Coming to an End

Yep. The school year will come to an end on July 18th. My last day will be the 16th.

This will also end my 2 years with my 2 schools and I must say that I am VERY excited for the change.

After being at an all boys school for 2 years, I have had enough of listening to "Sekshi" and "Baby" along with other various swear words and will go to 2 all girls middle schools. Ahhhhh, bliss!
I'm hoping so anyway.

I know that girls will pose their own challenge as well but at least they won't be trying to look down my shirt and ask me what a vulva is.
Well, hopefully not.

I will be changing apartments and Darren will hopefully be taking my job and can just move right into my old place.
I will just be moving down the street to the 300 block of my complex into an apt. that is exactly the same as mine.

I am really looking forward to the change of schools and a new year.
Having Darren here will be a completely different experience then what the past 2 years have been and I have made some really good friends here in Mokpo.

In less than a month I will be back in Winnipeg, packing up the apartment and visiting.
Then it's off to Penticton to relax with mom and dad and enjoy the beach and beautiful B.C.
I can't wait!

That's the update here in the Po.

On an unrelated note,

it's friggin hot here now. Even though it is technically the rainy season, the humidity is crazy. It makes my skin look like I'm 14 again which is just awesome!
Pabo doesn't even want to play b/c it's so warm.

My toilet paper is moist due to the air in the apt., the edges of my passport have curled and laundry takes forever to dry.

The scary thing is, is that this is nothing compared to the heat and humidity that you feel come July, August and Sept. where you just want to die basically. haha

anyone wanna come for a visit!?

Everyone Smoke!

Everyone in Korea smokes.

So it seems anyway. Kids are getting busted for smoking, only to be scolded by teachers who smoke AT school. Women smoke in the bathroom stalls like teenagers in order to not be seen as a "slut" or a "bad girl" by others.

You can barely walk down the street without having someone bellow out a big puff of smoke near you for you to breathe in. It's lovely.

My beef is with the smoking rooms that exist in schools. Yes, IN SCHOOLS!
This blows my mind.

At my boys school, the photocopy room, where the crusty old man makes photocopies for you, is also where the male teachers smoke. I have posted a picture of the huge jar that serves as their ashtray before.
You go in to get your copies and get slapped in the face by smoke. Disgusting.

What's worse, is that those same teachers are the ones beating the students and making them write lines b/c they were caught smoking!!!!

Well. What a GREAT example you are setting for them when they see you smoking at school! And see every other male in the country smoking.

It also doesn't help that cigarettes are super cheap here. About $2 dollars.

At my second school which is nice and new, there is also a smoking room. This one at least has windows but you can smell the smoke as you walk by the room.

Again, disgusting.


This is my rant about smoking.

I hate it. It's gross.

Another one I like is how the soccer coaches smoke AT practice. This is a good example.

Jeju Marathon

On June 1st, our running group took part in what looks like to be our last run together. Monique is heading to Masadonia to study and then do her Masters and Jessica will head back to the States and get a real job and life!

We went to Jeju island to take part in the 10k. We had all originaly planned to do the half marathon but then realised that none of us had put in enough training to do so.

Sooooo, we did the 10. It was a lovely day. Not too hot, but hot enough. The course is still along the coastline and is beautiful.

We had rented a car which is always interesting in Korea. We drove around Jeju with the help of our friend who took us to see some cool spots.

We caught the Jeju woman divers who wear these old school wet suits and dive down to the bottom and fish for whatever crustations lie at the bottom. I have always wanted to see them so it was great to finally catch them in action.

Then we checked out some lava tubes. Apparently this is one of the largest lava caves in the world??

I might be wrong but the lava column is definitely the largest in the world which formed by lava dripping down from the top and then just gradually making it's way to the bottom forming this big column thing. It basically looks like a big pile of poo but was pretty damn cool.

I imagined lava flowing through this huge tunnel years and years ago. It must have been amazing.

The hotel we were staying at is the kind of hotels that rents rooms by the hour we think as we saw many "working girls" coming through.

My roomate Vanessa and I, who ran her first 10k and kicked ass, woke up to little red bites on us.

At first she thought mosquito bites but I had searched and destroyed the one mos. the night before we went to bed and there is no way we could have had that many mos's. in the room and not realise it!

Soooo, we had bed bugs I'm guessing. yum. What do you want for 30 bucks a night I guess.

Other activities included an ANTM like photo shoot on the beach and eating lots and lots of delicious Indian food.

It was a fantastic weekend. What made it even more fantastic is that we splurged for the more expensive ferry tickets which gives you your own private room with a bed, tv and a sink and separates you from the scads of people beyond the doors who are drinking beer and soju and getting right pissed!

On a Sunday night of course.
We felt all uppity in our private room, separated from the commoners.

There's no going back!