Contact Information

I currently possess proof that 1) I can receive mail at work without it being opened and thus violated, and 2) the outside world still exists! Hoorah! (Gammy, fyi, spell check does not like Hoorah, Gammy, or fyi.) To the darlings who would take time out of their hectic schedule to send me a note, here is my info:

Kate Southern
c/o ECC Bukgu
877 dong chun dong
Daegu, South Korea 702-250
010-6875-7848

It looks like it takes a 94-cent stamp to send stuff to me. Haha. It only takes me 60 cents. But it looks more impressive because it's 600 won.

So last night I went out for amazingly wonderful delicious soup (name: unpronounceable, nor spellable) with Ashley, and admittedly it was my second dinner but it was delicious. (Apparently I am incapable of actually staying in at night, but I really wanted a toaster and delicious soup was near Home Plus.) This soup has part of a pig spine in it, and it's a spicy broth with sliced green onions and seaweed in it. You know, now that I re-read what I wrote, it doesn't sound terribly appetizing, but after a week of peanut butter and jelly, I'm willing to bet that anyone reading this would try anything that looked decent. Well, and with the name of "amazingly wonderful delicious soup," what's not to at least try?

The best part is, it's a complete feast for $5. For $5, you get a BIG bowl of soup (pretty meaty, too, once you scrape it off of the bones), rice (mmmmbap [bap is Korean for rice]), peppers for dipping into red bean paste (thought to help reduce swelling, I read yesterday, so I'm going to try today), radishes (yuck), and kimchi (love it when I'm in the mood). I have noticed a craving for spicy foods, and I guess I'm getting nutrients here and adjusting to them to the point of actually needing them.

The week has flown by, and I can't believe it's Friday already. I remember thinking at the end of my first week, 1 down and 51 to go. The times that I enjoyed my jobs in the past, the days just blurred, too. Even when the kids are rotten, the time passes reasonably quickly for me. I doubt this would be the case if this experience came right fresh-faced from college; thanks to rotten tenants and worse health insurance companies, I do not balk in the face of 7-year-olds.

I do have a new class of 13-year-olds, though, and I'm pretty certain that I don't like them and they don't like me. One of the girls, I told her five times in as many minutes to stop talking to her friend and to start speaking in English. She wouldn't, so I picked her desk up and moved her away, which terrified the 11-year-old in the class. "Teacher.. Teacher strong!" Another kid came in incredibly late and made a big show of it, then also refused to speak in English, so I made him sit with the two remaining girls. The rest of the class went smoothly, but without any merriment. They're past the age of loving me regardless of what I do, so I hope we get the replacement foreign teacher soon so I can return to my 10 and under crowds.

Two weeks ago, I was reading in Experiencing God, and the point Blackaby (referencing the Bible) was making is that no one's opinion matters except God's. Since this was also a point of The Alchemist (a kind of blah book, but one with decent points), it has become a daily thing to think of what is best as a teacher, not whether the kids like me or not. I like when people like me, but I think it's time for it to be less of a driving force. Right now what matters more is having strong character and to be close enough to God so that I have the faith in Him to get me through whatever is going to happen the next... 75 years.

That said, I want to wish Ashleigh the best possible in her endeavors at present. Take care.