Thursday Strikes Back...With a Vengeance

You know, every time I'm walking on the sidewalk, where one is supposed to walk, and some bastard on a scooter passes right by me from behind, it scares the crap out of me. Why would you drive a scooter on the sidewalk? It don' make no sense to me.

Today was actually not that exciting. My thermostat started playing a jingle for me every four minutes or so last night, and I had no idea what was going on. It was catchy for about three seconds and then stopped. It went off some time during the night while I was dreaming of peppermint gumdrops and rice.

I found my new go to sweety snack. It's like a ho-ho in moonpie form. It's called Lotte Cacao. Dessert every night. It takes the edge off of having to spend over a dollar every time I want to buy a trashbag. What's that, you say? Over a dollar for a single trash bag? That's right, kids. In Korealand, every neighborhood has special trash bags that you have to use to take out your trash. So, on top of having to separate everything (food, bottles/cans/plastics, paper waste, etc), I have to pay to produce and leave my trash by a dumpster. I suppose it's not so bad with everything else being cheap and all. The funny part is the only place that sells my neighborhood trashbags is always crawling with old drunk Koreans playing cards. Interesting little shack, that place is.

I got my settlement allowance today, which should tide me over until I get paid and reimbursed for my plane ticket on the 25th. Oh, I'm rolling in the dough. If I had a dollar for every won to my name, I'd never have to work again...for the next six months or so. Stupid dollar. Sometimes, the American money still in my wallet whispers to me to do bad things to everyone around me.

Also, I got my class schedule. 22 classes a week. 18 regular curriculum classes, 3 "after school" classes (which just means in the afternoon, not after my work hours) and 1 teacher class. I get to teach the teachers English here. They want to know practical things and slang. So I'm going to totally mess with them and tell them that "the bee's knees" is the hottest new slang to come out of Lady GaGa's mouth. They'll eat it up like it was spicy kimchi. I'm just kidding. I'm not evil. It's the American money talking, honest. I've got until Thursday afternoon to figure out what the heck I'm going to teach them. I'm not prepared to teach adults. All I know is how to do games and activities designed for children. Hmm, drinking games? "Oh, you mixed up your L and R again! Drink!"

So, Mr. Lee (my landlord) is so nice. He came into my apartment some time while I was at work and gave me a new remote control that wasn't shaped like a ball. He also left me a drying rack for my laundry. What am I going to do with him? It won't be the smog, or the drinking, or getting run over by a scooter that'll kill me, it'll be his kindness. I barely know the guy and he's treating me like I'm his son. I'm going to have to konsa hamnida his ass. That sounds like it's either really dirty or a judo move, but it's neither. I need to buy him some chocolate. I bet he'd like that. A nice little chocolate dove or leftover Easter bunny or something. I wouldn't feel comfortable giving him liquor as a gift. Bellllllly Chlistian, remember?

So, tomorrow I've got a treat for you folks. Actually you'll hear about it on Saturday because it's happening tomorrow. After work, we're going to a teacher's night out or some jazz. Welcome week, what a week, what a week. It'll be my first experience being the only Westerner getting drunk with a bunch of Koreans in a Korean setting. This is going to be pure gold, I assure you. Hopefully I won't be the most disastrously plastered one there. Extra bonus, the place we're going to is close to where I live. No DDing needed here! I just need to remember all the etiquette rules I have been taught. I really hope we go to a noraebang. I want to hear my Principal sing "Hot for Teacher."