what teaching has taught me so far....

It's almost my 4 month anniversary in Seoul which is crazy to think I've been here for that long! Anyways tomorrow is my last teaching day for the year and Sunday I leave for my Thailand/Malaysia/Singapore adventure and I could not be more excited to be traveling. Not only is Seoul freezing but the travel bug has not let me go so getting away will be a much needed refresher. The past 2 weeks have not been easy times to teach with Christmas and holidays stuff happening its just been insane. On top of that there was Christmas shopping and my birthday and our silly sunday or working....like I said I need this break! Anyways I am utterly exhausted and have yet to sleep a full night this week. Mostly I can't stop thinking about all the things I have to do OR what I am forgetting to pack. All this changes sunday morning when I leave and I don't have anything to think about but what's right infront of me for 2 whole weeks...amazing!!

Anyways today while my kids were doing crafts I realized that the past 4 months have really flown by and that soon enough it'll be 8 months and then 12 and I'll be going home but before I get ahead of myself with thinking I really spent the most of one of my classes pondering me as a teacher. I don't know if I'm a good teacher, I hope I am, but I have days where I just feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and says where I feel like I'm not getting anywhere but most of the time I have fun days where I love my kids and am so happy with my job and where I am.

I've learned alot the past few months about the amazing things that teaching allows you to do and how there are so many reasons why I have one million times more respect for those who choose to devote their lives to teaching. Ok so that was the deep part of my message but the next part is going to be a little silly because the things I love about teaching are probably not the most important things:

• Remember when you were young and having a really good sticker collection and being able to colour completely in the lines was the coolest thing ever....well that's cool again when you teach younger kids. Being able to colour well and having lots of colourful and fun stickers makes you a good teacher. The same goes for being able to complete a wordsearch quicker then anyone(about the only thing I'm good at) and having candy...all these things will make you a popular teacher no matter what you're saying :)
• There are times when I get really tired...ok well this happens often actually, and I have zero energy for my mental 3 year olds right in the morning in my Moms and Tots class. Then when I walk in the door and they all come running for you saying "teacher teacher" there's really no better feeling. The youngest ones are the easiest and the most difficult to win over, either they like you or they don't! For the longest time I didn't think I was good with little kids but really all the want is to play, to see you smile and to be loved and really that's what anyone wants right! They are so simple, they cry over everything, they're invincible to pain, they judge you based on how good you can make a craft or how well you know a song, and they follow you around wanting to know what you're doing all the time...without even noticing you have kids grabbing for your hands and wanting to hug you first, I never knew I was so popular. My point is that kids are kids and they don't need much from you but your love and attention...they go back to the basics :)
• With my younger kids again, or the ones just starting to learn english, you practice the simple things like colours, numbers, letters and shapes. These things are simple to us but for someone else is a beginning step and you have no idea how great it feels when someone finally gets it. Seeing that click, that moment when they repeat something and then remember it, when they say it without your help or even when they say it without you even having to ask. Its amazing how spongy kids are and they really absorb everything, they don't necessarily hold onto it for that long, but they get it at first and those moments no matter how short are truly amazing ones for a teacher.
  

• As a teacher the smallest things excite you like a student finally being able to write their own name or getting new supplies for your class...its silly but its true! When we find a really good worksheet, activity or exercise its like the best day ever and this news must be shared with everyone.

There are few jobs in the world where you actually get to make a difference in so many ways and some of them might seem trivial or small but in the bigger picture they're important. It's these little differences, these small changes, that make teaching such an amazing job and it gives me such a wonderful feeling to know that every once in awhile I'm actually doing something good. I have the utmost respect for teachers...like my fiends Jenn, Taryn and Rexy, they were all made for this job and I couldn't not think of anyone else I'd trust my kids to.

So here's to 4 amazing months of teaching and to many many more in Seoul!!!

janey xo

i never thought i would see the day...

when I would say that I hate shopping AHHHHHHH!!!

Ok well maybe that's a little drastic so I take it back a little but seriously, shopping in Seoul has become quite the challenge. Since I have been here I have bought maybe 5 shirts, a pair of boots but everything else has been buying presents for other people which seems to go rather successfully but shopping for me, not so much. I know I stand out, I'm different, I get it but here I feel like a freak of nature! Most shopping in Seoul is boutique and indivudual stores which I love...Koreans dress so trendy and have such a cool style. So naturally my North American dressed self looks awkward in these stores but I do my best to blend in. When I find something I like that I won't look silly in the next problem is the size which is where I go wrong. First of all I have a chest so everything is tight around the back and front and everywhere! My arms are too long and shirts are too short and and and. Well that's just shirts...then there's bottoms. Skirts are too short for my tall self, pants are too short, pants don't fit my waist because again I have hips and a butt ugh and then the shoes...I apparently have ogre feet and my size is the largest you can find here, I'm only an 8. So I'm not really that tall, Koreans are also pretty tall and have long legs and so we're not drastically different but still...I'm a freak!
The only reason I'm annoyed is because like I said, Koreans have such a cool style that I wish I could mimic it....if only I was like my friend Taryn and could just wear anything and look amazing! so jealous!! Shopping has started stressing me out, just like packing does, and I hate that soooo I am going to make a very conscious effort to learn how to love it here so maybe I'll actually blend in a little more :) It will be my new years resolution to be more trendy and more like Taryn!!

Things that are popular to wear in Korea:

• short shorts and short skirts (even in the winter)
• leggings/tights/knee socks
• heels of all shapes and sizes and colours....makes me wish i could wear heels more often!
• puffy jackets for the winter, or blazers for anytime
• big long baggy sweaters with mickey mouse or the name of an American university on it
• baseball hats again with the name of an American university
• mupple outfits (ie. matching couple outfits)
• Converse and New Balance old school shoes
• slouchy hats and big tuques

A moment if you please,

Moments Can Be Short
Moments Can Be Long

There Are Moments Of Joy
Moments Of Sorrow
Moments Of Passion

Moments You'll Never Forget
Moments You've Already Forgotten
Moments You Didn't Get

There Are Awkward Moments
Senior Moments
Moments Of Truth
And Momentary Lapses In Judgment

People Who Ask For A Moment
Share A Moment
I Need A Moment
You Got A Moment?
Hey, Wait A Moment

You Can Take A Moment
Make A Moment
Spoil A Moment
And If All The Stars Line In Just The Right Moment,
That Moment Can Be Perfect

Moments Can Define You
Moments Can Delight You
And Moments Can Change Your Life

Heres To The Moment And
Squeezing All You Can Out Of Every Last Single One Of Them

when charades aren't enough

Most foreigners living in Korea or anywhere for that matter where they don't know the language rely heavily on the game of charades. In this case it's not so much a game as a life line to communication with the people we interact with daily whether it's at the coffee shop, the grocery store or something more intense like the dry cleaners or the hair salon. It's become like a dance with flailing arms and facial expressions that you would usually only use when talking to babies, dogs or cats (or atleast I use with my cat). You use a certain voice level and simplify everything leaving out connecting words like "the." Seriously if these people understood me completely they would think I was an absolute idiot speaking to them the same way I speak to my students. So yes its safe to say I feel like the typical ignorant North American having to rely on pictures and pointing...its silly really. I've been depending on my friends here, that's my downfall really. I spend most of my time with them and since they've been here longer I let them order my food, find our bus stop and talk to the cab drivers when really Im a big girl, I can do it right! Well I've been trying when I go out on my own but I feel like I'm butchering their language, I'm almost embarassed for myself. I know I should try and make more of an effort, what's the worst that could really happen right. I'm determined to learn the alphabet and numbers so I can actually start reading....translating what I read into actual words and sentences is the important part but atleast its a start. I know that when I leave Korea I'll have nowhere to practice which is a shame because I'll loose whatever I learn which I hope is something...I won't be fluent by no means or even close but maybe I'll surprise myself. Next I just need to work on my discipline...since leaving school getting me to sit down and study something is the last thing on my mind :)

I have more to write but I'm tired....girlfriend is not getting enough sleep over here! tomorrow I promise!!

Until next time,

janeycakes xxoo

all because of a peppermint mocha...

I will be honest, today was a horrible day. I've been really tired all week and just not myself and so with it being friday after a workout at the gym, I decided that I would indulge in Starbucks. Now the Christmas cups came out (YAY) and so did the Christmas drinks, and on a day like today all I wanted was some comfort, something to make me feel like home. I walk into Starbucks and boom like I hit a wall I realize....duh duh duhhhhh they don't serve peppermint mochas in Korea. My options are some cherry thing and a toffee nut latte....both might be good but not what I need or want so what do I do? After I order my usual chai latte I have a slight panic attack, all because of a peppermint mocha yes but really for other reasons and I will explain.

See I have many faults (shocking to hear I know) but I do and although I make no effort to get rid of them I like to think that my trick is knowing that I have them and how to understand them. One thing that I love to do is think I'm Superwoman and that I can be everywhere and do everything. Now I'm not really sure if this trait is a pro or con, maybe both. No matter how much I know that I shouldn't put so much pressure on myself and need to let things go I can't. Now with being away, I have become masochistic and have been making myself feel guilt for missing things and being absent and becoming this spectator in my own life. It was today that I received a piece of news from home, something that I wish I heard in person and not through email...something that has caused many people I care about alot of pain and will for a long time and something that has made my entire body ache for a hug from someone impossible to reach. Like I said, it was a bad day, and in a foreign city far away from everyone who makes you feel whatever it is you need to feel...something other then total numbness. See I knew that being away for a year meant missing the good, but also the bad...the things that I should want to miss because its easier. Today I wanted to be home, I wanted to get away to somewhere that felt like home, but what would that really change anyways? I hate hearing about things that happen at home because I just want to be there, just to be there and do what I can to make it better. But as much as I need to be in control, to feel like I can help and fix a situation I can't fix a person and can't change the bad things that happen no matter how much I try.

Today in the middle of my class while teaching a lesson I zoned out completely and fully lost my train of thought. My students probably thought I was crazy or drunk, who knows really since they just laugh at everything I do or stare at me. But during that moment of blankness I realized what I am really doing here, in Korea, so far away. If you want the Cliffs Notes version of why people come to Korea then you will hear the "I want to live abroad, I want to travel, I want to teach blah blah blah" it's bullshit....no one's really shallow enough to have such a simple reason for being here, for moving to the other side of the world to emmerse yourself in a culture and place so different from home and challenge yourself like this....all the people who answer that way and truly mean it have probably gone home by now and wouldn't last too long. It isn't tough here, it's not complicated but it's an adjustment. My answer to the million dollar question goes much deeper then all that, it has roots and some substance. My dear friend Laura who I love had a beautiful baby boy last year, Brody, who is turning one soon and I couldn't be a prouder and happier pseudo aunt if I tired. You seriously can not find anyone not directly related to this child who talks about him as much as I do, you'd think he was mine and I've actually been asked many times if the child in my pictures at my desk, on my phone and at home is mine lol, please note we look nothing alike :) Anyways back to the point of this story....before Laura found out she was pregnant (even though deep down she knew she already was) she promised herself that if she wasn't she would travel, go to Australia and do the things she hadn't done. Ofcourse she was pregnant and was so blessed with Brody and I think that all of our lives are better for it :) She's made me believe in an eternal and unbreakable love for someone, the need to do anything and everything to make that person happy even if its mere minutes. I will never forget when Laura told me this story because it was the only time that someone was actually to unintentionally pinpoint my reason for wanting to come here. Yes ofcourse I want to travel, I've always wanted to live abroad specifically in Asia and learn about a new culture but what I really wanted was to challenge myself. I needed to prove that I wasn't all talk and actually could do something on my own without my family and friends but really do it for them instead. I never wanted to regret not coming here because at the end of the day whether my experience was awful or amazing, atleast I tried and I did my best right. I wanted to push myself to my own personal limits of isolation, or emmersion, of the unknown and do something that I will probably never have another chance to do again. I wanted to do this for people who can't, more specifically for friends like Laura, for my parents, for my brother, for all my very best friends and for Katie now too.

The only way to truly appreciate somethings value is to distance yourself from it for awhile.....even though I have only been gone for a short time I see this for the first time. It takes thousands of miles and an ocean to make me realize what's right infront of me but atleast I have and I know what's waiting for me when I get home...the good and the bad. I will never forget where I come from, I couldn't because it's my home, my family, but for now I am here in Seoul and I'm happy. Some days are better than others but they're all my days, days where I'm learning and loving life and couldn't feel more blessed to be exactly where I am.

So all of this, the scattering in my brain and the aching in my body, all because of a peppermint mocha, or lack there of....but I'm glad they don't have peppermint mochas here anyways, another reason for me to be home next year when the Christmas drinks are once again out :)

Until next time,

janey xo

all about the benjamins

Things that are cheaper in Korea then they are at home:
1) doctors, dentists, dermatologists, plastic surgery....i don't really know why but this is the place to be if you ever want to get something enhanced or erased or fixed up. Prescriptions are cheaper too.
2) Mailing anything from Korea to Canada...even a package.
3) Forms of transportation: the subway, the bus, taxis AMAZING!
4) Alcohol & Beer
5) hair straighteners and getting your hair cut

Things that are not cheaper in Korea then at home:
1) There is no Tim Horton's equivalent here for coffee is expensive boooo well atleast my Cappuccinos are :) but I have found myself a few regular places where they know me and give me free stuff, this just proves my constant jitteriness and addiction!
2) Apples...avocados...asparagus....all my favorite A produce!
3) Cheese...and its impossible to find the good stuff. Bread too, well multigrain bread is atleast.
4) Tea...which was shocker
5) Wine: this one makes me sad

more goodies

Photo 1: JE 201 W/F
Photo 2: paint vs. the flashlight
Photo 3: a big pink heart
Photo 4: Love Actually is all over us :)
Photo 5: club Volume with Marky
Photo 6: my fave spot in Insadong
Photo 7: siiiiiiick
Photo 8: my much calmer KG7 saturday class

goodies

Photo 1: crazy KG7 saturdays
Photo 2: my desk at work :)
Photo 3: The Great Wall of China
Photo 4: inside the Birds Nest...Beijing 2008
Photo 5: couldn't resist a photo with the Olympics mascots themselves PEACE!!

feels like midterm season...

I have been graduated from university for 2 years and about 6 months....it really freaks me out when I say it out loud. I still get these feelings like I'm in university like right now it's midterm season and even in Korea I'm still feeling the buzz. I think my system is permanently scarred from caffeine consumption and all nighters which would explain my inability to fall asleep before 2am despite my 8am wake up call!
Well even at Maple Bear its midterm season ie. report cards. I have many moments where I pay some respects to my former teachers and friends who are teachers or becoming them and report cards is one of them. I had no clue how time consuming and tedious they would be...I was seriously in report card hell. I don't know how teachers do it, well I guess I do now, but it I still cannot believe how much time and effort goes into a piece of paper that will eventually be thrown away and forgotten....its a very important piece of paper to us because I doubt half my kids will take them seriously, especially if they're doing really well.
Midterms also means fall and I looooove fall weather. I do not however love that overnight it became fall and I did not have time to prepare my wardrobe or even my mentality. Monday was a chilly day, actually no it was cold and my hands and feets have officially stop circulating blood. If this continues I might have to break out my winter jacket...who knew Korea was so cold and windy.
What does midterms also mean...me missing school. I still manage my life based on a school type calender where the year runs from September to April and then summer is free time, this is clearly not very realistic. When I was writing my report cards I had this flashback to the many many hours spent writing essays...I was procrastinating from my reports just like I would from essay writing, it was a scary deja vu especially when I vowed to never write one again (this might change with the possibility of grad school...).
I'm not really missing school....more the collegiate atmosphere that comes with midterms, you really feel like a student when you are studying in the library at 9am in total silence, probably the only time I was up at 9am back then :)
I'm missing a few other things like hockey season although the guys at my work and my boss keep me pretty updated. Its just not the same without my dad and brother's hockey talk and the constant discussion of the hockey pool from the boys which us girls just love and I think we actually bonded over ignoring the boys!
I miss Starbucks fall drinks believe it or not...another thing I base my season changes on, Starbucks themed drinks, how sad! They don't have caramel apple cider or pumpkin lattes or maple lattes here and its pretty upsetting. I honestly don't know what I will do if come November Christmas drinks AND cups don't show up on the menu filling me with the goodness of peppermint mochas and aggnog lattes mmmmm *tear*
Other random additions to what I miss include: my fireplace, my bed(still), a bathtub and seperated shower, recycling, my cat, driving and television although Korea's speedy downloading means I'm not missing lots, just the channel flipping!
What I'm loving right now about Korea: 1) there is nothing better then going anywhere in Seoul and being able to find street markets. I love the independent sellers, the art, the jewellery, the clothes, everything is just amazing and I've actually started leaving my wallet at home. 2) Even though I have started forget my obvious minority status there are a few people, mostly in the coffee shops that I frequent, who give me special treatment and get so excited to speak to me in english when all I want is to attempt Korean with them even in Hongdae which is filled with foreingers like me :) 3) I love how cuter everything is in Korea...there is no way to decribe this but Korea is just filled with flowers and hearts and cute anime girls with big blue eyes and ceramic animals and Mickey Mouse lol its so easy to feel like you're about 8 year old again 4) That there's so much to do and not enough time to do it all. My time off is limited so I'm having to plan everything in advance which is annoying but exciting too because I always have something to look forward to. No wonder people stay up all night out on the town...after hitting up 5 bars, a Norebong, a games room and places to eat in between, there just aren't enough hours in the day!
I miss home ofcourse and that won't change...its aches me to be missing things even if its the same old, I like the same old but I also like it here and I'm happy. I guess I can never have the balance, it'll always be back and forth but I love loving where I am and also knowing I have so much to go home to :)
Time for bed...sleeping beauty needs her rest if she's going to face her kiddies tomorrow and plan and finish report cards and and and...it never ends.
Until next time,
janer xo

In China we're famous

Last weekend was Korean Thanksgiving ie. Chuseok and in a very last minute decision I decided to join my friend Rexy in a 4 day trip to Beijing, China...and I'm so so sooooo happy that I did.
Beijing is somewhere that I always imagined going so the fact that 5 weeks into my move to Seoul I actually went still blows my mind even a week after my return. I guess its still weird to think about being only an hour and a half plane ride away from China and thinking about all the new countries I have access too so cheaply...I can see myself getting far to used to this life!
I wasn't the only one taking off the China for the weekend, infact there were 4 other people from my school heading there for the weekend and some were actually on our plane. Rexy is already a veteran of traveling Asia after being here for 10 months so she took care of me, I couldn't have done it on my own :) Thanks Rex!

Day 1: After a very very early wake up call on friday October 2nd and about a 40 minute bus ride we arrived at the airport around 6am. Despite Chuseok being a big travel weekend for Koreans the airport was dead quiet and luckily there were no lines YAY. Even our waiting area for boarding was abondoned with only us but soon filled up as our flight time got closer. Melissa, Angela and Shannon all showed up and we prepared ourselves for what was soon to be an unforgettable weekend. After landing in Beijing and checking into our Caribbean resort style hotel Rexy and I took off to find the Olympic Park. It took us awhile to figure out what all the fuss in Beijing was about...on our journey to Beijing station we felt like we were in the middle of some big event and were totally clueless. We soon realized that not only was it the Full Moon festival BUT it was also the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China and since 60 is a lucky number in China it was a massive celebration. It was amazing to be there on the same weekend as thousands of other visitors BUT I will admit that I felt a little anxious and claustrophobic from the crowds, I've never seen so many people! Rexy and I noticed how clear the sky is in Beijing and were surprised but never thought anything of it until we were informed of the reason why. Most people know that the air in Beijing is very smoggy and polluted, so why wasn't it that weekend? Well I will tell you. Over the Olympic Games and then again during the celebrations they shoot up dry ice into the atmosphere to clear it out. They are able to make it rain with the dry ice which is crazy to think that the weather can be controlled...don't mess with mother nature! But if its supposed to rain and there's a big event, the dry ice makes it rain earlier and after the rainfall the air is cleared...unreal!! Anyways...our day at the Olympic park was amazing and sitting in the Water Cube and the Birds Nest so soon after the Olympics was a very cool experience for both Rexy and I. The stadiums were just insanely huge and really made you feel small. The park also celebrated their 1 year anniversary very recently and had a photo display set up which was very powerful and moving to walk around...made you wish you were there! It was our time wandering around Olympic Park that we realized our fame in China, something that's missing in Seoul. Numerous strangers were asking us to be in their photos and stand with their children in photos, it was all very odd. We were also the subjects of many sneaky photographs where I have no doubt that we were starring in the background of many awkward poses. It was hilarious and all we could think was..."wtf do you want MY photo for when you don't even know me?" something I'll never understand! That night we joined Shannon, Angela and Melissa at an acrobat show which was just out of control...the things these performers were doing not only made my heart race but gave me actual stress and Rexy and I had many hand holding and breath holding moments!

Day 2: Saturday was our first day as part of a tour group and it was going to be a busy one with 4 major stops to make. Our tour guide for the day Jennifer was so sweet and so funny although she didn't even know it! Our first stop was the Forbidden City, we started at the North entrance and planned to finish in Tienanmen square. It took ages to walk through, I didn't really realize how large the grounds were and how much there was to see although there were many points where I forgot if we were seeing new buildings of not since alot of it looked the same. The history of the City was the best part of the 3 hour walk and our guide knew it all, thank goodness for her! Like I said we planned on walking right into the square but it was closed, why? Well apparently there were too many people in the square and coming into the City from the South entrance that they had to close the exit SO we had to go around and save the square for later. Our next stop was the Tempe of Heaven which was a very quick visit but I'm so glad we went. The temple was beautiful and again the history was so intriguing! Our thurd stop of the day was the Summer Palace which is a completely man made space but geez did those men ever do a fabulous job! The lake, the mountain, everything was artificial, hard to believe because it was so perfect but I guess it would make sense. Looking at the lake you could really picture what it must have been like all those hundreds of years ago during the royal dynasty's. We took a dragon boat across the lake to the Palace side and our first sight was a fully marble boat sitting in the water. It was there so that the emporer and his mistress the "Dragon Lady" would feel like they were on vacation but in class, good idea! Then we walked a ways down the "Longest coloured corridor in the world" which had over 1 million different paintings covering its insides...so incredible! The sun was going down and we had to book it to Tienanmen as soon as we could and did we ever. It was just getting dark and again we were surrounded by massive crowds of people and not really sure why. Reaching the square we kind of figured it out...there was a parade! Well actually the floats from the parade that day were all in the square for people to see and there was music and lights and a whole lotta people everywhere! I think it was this moment in Tienanmen square that I really felt small for the first time!! There were police and military everywhere...it was just chaos. To top off this day it happened to be Rexy's 26th birthday so we celebrated by going for a Peking Duck dinner with the other girls. I ofcourse did not eat the duck but had all the other goodies and mmm was it ever delicious although the duck wasn't much liked by anyone anyways. Afterwards we went for fancy schmancy drinks at a nearby hotel which was beyond cool and classy :) Longest day ever, followed by a long but fun night and a very short sleep...next stop, Great Wall of China.

Day 3: I knew from the minute I woke up that this would be my favorite day of the whole trip, and I was right. Again another early morning but I didn't care because today I would be walking the infamous Great Wall of China and that's all that mattered. Before our Great Wall adventure we stopped at Mings Tomb for a quick gander but with the crowds we had already experienced we knew that the GW would be packed and we were right. Driving up and getting our first glimpse of the wall in the mountains was a special moment and I was so glad that Rexy was the one I got to share it with. I felt butterflies like I was soon going to be doing one of the coolest things I'll ever do. We took a gondola up to the wall and then embarked on a very crowded first few steps. There was alot of congestion on the first part of the wall but after passing one of the main towers it thinned out but the walk also got alot harder. I have no idea how they did it back then...the wall is built in the moutain and therefor very up and down, up and down! If we weren't walking up or down stairs, it was steep slopes that we were sliding down or climbing up. It was exhausting but absolutely worth it for the experience, the view and the moment of feeling on top fo the world! Pictures don't even do it justice, you have to see it to believe it and I still don't really believe I was there, it just seems to surreal to me! I had a minor panic attack when going down our last big set of stairs...not only were there alot of people but they were high and steep! The thought of slipping and creating a domino effect of people falling was my biggest fear. Good thing they have railings, I held on for dear life lol. After the wall we were exhausted and just ready for home but our fun didn't end there, next stop was Silk Street market. There are no words to describe this place, its huge, its packed with shoppers and sellers and its loud! I was actually scared walking through at first because EVERYONE is talking to you wanting you to buy something but soon Rex and I got right into it and started having fun with the whole thing. Surprisingly enough we ran into the girls there during our shopping escapades and shared our purchasing stories and grabbed some very delicious pizza afterwards. The market was closing but Rexy and I were making a return the following day to spend the rest of our money...

Day 4: Our last day we got up early, packed and got ready for our flight home but not before we did some last minute things. This was our last day in Beijing and although we had seen everything we wanted to, there was still more. Right at 9am we made it to the Lama Temple where one of the biggest buddha's in China stood. We just so happened to be there and a big prayer day and had no idea what we were doing, typical foreigners! Walking to the temple it said to bring incense to the temple...both Rexy and I were clueless about what to do with it so we decided not to look even more clueless and didn't buy any. Well arriving at the temple we realized that buddhists coming to pray at the temple use the incense(3 for each buddha) to pray. They light it and they pray with it all throughout the temple. It was quite a sight to see people of all ages there and giving thanks...especially with it being our Korean "Thanksgiving". There were many smaller buddha's before we reached the big mama which was breathtaking and lifesize...it was a quick stop for us there but necessary to experience a buddhist temple in China. Our last errand for the day was heading back to Silk Street to pick up a few more things...all together our shopping escapades meant us bringing home an extra backpack(for me), jeans, uggs, purses, souvenirs, jewellery and many intense tales of shopping in China markets. Finally it was time to leave and so we took off to the airport with ALL of our unnecessary stuff and once again were joined by the girls on our plane to say goodbye to Beijing for now...who knows if we'll ever be back but never say never...

I feel very lucky to be here and traveling to Beijing made me realize that. I would never have dreamt a year ago that I would be here let alone be traveling to other place in Asia over a long weekend. Walking the Great Wall of China was a huge check mark off my Places to See and it makes me so excited to know that its not over and that there are many more adventures to come....and they better come soon cause boy do I have the travel bug :)

All my love to everyone at home....wishing you were here with me or me with you!!
jane xo

What Koreans love....

Seoul is a very big city...24 million people or so, that's almost as big as Canada but in a country the size of Southwestern Ontario. It is very obvious walking around what it is that Koreans love or atleast what is popular...you truly cannot escape them, always in your face but it's what makes Seoul Seoul :0)

Koreans love...
1) High heels...well atleast the girls do. When I was at Everland (an amusement park), I was probably the only one wearing running shoes because all the girls here wear high heels pretty much everywhere they go. I'm not sure what it is...a height thing, the attempt to make their legs look long, either way I just don't get it and more so would like to know their secret for being able to wear heels all day everyday...pain is beauty apparently.
2) Coffee shops...every other building is a coffee shop for sure, its insane how much coffee the people here much consume. Not only are they coffee shops, they are luxurious and usually 3 or 4 floors. They even have Dunkin Donuts here and its nice, really modern, I don't get it! Oh and that's another thing...Koreans love donut shops, there's Krispy Kreme too...all that's missing is Timmy's :)
3) Drinking...if its not a coffee shop then its a bar. Public drunkenness is accepted and drinking after work is a ritual...beer and soju are so cheap that if it were like that at home it would be the same. Walking home from work I have run into many drunken men napping on benches and the street or passed out...either way Korea is so safe that you can do that, well I wouldn't but they can and its all good. Everywhere serves alcohol, even the little markets, its amazing!
4) Weird style quirks such as socks and sandals, socks and high heels, socks and anything that socks shouldn't be worn with.
5) Making sure everyone knows if you're in a couple. Couples here wear matching clothing...this is no a joke, I'm serious. They walk around with matching shoes, t-shirts, sweaters...its ridiculous but quite entertaining. Also the boyfriends carry their girlfriends purses all the time and everywhere, haven't quite figured that one out yet either.
6) They loooove to shop...looks like I came to the right place! There are street markets everywhere and they are always packed. You can seriously find anything at all hours in the night. There are electronics markets, glasses markets, alcohol markets, clothing markets, pottery markets and the list goes on.
7) They love to not be home. I swear that Korean never stay home, they just love hiking and shopping and wandering. That must explain why bars and clubs and Norebongs are all open into the wee hours of the morning...the city never sleeps. Its amazing because there's always something to do, you're never bored and there are people everywhere you go no matter the time or day. You can hop from a restaurant to a bar to another bar to a club to a Norebong to another bar to a dvdbong to another club and its only 2am and things are still just starting, the usual go home time is between 4-6am...good thing I'm a night person!
8) Being connected....Korea has the fasted downloading speed of anywhere in the world and is so connected that people walk around the streets and sit in the sbuway watching tv on their cell phones...no one reads books, there's no need when you have everything on your cell phone from a dictionary to a sweet camera to a tv and movie player...its crazy, there is no time when I will use half the things on my phone and what's better is that most of it is free. In Korea all incoming calls are FREE...like seriously, imagine they had that in Canada!!

OK that's all I can think of right now although I know there's so so much more I will discover....its been an adventure so far....another update will come after Bejing which is in 3 days woot woot LOOOOOVE Chuseok weekend and getting time off. Wish me luck on my first traveling adventure...that goodness I have Rexy with me!!

Sante!
xo

Just incase I get lonely..

I figured I would get homesick and miss home at some point, or many points SO I devoted a whole wall and more to my home life and filled it with pictures of friends, family and other paraphernalia that was given to me to get my through a year without. Just incase I ever get lonely, I have some company and know that no matter what I find while I'm away, I know exactly what's waiting for me when I get home....xoxo

always on my mind...

Photo 1: Big strong Mal at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne
Photo 2: Having a romantic and thoughtful moment at the overnight hut with Ruth
Photo 3: Showing our love for Harry's
Photo 4: Senior staff since 2006 WHAT!
Photo 5: The flip cup champions and beautiful ladies of the senior section





Photo 6: Lingerie party with my girls :)
Photo 7: Me and Jonny...floaters and partners in crime
Photo 8: Senior excursion to Lausanne
Photo 9: Team Classique showing our roots
Photo 10: TC at staff party






Photo 11: we have our bracelets and are ready for the open bar
Photo 12: Girls night at Cite Joie
Photo 13: The junior staff on intro day
Photo 14: The staff having more fun then the kids are the junior pool party
Photo 15: The door to Arts and Crafts

Still young at heart...

Right now I am sitting in my staff room at school waiting for my Moms and Tots class which starts at 10:30. I love M&T but is it ever draining...good thing I have a 3 hour brake until my next class afterwards otherwise I don't think I would make it through the day.
My past few days here have been really great and everyday I am becoming more and more comfortable with my new life here and although its a climb...the view is great :)

I got a new building mate woohooooo her name is Amanda and she just arrived last week and has moved 2 doors down from me. It's awesome because we're both new and still figuring everything out but I think we're managing.

I still am not sleeping :( and am tired 99.9% of the time but the days energize me even though I'm stuck inside during the sunshine. I don't know what's up...maybe I'm too anxious/excited or amybe its my neighbour who liked to blast music and hammer on the walls at midnight but hopefully it goes away soon

On sunday I had the funnest day ever and went to this amazing amusement park here called Everland. We had to travel far out of the city but it was totally worth it as this park was truly incredible and turned me into a child for a day. I just couldn't decide what I wanted to do first, I got excited about everything like a puppy, I ate WAY too much food...it was awesome!! We first went to the water park called Carribean Bay and spent most of our day there. It was a beautiful day to spend in the water and going down slides. We hit the wave pool first but being in Korea and there silly ways we had to wear hawaiian printed life jackets lol now for someone who's been swimming since I could walk this seemed ridiculous but whatever, it made it that much more fun. We went down some bobsleigh slides, some tube slides, one that was similar to a rollercoaster and then hit the longest lazy river I've ever been in....all in all AMAZING!! Then it was time for the park and the first order of business was ZOOTOPIA ie. a zoo as it says in the name. We saw tigers and seals and penguins and lemars and monkeys and big friggin turtles and polar bears and I was in heaven and could have spent all day there. Then it was time to try out the T Express which has the steepest incline of any wooden rollercoaster in the world AH!! Ofcourse the front row was going to be necessary and was well worth the wait....so fast, so steep, so scary but oh so much fun!! Our food intake of the day included ALOT of dippin dots, slushies, hot dogs, pizza rolla, cinnamon rolls but no cotton candy :( maybe next time. I would seriously go back next weekend but I think I'll hold out...absence makes the heart grow fonder :):)

My Korean has not improved...I'm still holding steady with the whole 4 words I know but after a quick lesson from Rexy I'm hoping to extend that to 10 or 15 words and maybe even a sentence or two...who knows, I'm not putting any pressure on myself since its only been a few weeks.

I've been having all these really vivid dreams about people from at home and its freaking me out because when I wake up I actually think they are there or I am home and get all confused...maybe that's why I can't sleep! They aren't weird dreams, they're very normal and I'm just in regular situations and places that I would be in if I were at home but they are so real...maybe I'm just missing some people and I'm sure that won't change all year but hopefully my dreams do.

Wow I just realized how boring I am and how I really have nothing interesting to say hmmm I need to work on that but I'm not making an promises...this might be all you get for the next year :)

Well time for class...I have my wee little Moms and Tots class and cannot wait to see all their adorable little faces that I just want to squish!!

Another day, another adventure in teaching

janeython
xoxo

taking on Seoul one day at a time

It is late at night probably...I tend to loose track of the day and time and working from Tuesday to Saturday instead of Monday to Friday makes it worse to figure out what day it is. I'm not sleeping ofcourse, I mean I can sleep but I have to wear myself out first by watching movies and reading and then eventually sleep comes over me but 5 hours is not enough with my job.

I wouldn't call what I do hard labour but it is mind and emotional labour sometimes. I have never had so much respect for those who choose teaching as a profession especially young little ones who are ADD all the time...I never thought I would see the day when I would be teaching 2-12 year olds but I also thought I would never see the day at ISCM when I would be working as a junior counsellor and with junior boys for that matter so I'm surprising myself daily. I start everyday at 10:30 with 2 & 3 year olds and their moms in a moms and tots class which is really song/dance/smile/energetic time and as your first class, it can be draining. They are probably the cutest kids ever with the funniest personalities at such a young age so that keeps me smiling daily but its not forr everyone that's for sure. I have either a 2 or 3 hour lunch break which I use to relax and plan in our staff room which is where all 15 of my fellow Maple Bear staffers have our desks. The staff room is pretty much our only safe haven at school from kids/parents and is a good escape to re-group on bad days, luckily I haven't had any really bad ones yet, just long ones. My staff are really great and have been more then helpful with whatever I need which is usually something because I'm still getting the hang of things. As you can imagine my desk is covered with every possibly organizational supply I could get and with lots of fun pens, highlighters, post its and stickers for the kids(and me too when I do good :) My afternoon is back to back classes or various Junior English levels with everything from level 101 to 701. Some classes I love love loooooove but some are a little more challenging so its a good balance. Some of my 701 kids are so smart its truly shocking when they say "teacher this is too easy" which happens often. I have this adorable boy named Edward in my 401 class who's mom brings me a treat bag and drink at the end of every class....the first week it was starbucks and this week it's Dunkin Donuts. Ofcourse I don't like Dunkin Donuts, especially when just today I was saying how I would kill for Tim Horton's and DD just doesn't do the trick BUT how sweet is that...It's too much and I almost feel guilty but its a great snack at the end of the day so I won't complain. Saturdays I have 2 Kindergarten classes filled with many many hyper 7 year olds who are beyond cute. Again its alot of smiling, singing, clapping and looking like an absolute fool(I'm almost glad no one can see me in these moments) but its fun and I'm loving it.

I moved into my apartment a week ago and I love it although its comparable to a dorm room with kitchen included. Its teeny tiny but I'm not too bothered and could really live anywhere aslong as its clean and bright which it is. I walk to and from work everyday since its only about 5 minutes away. The morning is great because its downhill but nighttime after a long day walking uphill is just brutal but atleast my calves will look good right! I'm still getting used to the shower which is pretty much above my sink, they don't often have the seperated shower stall so its pretty funny and quite ridiculous...how I have taken showers for granted and never will again! I have already surrounded myself and my walls with little pieces of home inlcuding my one wall next to my bed which is covered with photos of everyone I love in my life :) I have made a collage of photos for above my desk that is joined by my ISCM staff photo and a picture of the Toronto skyline. Finally my beautiful going away card from the oakville crew with drawings by Big Ian Evinou himself is above my head so there is no possible way I could miss home in theory, except I do a little everyday.

There are things about Korea that make me laugh and that I'm still adjusting to. 1) Cars have the right of way here which makes sense in a city of this many people but this really means that red lights don't really mean stop...red lights are more like yellow lights at home and are often ran 2) There is no recycling so everytime I through out a can/bottle which is often, a little piece of my soul dies. What's almost worse is that there are barely any garbage cans on the street so I end up carrying my garbage forever until I find one. Their theory is that if there are no garbage cans then people will create less garbage which is obviously the silliest thing I've ever heard but Seoul is pretty clean anyways. 3) People love to spit on the street and not just men but women too...its gross and there is no reason for it EVER. 4) Koreans do this thing where they squat everywhere. I swear they must be the most flexible culture ever because anytime they're standing to wait or are smoking outside a building they squat and will sit like that for ages....its very strange and funny to see for sure. 5) The showers...but that was already mentioned. 6) There are precious little stray puppies and kitties everywhere and because its me I run after them trying to pet them and cuddle them but clearly that is not normal here. It just makes me sad and if it were up to me I would have about 10 pets by now lol. 7) Koreans treat foreigners like they're famous and sometimes random people will just walk up to you and say hello or want photos with you. In my area there aren't many foreigners but on sunday I was in Itaewon and you would never know you were in Seoul being there...its crazy! 8) The culture and language is all based on a class system and how you speak and act varies depending on who you're speaking to. I'm still learning and obviously don't know much Koreaan but I already see how difficult it is to learn because of this and all the proper phrasing. Koreans are also big gesturers and love to nod their heads which I have now found myself doing. 9) It is impossible to find my necessities ie. ketchup, peanut butter(although I finally found some skippy yay), avocados(they are like 5$ each ew), diet pepsi and there are probably more that I will discover in the next little while. 10) Drinking is really cheap here...especially beer and soju which is like the Korean vodka which is drunk in shots(except I can't handle that so I mix it). I just bought 6 bottle of soju for 6000 won ie. $6 INSANE!! I could get used to this!! Oh and apparently my new thing here is drinking beer...who would have thought the day would come when I would be drinking beer at all let alone Korean beer haha I still don't like it but I'm putting up with it, maybe it'll grow on me.

I think I've really started to blend in to the daily life here and although I still have no idea where I'm going half the time, am white and don't speak or understand Korean...I think I'm getting along but more importantly am loving it!!! I know that its still early but it can only get better and I can't wait until it does.

Until next time,
janey waney peacing out xoxo

My first few days as a Seoul-ian...

So I'm here YAY I made it alive and well enough to survive the days. I think that going from Swiss mountain air to home and then to the thick humid air in Seoul has messed with my already sick self...my head feels like it might explode, or implode, point is that it hurts and I feel like a zombie and I'm not liking this jet lag. Anyways..I still cannot believe that I am here, its weird and hasn't really hit me yet to be honest. It has only been 3 nights and 2 full days but somehow it feels like forever. I still have no what I'm doing...at school and in general, I don't understand anyone, don't know where I am in relation to anything or anyone else...pretty much I am totally lost and don't know much BUT there is hope for me, with only a few days to prepare for my first teaching experiences and with weeks ahead to mesh into Seoul life I could one day be mistaken for someone who belongs here...I won't speak too soon because I wouldn't want to get ahead of myself but you never know, I could be Korean, or atleast an honourary Korean for the year. Even if I don't reach honourary status I am already loving the fact that I am completely lost in translation...makes things a littler bit more interesting I think ;)
There are a few things that I have observed in my first 3 days in Seoul:

• I am almost glad that I have arrived at the end of the summer because is it ever humid..and I thought the hot weather in Switzerland was toasty enough but this is ridiculous...its humid and sticky and muggy and thick UGH I don't know how I will handle next summer but apparently it was worse and is now becoming fall YAY!
• Everything is small...stores are small, cars are small, buses are small, people are small(I've already been told that I am very tall for a girl), hotel rooms are small...everything just small! I should have already assumed this having been in Tokyo but it still shocks me.
• Apparently there is a Costco here...seriously, not joking and they have peanut butter and many other North American favorites...amazing! But who would have thought that with the space issues here that there would be a Costco!!
• The teachers at my school are beyond nice and welcoming, not that I didn't think they would be but it was still surprising. I have come to terms with the fact that I do not and will not for awhile know what I'm doing but the staff have been amazing with giving me tips and have been very reassuring that it will come eventually...atleast I'm not alone on this little journey.
• I have already been able to navigate myself to and from school using the bus system which is very intense...I have not yet ventured to try the subway but who knows, maybe tonight that will be my goal. I have the next 2 days off to explore the city, find my necessities(coffee shops included) and plan for this weeks classes and I'm already looking forward to it especially coming from camp where I have 0 days off for the past 2.5 weeks.
• Korean BBQ is WAY better in Korea...shocking I know!
• It is WAY more difficult to tell kids apart when their hair is all the same colour..this is a very ignorant statement I realize but I'm serious, hair is a big distinguishing feature for me and now I must rely on actualy personality traits geez :)
• That I brought far too much to fit into my teeny tiny apartment...wait till you see it, it's cute as ever but man is it small!
  

That's all the wit I have for now...tiredness is creeping up on me and I have to shower and get out before I fall asleep. But I'm sure the next few days will bring more stories so until then.

Jane xo

From the Swiss Alps to the Rockies in 3 days

At this very moment, I am sitting in the Vancouver Airport looking out the window at the Canadian Rockies waiting for my connection flight to Seoul. It was only 3 days ago that I was sitting in the Geneva airport looking out onto the Swiss Alps…amazing how scenery changes so quickly. I am about to embark on my latest adventure to South Korea where I will be teaching English to children for one whole year at the Maple Bear Jongno Campus. I have been waiting for this for months and finally it has arrived yet I’m still not sure what I’m feeling. I think that my body has gone into full on numb mode from jet lag and overall exhaustion from the summer so I literally feel like a walking zombie. I am obviously excited, a little nervous and anxious to get there and figure out wtf I am getting myself into but I just can’t show it due to the above mentioned. I guess my behaviour could be normal since the reality is that I am leaving everyone and everything I know for a year to live and work in a country that is totally foreign to me….but the thing is I’m not scared, I’m not worried, I don’t have ay doubts or fears about going but what does worry me is leaving (a feeling that is a littler late considering I’ve already left). Yes I realize that I just spent 2 months away in Switzerland but for me living in Crans Montana is home, its comfortable and is filled with things and people that I know and love so its different and has its own category of being away because when I’m there I don’t miss home home. Korea is a whole new category of being away and it a totally unknown territory for me. Although I consider myself to be independent I truly have no idea how to survive so long without the simple things like my bed, my couch my cat, driving, my family and friends and of course we could get mre detailed and say things like Tim Horton’s, gelato from Bronte, nights at Fly, TND, Stars and Strollers and the drive in, flip cup and beer pong, Big Bear subs, Stoney’s Calabria sandwich’s and the list could go on and on. I guess the bonus of living somewhere new is that I will have news staples in my daily life…I don’t know what they are yet but when I have some I will be sure to post them although I can tell you that Starbucks vanilla chai lattes will stay a constant in my life ☺

The boarding has begun for Air Canada flight 63 to Seoul AH which means its time to go. I will spend the next 11 hours similar to how I spent my last 4…watching movies to distract myself from the fact that although I am beyond tired I still cannot sleep on planes! UGH if I make it there still standing it will be a true accomplishment in my books. Wish me luck and send me good vibes for my first few days on the other side of the world. I’m not quite sure when I will be able to post again because I don’t yet know the internet situation but expect something within the next few days and I’m sure I will have some stories to tell.

Love Love Love
Jane xo

ISCM vs. Swine Flu round 2

So here is the latest in the iSCM swine flu situation:

• The flu continues to spread around camp and this time its hit the staff. There are about 5, probably more since it increases everyday, who have it or are suspected and are therefore quarantined just like the campers. There are about 20-30 campers who are in the infirmery and in buildings off camp isolated from the rest of the kids in attempts to keep it controled but obviously its not going so well.
• I have had to move out of my apartment at Bouleaux ie. right next to camp and over to Cite Joie which is about a 15 minute walk. I`ve always wanted to live there so I was really excited about living somewhere new but the sucky part was having to pack and unpack on tuesday and then tonight I will be packing again to leave on sunday UGH oh well, totally worth it. Everyone living in Bouleaux and even in Crans Leman(the head counselors) have had to move places to make room for the sickies.
• All of ISCM is on quarantine which means that for the next few dasy we cannot bring the campers on excursions or into town where there are alot of people because we`ve been told by the health department that we are at risk :S Soooo we are a little confined to our property a little which is giving our head counselors and specialists on assignment heart attacks because they have to plan for all these extra days when we need activities...its a little chaotic to say the least.
• Finally, I am sick and have been all week. Every day its something else and I feel like my body is just shutting down on me due to exhaustion. Thankfully I`m heading home so I can sleep for 2 days cause I need it big time. But every day I check my temperature and pray that I don`t get swine flu and am stuck here....so keep your fingers crossed for me :)

2 more days till I`m back in Canada woohooo its crazy and bittersweet for me but exciting.

Until next time,
Jane xo

Swine Flu has struck ISCM duh duh duhhhhhhh

Sooooooo I never really took this whole swine flu thing seriously because I'm very much the person who isn't scared of getting sick and who thinks that if it's far away then it won't affect me. Well ISCM brings in campers from all over Europe, Russia, Australia, the Middle East and the Americas and despite my own ignorance it was only a matter of time before I came into contact with this epidemic just out of sheer karma. Camp has been taking major precautions and doing what they could to avoid this but third session hit and all of a sudden the epidemic came on full force. We have many campers in our infirmary and staying in various places away from the rest of campers to make sure that their syptoms don't affect everyone else but every day there are new cases and were loses people fast. There are at least 10 with the symptoms...all senior campers at first but now today a junior camper is thought to have the same flu symptoms. We've had to inform parents of what's happening so when I say we're losing people, I mean it. Many campers from all sections have had to leave within the past few days and I'm sure it will continue as parents start to freak out. It's very unfortuante because many of these campers were having a great time at camp and we're only finishing the first week...we think that by the end of this week we will have about half the camp still around and half will be gone. The staff are all healthy which is amazing but we're slowly losing kids and therefore jobs, soon the directors will be paying us to hang by the pool. Some groups have already started to mesh together because some counsellors have been left with 3 or 4 campers compared to 8. We're really hoping that it doesn't go much further then this but it's really hard to say when there's no total prevention from it so we just have to wait and see what happens. I have been sick for the past few days but I think its just exhaustion with the end of the session and my time at ISCM coming up and although I'm never sick and don't worry about it, I do find myself checking my temperature just to be sure. Send healthy vibes over this way because we need them!!!!!
I'll keep everyone updated on the latest as it happens...just like 680 News!!!!
Until then,
jane xox

Oh Swiss Land...

What I LOVE about Switzerland & ISCM:
1) That its ok to eat chocolate for breakfast ie. Nutella...We have little packages of nutella in the morning just like we would have peanut butter at home. My favorite breakfast treat is nutella on banana mmmm.
2) I love waking up every morning to go out onto my balcony and see the beautiful Swiss Alps right infront of me. The weather changes so often here that it isn't always clear but knowing that I have the option of seeing this wonder still amazes me even though this is my third year. I think I actually appreciate the view much more throughout the years.
3) There is only one place in the world where only knowing 2 languages makes you feel irrelevant its at ISCM. I met two 9 year old girls yesterday who spoke 5 languages each (greek, russian, french, spanish and english) so I say to myself WOW I need to step it up and learn another language or two to even compare. There are many staff members and campers who have very unique backgrounds and will be born in France but grew up in America and are now living in Switzerland or Finland and have amazing adventures under their belt....it makes me jealous and want to be a nomad for the rest of my life knowing that there are so many people just like me all in one wonderful place.
4) Switzerland is a very chill country...it's not very Americanized and there isn't often any traffic or even very many people for that matter when you go to the bigger cities. In the main cities you will always find a McDonald's and Starbucks but other then that are hard pressed to see anything else that is similar to home...maybe a Nike store but that's about it. It's pretty amazing to be so seperated from all the clutter and the rush of big cities...it really makes you go outside your comfort zone (although I will admit that I've had McDonald's twice since I've been here...don't judge!) ISCM and Crans Montana are such little bubbles and we are so out of the loop it's crazy...the only channels we really get are music channels and then CNN for news so you can imagine how strange it is to not know what's happening in the world or at home.

What I miss about home:
1) Diet Pepsi....Europe loves Coca Light and I hate Coca Light so I've had to suck it up and drink it anyways. On a rare occasion a store will have Pepsi Light and I get way too excited....just like when I see a Starbucks here (I have only seen 2...one in Geneva and one in Lausanne)...but right now I have a delicious bottle of Pepsi Light in my fridge which makes me happy for now but I can't wait to be back home(for 2 days) and inhale as much Diet Pepsi as humanly possible.
2) Ethnic food....Crans Montana has a small selection of ethnic food including Chinese, Lebanese (which is yummy) and Thai(also yummy) but its REALLY expensive. I miss my O Sushi or Funky Thai when I can pay $10 and get a full lunch meal but here its atleast $25 for pad thai :( to me this is craziness!! There are far too many pizza and fondue places here but I'm not really complaining because they are delicious.
3) After bar food....I mean we go out to the bars quite a bit and when we all leave and go to our seperate living spaces ALL I want is a Wendy's or McDonald's or maybe even a pita...I mean its not too much to ask right! I would even settle for a kebab which they do have here but they aren't even open late enough. I realize that not eating after the bar is probably much better for me but sometimes to sober up that's all you need and I have to settle for papryka chips, croissants, pasta, bread and cheese which I don't really mind either.
4) There's a reason Switzerland is a neutral country and used as a holding place for money...everything is so damn expensive here. Y0u know you're rich when you have a swiss bank account because seriously, its just ridiculous. It's impossible to buy anything cheap...cheap doesn't exist here but I guess it makes me not shop which is a good thing since my suitcase was already overweight on the way over so I don't even want to talk about how much it will weigh on the way back.

My life in pictures continued...(last one for now)

1: Ruth, Laura, Jon and I at overnight (soon to be together again for Junior staff 3rd session)
2: Amadeus our local bar
3: My roomies the Steph's :)
4: Carlan, Valeria and I outside Ama
5: The view from Christoph's flat
6: Yogging photography (taking photos while jogging...please see the movie Yes Man if you don't know what I'm talking about)

My life in pictures continued...

1: Christy and I at the Plaine Mort glacier
2: SG9 my wonderful group during photography with Krik
3: Unforgettable 2009 our summer motto and Livestrong
4: Caffe Latte...my summer obsession
5: Half our senior section on excursion to Montreux

My life in pictures

1: Steph, Taryn and I on our way to the 80's party. YAY Taryn was here!!
2: a beautiful sunset over the mountains during Quest
3: Taking a break on our walk to Amadeus to lie down in the streets
4: Our 2009 staff photo
5: Brian and I in Geneva