Well we are on to the last week of the intensive session. I wish I could say that the coming months were going to get better, but I have yet to see any evidence of that. Quite to the contrary, we just found out that another one of the foreign teachers is going to be leaving at the end of the month, which puts us at a teacher short for the normal schedule. Which means that I'm still teaching about 30 classes, but without any chance of getting overtime. Oh goodie....
All complaining aside, I have rediscovered the wonder that is the Daily Show. My three years at GW had already given me a somewhat healthy obsession with Jon Stewart, but when I remembered that Comedy Central is practically the only network that streams programs online that are not restricted by international copyright laws, I did a little dance of happiness. In the middle of the teacher's office. While my coworkers sat and wondered silently to themselves why the new teacher had already lost her mind. Whoops. I've been catching up on all the recent "news" over the past couple hours, since the Daily Show is easy to fit in around breaks of grading student journals and essays and the like. And since we are nearing the end of the month, I have plenty that I should be doing. Don't worry--while my workload will be about the same, my schedule will have shifted towards the evenings, so I should be able to get back online and back in touch with most of you (something which I have sorely missed this past month).
All of you start looking forward to Lunar New Year! I'm trying to pull together some kind of interesting cultural experience for me to embark on...
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Odd tidbits
I'm sorry that I have been derelict in my duties as an observer of Korean culture. The past month has been a little crazy, and while right now is still in that hectic phase, I'm finally able to sit down and jot out a couple of the things that have been happening.
First and foremost, if you are ever in Korea, make sure that you check the label to any lotions or moisturizers before applying them to your face. What looks like a harmless bottle of Nivea or Johnson & Johnson may actually in fact turn out to be whitening cream. And when you already have a pretty pale complexion, the effects are both hilarious and a little alarming.
Also, when you first move into a Korean apartment, check to see if the "shower" in the bathroom is hooked up to its own faucet, or if it is hooked up to the sink. If it is hooked up to the sink, you might want to test it before walking in there one morning and just assuming that the sink will work. Because believe me, just hoping that the last person who lived there kept the thing turned to the "sink" setting is not going to fly. Particularly at 4am on your day off when you just got up to go to the bathroom.
Floor heaters are amazing, wonderful ways to heat apartments. You should be careful, though, to pick up your floor and take out any trash before going away for the weekend. Even if the floor heater is off, it still gives off heat for 1-2 days. And that length of time is more than enough to cook any candy bars or trash that may be sitting on the floor.
Finally, I know how difficult it is remembering to get the trash out on time. In Korea, most places post hours that the trash can be taken outside and left on the curb, some time between 9pm and 6am. And if you forget until you wake up to the sound of the garbage truck a couple doors down, don't even both making the mad dash to the curb to hand the trash collectors your refuse. It's not worth the $350 fine .
First and foremost, if you are ever in Korea, make sure that you check the label to any lotions or moisturizers before applying them to your face. What looks like a harmless bottle of Nivea or Johnson & Johnson may actually in fact turn out to be whitening cream. And when you already have a pretty pale complexion, the effects are both hilarious and a little alarming.
Also, when you first move into a Korean apartment, check to see if the "shower" in the bathroom is hooked up to its own faucet, or if it is hooked up to the sink. If it is hooked up to the sink, you might want to test it before walking in there one morning and just assuming that the sink will work. Because believe me, just hoping that the last person who lived there kept the thing turned to the "sink" setting is not going to fly. Particularly at 4am on your day off when you just got up to go to the bathroom.
Floor heaters are amazing, wonderful ways to heat apartments. You should be careful, though, to pick up your floor and take out any trash before going away for the weekend. Even if the floor heater is off, it still gives off heat for 1-2 days. And that length of time is more than enough to cook any candy bars or trash that may be sitting on the floor.
Finally, I know how difficult it is remembering to get the trash out on time. In Korea, most places post hours that the trash can be taken outside and left on the curb, some time between 9pm and 6am. And if you forget until you wake up to the sound of the garbage truck a couple doors down, don't even both making the mad dash to the curb to hand the trash collectors your refuse. It's not worth the $350 fine .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)