34 days and counting

In an effort to begin clearing out my little apartment, I have been taking inventory of my excess stuff and trying to find some of it a new home.  I suspect these next few weeks will fly right by, so I am trying to get organized and prepare early.   A few months ago I was given a SPAM gift set with three cans of SPAM and 2 bottles of cooking oil.  Although, very touched that I was given a gift, I just can't get myself to eat the stuff.  Thankfully, at the time I was given the gift, Dan was visiting me so he graciously did me the honor of eating 2 entire containers of the stuff (although very grateful for the deed....I'm still judging him...just a little).  Needless to say, I have had one can lingering in my kitchen for months now.  This evening, I went out for my nightly Kimbap fix and Kim Sung-eun (Son Myung-ai's son) was eating a huge plate full of SPAM.  Just to be sure, I asked him if it was, in fact, SPAM--all the while relieved with thoughts of unloading my last can of SPAM that has been haunting me for 5 months.  Kim Sung-eun got up and went to the SPAM stash and produced another can of SPAM and insisted I take it.  I sincerely appreciated the gesture and was touched at how sharing this society is, but I did attempt to say no, but "no" is not really an option in Korea. So now, I am back up to 2 cans.  Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have the language barrier working against me, and would have simply explained that I was happy to see that they like SPAM and would like to give them a can.  I am sure when I go home, I will always have fond little memories associated with SPAM and every time I pass it in the store, I will be transported back to my year in Korea.

This Monday is the Lunar New Year.  It is a national holiday here (visibly way bigger than Christmas was), so everything will be closed on both Monday and Tuesday.  I will be spending it with Son Myung-ai & family.  I will head over to her house in the early afternoon, where we will prepare, what I am sure will be an extravagant meal.  It is also tradition to make "deok" (Korean rice cake) on New Years, so we will do that as well.  I am thrilled to celebrate my first Lunar New Year, with my Korean family. 

Prior to coming here, I lived by the book when it came to the dentist...going every 6 months for a cleaning and sometimes a bit more for good measure.  Truthfully, I am the only person I know who LOVES the dentist (admittedly weird).  I have heard more than one horror story about Korean dentists--and given my personal experience with being tortured by a massage therapist, I am inclined to believe that their dentists are cruel too.  However, I have had a place on one of my teeth that has been bothering me for awhile...more recently it began to crumble a bit (TMI and yeah..kind of gross).  I am pretty sure it is just an old filling needing repair, but maybe that is just wishful thinking--I don't know.  I will be travelling for over a month after I leave here.  Since I have rather questionable luck, I figured if I don't get it taken care of now--knowing me I'll be in the middle of Cambodia when the rest of the tooth follows suit and crumbles out of my head.  So...questionable Korean dentist?  Or questionable Cambodian dentist?  When put in that light, it was a pretty easy decision.  Appointment is on Wednesday.

I am still in the midst of teaching winter camps, which have been highly intensive classes ALL day long for 4 weeks and counting.  It is truly draining and by the time Friday arrives, it is not a far stretch to say I feel like I have been hit by a semi.  What I do like about winter camp, is that the classes are significantly smaller than the normal classes (7-12 vs. 30 students), so you really have the opportunity to see some of your students in a completely different light.  There has been one kid who (and I hate to admit it) I truly did not like ALL year long.  He has been a little terror for me.  However, some time in the last few weeks of school, back in December, I started realizing he was actually not as bad as I thought he was.  Now, in winter camp, I have realized how amazingly helpful and sweet he is--- and also hate to admit it, but shame on me, because this whole time, it never occurred to me to give him some extra one on one time for his true colors and his potential to blossom.  During this winter camp he has been so sweet and so helpful to me---that I can't believe I spent an entire year totally oblivious to his good nature.  Let me go on the record as saying, Kim Min-su is an absolute wonderful kid and I have grossly misjudged him for the better part of  year.  I guess it is true that if you keep calling a child a certain thing or believing they are a certain way he or she will become exactly what you say or think they are.   

TIDBITS:

The other day I passed another teacher in the hall, when he stopped to pay me a 'compliment' by saying, "Ohh Christine, I wanted to tell you that you are thinner than you were last year.  I think you enjoyed the food too much last year, because you got fat.  You look better now that you are not as fat."    My response, "Uhhhh...Thanks? Mr. Anh?"      This particular teacher has been one of my favorites from day one.  He has gone out of his way to make me feel incredibly welcomed.  His compliments just never come out quite right.  :)  Back in September, this same teacher had the same complimentary conversation with me....  I can't remember the exact words, but "fat" was used more than once.  Come on people, can't we just let a girl gain/lose weight in peace?!

The way I say the number "twelve" in Korean, sounds like cuss word to Koreans.  The number 12 is "ship-E" a bad word is, "ship-EE".  I am sure you can see my dilemma!  :)  I now just skip over 12 and go straight for 13.