Tidbits:

My students last night all gasped as I bit into an apple at our last break (9pm). I thought they were shocked to see me eating in front of them or were about to ask me for a bite as they tend to do. (This is why I should really eat in the staff room!) But then one of my more talkative girls told me with wide eyes that eating apples at night is very, very bad for you. … I don't know if it's a luck thing, or a medical superstition along the lines of death-by-fan (leaving an electric fan on while you sleep will suffocate you because of the vortex it creates, stealing your oxygen. Ask any Korean; they think this urban myth is a very serious matter!) - in any case, apples here are mighty tasty and I'm quasi-nocturnal, so I don't know about conforming to that one!

I've talked with a few people about the street-watchers. In a country where it's normal to find businessmen drinking beer in their suits at 4pm in flimsy plastic chairs on the street outside a convenience store, it's not exceptional to find old people on equally flimsy chairs sitting out in the middle of the busy street, often with a pot of kimchi soup bubbling on a propane burner. The theories range from "they give out parking tickets" - hard to believe, since drivers double park diagonally on sidewalks so that neither pedestrian nor motor traffic can get by on either side; to "they are just people watching; they have nothing better to do." Hmmmmmm

The fear of sun is amusing here. It's not about cancer; don't get me wrong. It's for the same reason that the foundation I bought has a very blue tint to it, and that the facial masks all boast "overnight bleaching" - being pale is very important to women here. I've had old women pull me into the shade while I wait for the light to change at a street corner, and all of us Western girls get strange looks when we wear sleeveless anything on a bright day. Young women run through the streets shrieking, shading their noses with newspapers, and ads have popped up everywhere for professional cosmetic whitening. (Whilst reading Gone With the Wind, all of this fuss about pallor has made me think…) I guess I could embrace my own pallor and invest in one of the beautiful parasols women carry around here. Luckily, I won't be driving any time soon, so I won't have to buy a tube of fabric to cover my forearms at the steering wheel. Phew!

Things I've Eaten:

Nothing really exotic lately! I have recently become infatuated with a little booth that makes pita-pocket-type delicacies, though. The woman smushes a filling between two pieces of bread in a press-grill, like the Betty Crocker one we had at my parents' place. I've realized my tolerance for Hot & Spicy has been forcibly heightened, since I no longer flinch when my mouth is still burning an hour after finishing the chicken one. The cute thing is, while you wait for her to make yours, the woman squirts some instant whipped cream into a small bowl and has you eat stale leftover bread crusts with it.

Papers I've corrected:

When the sun rises, I put on my sucks. And I am washing my face. And then I put on my glasses, also I put on my clothes. And I have breakfast. I like break fast! And I go to the Noeun Elementary School. I love to go to my school. Because, my school is very very good. And I go to my class room. (Hee won Lee, aka Joyce)

When, I wake up. I go to bathroom slowly. And I wash my face. I finish wash my face, I am very fresh and feel so good. And I eat breakfast. It's very delicious. And I little bit watch TV. And I am brush my teeth. When I brush my teeth, I watch TV too. And I wear the cloth very fast. Because I don't have a time. And I befor the mirror then. I comb my hair. I wear jumper. I hold my bag. And I go to school. (Jane)

First, I wake up at the bed at the morning. However, sometimes I wake up late. So, I have to hurry more than before. Next, I brush my teeth and put on the clothes. When, I am brushing my teeth, my mom says, "Brush your teeth conscientiously!" And when I am put on my clothes, my mom says "Do it hurry." Then, I eat breakfast. On the table there are many deliecious things. Finally, I comb my hair clearly. Then, I carry a school bag and walk to school. Sometimes I go to my fathers car.

So there's a glimpse into my daily life… I'll be writing a real blog soon!