4/05

Starting my fourth month now. I think I'm starting to get into a grove. This week has been good. Weeks pass by like nothing. Its alway friday before I can change my pants. Then its alway monday before I can put them back on...not literally. But it flies by. I am happy to say I have a real desk now. I am here typing in the corner of my apartment. This has been my night... 1. rearranging the room with the new furniture, 2.making and eating a nice bowl of spaghetti, 3. typing up a worksheet for my 3 oclock class, 4. preparing for other classes, 5. wtching the daily show, 6. writing a small composition for my new online Arabic class. In case your wondering some things I get into on weeknights. Its really nice with this desk. I feel like i have much more room, and that its being effeciently utilized. Today was Korea's arbor day. I planted seeds with all my students and got many pictures. Its pretty crazy how many trees have been going in at the nearby park. It looks funny with all the stabilizing poles.

Most mornings the past few weeks as I walk to work I have passed groups of old ladies who seem to be hand airating the ground. Its an interesting sight at 8 in the morning. I'm wondering where they're from and how they come upon such an activity. How are they paid... is this a yearly deal? I don't know. I don't have a lot of cultural advisors to teach me about the bottom of the Korean economic system.

I am starting to be recognized as a regular at several shops/ markets/ restaurants. If I could speak better Korean I would feel better about these relationships. There's a lady at one restaurant I visit at least twice or thrice weekly who I might call my Korean mother. She always goes out of her way to take care of me and two other teachers who frequent her place with me. She knows what we want and always gives us an extra roll of gimbap...basically sushi. I'm also a weekly regular at a stand for these little rice cakes. Two weeks ago the lady there had my order ready before I walked to her stand. Its a good feel. No matter how strange you are (myself a tall, big nosed miguk saram[american]) its always nice to be known and familiar to someone.

Ill try to be more on the ball here. Hope you are all doing well. Thanks for reading. Im not sure who is, but its flattering that you do. Peace.