WINTER

On Christmas Eve, I had a big potluck dinner with my friends at German Bar. We had two delicious turkeys that a couple men slaved over the entire day. They tasted soo good! We had a whole slew of dishes! Everything was AMAZING!!! We also did Secret Santa. My SS ended up being Sonia, which I had found out the night before because she cannot keep her mouth shut. haha. She got me a really really nice and most importantly, SOFT, red scarf. I love it! The other gifts were great as well. There was even a Mini Stop Christmas in a bag! haha. After German Bar, we went to Crazy Horse and several of us stayed out until closing time, around 530am. I just had 2 tequila shots there, one when we first got there, maybe around midnight(?) and one right before we left. I think tequila is the only shot I can do correctly. It's so strange! The evening was just perfect (except there was no snow!). I had such a great night! Great conversation, great friends, great fun!

Yesterday was Christmas and I woke up expecting snow because it was forecasted. There was none. I was quite sad for I have been hoping for a white Christmas. There was a little snow in the afternoon when I was having coffee with Jarrod. Then the evening came, and boy did Santa deliver! It was coming down and the snow didn't melt when it hit the ground; it actually stuck! It was really exciting! I was at Austin & Mesa's apartment for a holiday party and when I heard the news of the snowfall, I went to the rooftop to experience my first snowfall in over a decade (minus that one time when it snowed for 5 minutes in LA during my 2nd year of college). I was soooo excited!!! The holiday party was great. Got to see people I haven't seen in a while, and just chat. We also did White Elephant. I brought some fuzzy puzzle pajama pants which were very much appreciated by the recipient. I ended up getting a golden piggy bank that all Chinese people have. I think I can start a collection! Austin brought a larva. Disgusting! After that party, some people headed downtown. Had a relaxing time at Soul Train, then headed home around 430am. It was difficult getting a taxi! It was still snowing at this point. Ahh! It's so beautiful and FUN!! I ended up getting some fluffy snow from a bench and I threw it at Okailey! I meant to throw it up so it would fall on her, but I ended up throwing it at her face! Omigosh, it was HILARIOUS!!! Man, I love the snow. Just not when my hands are freezing from touching it.



Backtrack!
I had dinner with my co-teachers last week and we had raw fish and some other cooked stuff, but not much of that. We had about 15 courses of food. It was really ridiculous! I thought the first two plates would be the end of it, but the door kept sliding open every now and then with MORE plates of food. I was STUFFED, but more and more and more were set upon the table. It was so good! Then one dish came, I looked at it, and it was wriggling around, so I blurted out "OH MY GOD!" It just came out! Immediately after, I apologized for my outburst. I was just shocked! On the plate was live chopped octopus! I've been wanting to try it and now the opportunity was served to me on a plate, not quite a silver platter. I had my co-teachers eat it first and I just had a tentacle on my chopstick, analyzing it. I was really scared, but then I just put it in my mouth and started chewing, A LOT. I didn't want it be sucking on my insides! It was a fun experience. I'm so sad that I didn't bring my camera though. So many photos to be taken and I didn't take a single one! Ugh!!! If I had gone home before dinner (from school), I would've picked it up, but I didn't. Boo!

In classroom news, a boy in one of my 3rd grade classes got up during a Christmas game, walked over to another boy, and just punched him square in the jaw. I was SO shocked!! So this is what happened. I was teaching a lesson about Christmas; we were playing a game. The question was, "Who helps Santa make toys?" I guess the boy who got punched said the other student's nickname, which he hates. The boy immediately stood up, walked over, and just hit him. It was unexpected. I thought he was just gonna yell at him in his face, or push him, or something not as extreme. He walked over rather calmly. Then he just hit him. The boy who received the blow didn't do anything though; he didn't cry, he didn't hit him back, he just sat there. He was quite shocked as well. Then my co-teacher dragged the assailant by his hair outside. I didn't know what to do! Then one of my students in the front row just continued on with the game; he was raising his hand and answering the question. I was like, "uhh....okk....let's move on with the game...let's skip this question!" What the heck do you do in that situation!? It was bizarre, and I don't really like how Korea handles these things. They kinda just brush it off, I feel. "Boys will be boys" they say.

I also finished my 2nd Korean class. I pass the exam, but I didn't do too well. I got 79.5%, I think. Overall, not that great, but it's good considering my attendance was low, including the week before the test (when the teacher gave us the answers apparently). Oh well.

One night, while going to Korean class, I ran into a student on the bus. I didn't recognize her at first, but she came to sit down next to me and we had a nice chat allll the way to school. I recognize her from class, but I never heard her speak, so I was shocked when I was talking to her to find out that she was on her way to an English class. At first I didn't even know if she could speak English, but I soon found out that she was amazing! Impeccable! I told her that her skill was very good and she could be an English teacher! I also asked her why she never spoke up in class. She said it was because there are so many students in class that it's very difficult for her to talk. I totally agree with her. There are SO many kids in the classroom; I thought America was bad! She's amazing though; she's been studying for about 6 years. Maybe if I study Korean for another 5 years, I could be as good as she is in English!


I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL NEW YEAR'S EVE!!! ^^