work in a place so foreign, the people and work around you really do become your home and family. I clocked out for the final time today at 6pm. 

The clock-out machine is a fingerprint scanner. My fingerprints are always very difficult to read. (I could totally rob a bank. {and as of now I am also unemployed... mmm... accomplice....anyone?}) Here is a random (pretty dark) vid of my final clock-out of South Korea. The machine fails me a few times "WARNING WARNING" and then.... "Goodbye".

i sobbed.

it's just one of those things.

i will miss you SoKo

farewell

I am leaving Korea soon and have been pretty busy with the packing/sorting out my life/making travel plans/ organising flights/bank accounts etc. Today is actually my last day teaching in Korea. (yip, as of 6pm Korean time today - I will be unemployed. {someone hire me} SOBS). Anyway, last Saturday I was sitting on my couch watching TV packing up my room like I should be and in bursts Nicole with the following emergency:

CHE! COME QUICKLY! MY WASHING MACHINE IS FLOODING MY APARTMENT! THERE IS WATER EVERYWHERE!! PLEASE HELP ME!! HURRY!!!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!?!?

Now, Nicole lives upstairs in the same apartment building as I do and I have experienced this EPIC WASHING MACHINE CATASTROPHE previously. It is NOT fun.



Think FLOODING. Think MONSOON-TIDAL-WAVE-FLOODING. Now, of course, since i know the epic damage a jerky-washing-machine causes, i am READY. I will TAKE DOWN that washing machine for my friend Colie. You, washing machine, YOU messed with the WRONG lady.

yip. Colie's apartment. 

filled with all my most lovely friends.

ALL of them.

All come to say farewell to me on my next adventure.

yes.

i realise this is not the most ideal reaction for a surprise party (and it was certainly a HUGE surprise - i had NO idea and kudos to Nicole {and everyone} for keeping it that way), but sometimes when so many wonderful people make such an effort to do something so lovely for you, It's all just a bit overwhelming.

I spent the next hour and a half simultaneously laughing and crying.

Which, might I add, is an incredible talent:

It was an amazing evening spent with all the wonderful people I have met in my three and a half years teaching in South Korea. Thank you Nicole for organising such a special send-off. I appreciate it more than you know.

Below you can see a few pics of me looking the most beautiful with snot and tears coming out my puffy-red-face. SOBS.

Thank you so much my lovely chingus

You humble me with your kindness.

I will miss you all incredibly.

pepero

Pepero is a Korean "love-candy". They are chocolate covered wafer sticks that are given out on "Pepero Day" which is 11/11. It's the Korean version of Valentine's day and it's chosen to be celebrated on November 11 (11/11) because the "ones" look like the little chocolate Pepero sticks. As you can imagine - today being 11/11/11 things right now are OFF. THE. HOOK. I heard pregnant Korean women are asking for their babies to be induced today so that they have the epic-millennium-pepero birthday. Also the packaging for the Pepero this year is super awesome. I looked like a real creep in the store taking a bajillion pics of all the lovely Pepero boxes.

A few pretty Pepero sticks on weheartit

Convos with kids

Conversations with Korean kids:

Me to 5 year old Korean kid: What's your name?
Kid: SHARK!
Me: Shark? Your name is Shark?
Kid: OK TEACHER!! ... and... teacher... I like cheese!
Me: ...um..... HIGH FIVE!

* * *

Me (teaching banking vocab): When we put money...
(Interupting Korean kid): "SHOW ME THE MONEY!"
Me: ... ok...ok...very funny... When we put money IN the bank we say "deposit" So when we take money OUT the bank we say...
Korean Kid: OUTDEPOSIT!
Me: yeah. good try.

* * *

Me (teaching environmental issues - showing a picture of a hunter and a tiger skin): What can you see in this picture? What animal is it?
Korean Kid:... um..well... teacher (makes slitting motion over neck).. that is a die-ger.
Me:.... mmm... yip... you're right. absolutely.

* * *

Me to 12 year old Korean kid: How old are you?
Kid: I am twenty!
Me: Don't you mean...
Kid: Oh! teacher! Sorry!! Sorry!! I make mistake!! ...I am.... twen-teen
Me: Got it.

* * *
And my favourite conversations...

yip.

 it just happens.

k POP.

Two more reasons why we love Korea.


ahem, a few extracts and a loose translation:

I am the best
I am the best
I am the best
I am the best
Whoever looks at me can see I’m kind of a killer
alright
This body is second to no one
alright
Whoever looks at me can see I’m kind of fabulous
alright
Even if you were me, you’d be envious of this body
alright
I refuse to be compared
I’m telling you the truth
If we’re talking about my value, 
I’m a Billion dollar baby.

3 YEARS

As of today I have been living in South Korea for 3 years. Wowzer time flies. My original plan was to be here for one year only - and even before I left South Africa the first time, I went into mild panic...

A WHOLE YEAR!!?! THAT'S SUCH A LONG TIME!!!

Turns out a whole year is not such a long time and in any case, (according to BBC's four-part documentary on time) your perception of time gets shorter and shorter as you get older.

Anyway I fell in love with Korea - with the people, the awesome "i-don't-really-care-what-you-think" fashion sense (<-- i am a huge fan of this), the stationery (gaaaah, the stationery!!!), the multiple cute and cosy cafes, Seoul - in general, the Konglish (Korean/English mash-up), the strange-grocery store ingredients, the food, the Korean kids, my Korean co-teachers, the creative opportunities this place has given me and the wonderful friends that I have made from all over the world whilst living here for the past three years.

Even although there are times when communication is TOUGH. (and I mean tough.) and the cultural differences are DIFFERENT (what? - you don't put tomatoes in your fruit salad?) and I have had SEVERE hair-dye FAIL (on numerous occasions), I still love Korea.

and i will forever.

Thanks SoKo for the past three years. it's been real.

good engrish, very pretty, i like.

Before I came to Korea, I was madly obsessed with obscure and weird english-mash-ups -  You know the kind of random Chinese/english junk you find in those obscure 'South-African-Asian' stores with really fancy names like "Jessica's Fashions" or "HappyBuy" with Asian owners who don't really understand you, but anyway they cram you into a tiny photobooth, with rabbit ears, big sunglasses and furry Russian hats to take pictures that are printed on small stickers that say HAPPY TOGETHER!

... just me then?... oh, ok.

anyway, I digress. Let's keep it simple.

Me  = LOVE RANDOM ASIAN ENGLISH.

as you can imagine, since coming to Korea, for me it is like Asian-English HEAVEN. (insert chiming bells noise now). I absolutely LOVE the konglish that is just ALL over the place here.  

For example, it even occurs in our day-to-day teaching. As it did with Kristi today:

it kills me.

Anyway, these pics are taken from an old facebook album of mine, so I thought I would share:

"a simple gesture a single movement the word, a look. sometimes these disappoint me greatly, but most of the times they are very moving to a realistic dreamer like me i am dreaming of you in my own fantasty. Thank you for dreaming together."

so deep, so moving, so simply LYRICAL.

it most certainly does.

this doesn't need any explaining.

yes, indeed we are.

i will have you know, there are several of these bars. Ho Bar I, Ho Bar II, Ho Bar III, you get the idea...

"Love is... with palpitation just like the first time with the consistant heart all the time you will be my only love forver... STARM"

LOOK! it's my konglish-name in the middle! and we are tied together with Hearstrings!

this shirt is PERFECT if your name is Shae and you have two sisters tied together with heartstring, one named Sarah and one named Susan! 

and if not,

well,

i guess then that's a bit tricky.

BBQ pork libs omelet is DELICIOUS.

Marital harmony a glutinous rice cake.

i can't explain this.

because... i just. dont. know. how.

i love a good prece.

that's what you always want.

and the final picture, is truly the crowning glory. Found on a small kids t-shirt in a Dongdaemun shopping market. The picture is blurry, which is probably a good thing. (I have a clearer one if you'd really like it) And i'm not even going to caption it, i'm just going to let you all figure it out.

that's all.

Pupils and Piercings...

Korean kids usually freak out when they see anyone who has eyes that aren't dark brown, now couple this with blonde hair.... and a nose-ring:

then i usually try and explain by comparing it to an earring...

get your nose pierced.

just kidding.