Life Update

    Ok, so as you can tell from my archive, I have been doing a pretty poor job at keeping up with my posts here, or well at least keeping them more frequent. I guess all I can say about that is that life happens. I have been busy with getting every thing lined up for one more year here in Seoul, plus I got a promotion at work, so I have had to  adjust to a slightly more demanding work load; plus with learning to live on my own (laundry to wash, dishes to clean, the crazy Korean trash/recycling system, balancing work and play, "minor" Netflix addictions, etc) I might have neglected my blog a little too much. But I promise I will try to make a stronger effort to post here. 

   Alright so where to start with my update...well I guess since I touched on it earlier we will start with what I am going to do for the next year. I have as of 8/26/16 extended my visa until Sep of 2017, I have taken over the security deposit of my apartment (so now everything is in my name, not my company's), and I have signed on for another year of teaching at my academy. Anything past next year is up in the air. I am not sure if I want to go to grad school, if I want to go home and find a job, if I want to go to another country and do something there, or if I want to stay here for another year; I just think I will focus on this year first and the later (maybe around Nov.-Dec.) figure out what my next steps will be. But no matter what they are, whether that will be going somewhere else, working, or going back to school, I know that (hopefully) it will all be for the best!

   Moving on to work related updates, If you have not head through the grapevine that is my family's gossip, I have been given a promotion to Head Instructor at my branch and even got a raise when I re-signed for my 2nd year. As a head instructor, I help out the faculty manager and help give feedback and help to the other teachers (even though I tend to work with the newer teachers the most). I also seem to be given all the new and special classes when they are launched, because according to my manager " we only trust our best teachers with the job," so I guess that means that I am doing a good job as a teacher, right?

This weekend is Chuseok, aka the "Korean Thanksgiving"( Thanksgiving because it is there autumn harvest festival where most Korean have large family reunions with lots of traditional foods), so that mean that I got an extra 4 days before I take my week long vacation. I had asked for the week off before I knew that we were going to get the full 4 days of Chuseok off, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I was going to be getting almost a full week and a half off for vacation! First vacation in over a year, so I am really looking forward to relaxing and unwinding!

For my vacation, I am going to be going to Jeju Island for about a week and the going to Busan for a few days before coming back to Seoul. Jeju is advertised as the Hawaii of South Korea, with beaches and palm trees, and for having a really relaxed attitude--aka the perfect place for me to relax and explore. I am so lucky that I get to stay with a friend of mine who moved there recently, so I did not really need to worry about booking a hotel! After a week in Jeju, I am planning on going to Busan and meeting two of my friends who are going to come down from Seoul, and we are going to explore over the weekend!

Other than that, nothing much is going on, but I promise if anything exciting happens, I will keep you all updated! And of course, I will update here about my vacation^^

Until next time~

Sarah

Insadong Poop Cafe

So this is a long time coming (since January 13th!), but I have been very busy with school so I have not been able to post as much as I would like to. But I am here now, so that is all that matters!
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So if you know me well, you know that I am obsessed with cafes. I freaking love them so much. I can spend hours and hours just sitting there surrounded by the smell of brewed coffee while I work on  my computer or prep for my classes. I had found an article about the most unique cafes in Seoul and that got me thinking about what other fun cafes there could be in Seoul. So I looked up crazy fun cafes in Seoul up on Google, and low and behold I found a blog post about the Poop Cafe that was in Insadong.

Insadong is the traditional neighborhood here in Seoul where you can go to buy traditional goods or to eat Korean food in a more traditional setting. It is near the major palaces and the main touristy area. So really, putting a cafe in this area will definitely bring in lots of visitors. So hearing that there was a cafe that was themed around poop in this area, I knew I had to go check it out!

The small shopping center where the Cafe was located.

Well getting there was not too hard and there were signs in the main market area that it was in to let us know what floor it was on. From the outside it looked like a normal cafe (albeit there was a large poop drawing on the window and a large poop plushie in the window as well.) On the inside is where it really became different. Also next door was a little stand that was selling hot poop shaped red bean filled buns, as well as hot citron tea, hot chocolate, and coffee.

The inside was actually not super in your face with the feces, but rather it was just like a normal cafe, but with lots of pretty painted toilet mugs and little "poop" swirl pillows in folk-art patterned cloth. All-in-all, it was a cozy, artsy, and classy as you could make a poop themed cafe. (In fact, I was a little underwhelmed in that it was not as crazy as I had originally thought it was going to be.)

That being said, it was actually a really great cafe and the prices were about normal for the area we were in ($3-5 dollars for normal drinks, $6-8 for specialty drinks, and ~$8-10 for food). I went with my friend Suzie and we ordered some of the specialty drinks and then a spaghetti since it was half off for $4 and I had not eaten yet that day. I got a rose latte and Suzie got a flower fizz (fizzy flavored water with eatable flowers) and then we settled in to study Korean until we decided to leave and go get dinner.

But anyway, here are some pictures!

Here is all of our food. My latte is on the left, in the toilet bowl mug and the spaghetti is in the middle and was served in a large toilet bowl. Suzie's drink is the pretty right one with all the flowers.

Close up of my rose latte

I am not sure, but I think you are able to buy the toilet mugs and the poop swirl pillows

So many plants inside and I was really impressed with how they used the different toilets in the decoration

They had pretty succulents around all the windows~

So until next time!

Happy Holidays

Just a quick note from me to say that I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Season and that the year of the red monkey (aka 2016) bring you all nothing but happiness and joy!

From my home to yours, HAPPY HOLIDAYS

November's Protests Against The Korean Government 2015

So for those of you who were reading the news, y'all may have heard about the protests that have happened here in Seoul. On November 14th, union workers, students,  parents of the Sewol Ferry victims, and any one else who has taken issue with Park GeunHee's presidency.  The protesters were marching calling for PGH to either step down or to apologize/fix her mistakes. From what I have heard, the straw that broke the camel's back was her suggestion of changing the history text books for all public schools to where they paint her father's reign as a dictator in a more favorable light. As a global studies major, very interesting  stuff to follow and to see how the response towards the protests has been.

Essentially all of Seoul police showed their force and use fire hose to spray the protesters and there was a lot of uproar from the populous after for how the protesters were being treated. For a good account, you can read the NY Times article here. But so far the reaction form my friends is that they agree with the protesters, no one really likes PGH that much any more. But the scariest thing I have heard is that when the government officials were questions about why they were so heavy handed with the protesters when most of the time they are not that violent. One of the officials made a comment about how since the US police force was being so violent in the US, that they were only following the example of a top tier developed nation. So yeah...USA needs to remember that the rest of the world watches and follows when they do, so they need to be careful about what they let their government do.

Then a few weeks later I got an email form the US State Department since I am registered in their database as living in Seoul (very good way to stay safe and get updates on news when you live abroad and go traveling--check out their site here), that it was best that I stay away from the Jongno area of the city, especially near the temple where one of the lead protesters was taking sanctuary. They (the police) were going to do a huge police raid that was going to shut down that part of the city. So the US-SD was giving people a heads up to let them know that they should plan extra routes of travel to avoid the area, especially since of there was a high change that there was going to be spectator violence.

But as of now, there has not been any major protest or anything. There have been a few people with megaphones chanting and talking about their grievances, but it is usually one or two random people and not in the city hall area (more in the residential places), but I am sure that the issues will not stay quiet for too much longer. They might come back in the spring once it is not going to be as cold as it is here.

My Korean Skin Care Routine

So there is a thing in the beauty realm call the Korean Skin Care Routine**** (don't worry I had to look it up too when I first heard of it, so I posted some videos to help down below) and I have recently adopted it for myself.

Essentially the Korean Skin Care Routine is a process where you layer on different creams and toners that if done right will keep your skin hydrated and healthier. The number of products that you use depends on the person, but most go from 5-10 depending on how many essences you use (mine has 6 steps with about 15 products I alternate depending on the day/what I feel my skin needs). I know it is a lot, but so far it has worked great!

My skin is looking better and I have gotten a lot of compliments from family and friends when they see me. Plus, it is turning into a relaxing nighttime routine that winds me down form my day and gets me ready for bed. Because I am not sure about you, but after I pamper myself, I always feel more relaxed!

My skin and I have always had a love-hate relationship. I hate really bad break outs of acne as a child and teenager and it was not until recently that I have gotten my skin clear and blemish free. My skin was also what some would consider combination (oily and dry in patches), so I decided to switch up my face cleaning routine and it has really made a difference.  For the most part, I just used a face scrub in the shower and would apply vitamin E oil when my skin was dry. I still use the vitamin E oil and a face wash, but I have added some more steps:

 1. First I use a make up remover oil (this one had green tea extract) to really get off all the make up on my face. I find that the oil is not as harsh as other make up removers and also moisturizes my face wile it gets off almost all of the day's make up.


2. Next I use a face wash to get the rest of my make up/dirt/grime off my face. Depending on the day/what I think my face needs, I will either use the apricot scrub or the volcanic pour cleansing foam, and if my skin really needs it, I have a blackhead specific volcanic clay pour foam that I use on my nose and T-Zone.


3. Number three is turning out to be one of my favorites so far. This is a mask made of organic honey and sugar and really helps to smooth and hydrate my skin. I have been putting it on and leaving it one as I clean/blog/watch dramas/talk to friends/anything really, since the longer it is on your face the more it hydrates and smooths. After I have had it on for a while, I will go back to the bathroom and wash it off with warm water.



4. Next is a Facial toner. This one is really nice since it is more of a water than a toner. For me, western toners tend to be very harsh and leave my skin feeling striped and way too dried out. But with this one, my skin feels more awake and clean, rather than feeling like it was cleaned with a harsh chemical.



5. Essence time!! Essence are pretty cool things if I do say so myself. They are kind of like light lotions that you layer on, but the cool thing about them is that they are all specified to do a specific thing. Sometimes I use all four, or I only use one or two. Plus they smell awesome and make my skin feel really soft!

Rose: Face brightening and helps skin elasticity

Acai Berry: antioxidants that help slow the aging of skin/helps prevent wrinkles

Green Tea Seed: antioxidants to keep skin youthful, moisturizing, redness prevention

Snail Mucin (mucus): surprisingly lightweight and really helps with super moisturizing my skin, helps with roughness and keeps my skin feeling baby soft.

6. "Skin" toner

The skin toner is a little heavier toner than the first one I put on in step 4. Instead of cleaning my skin of any toxins that may have survived from my washes, this one is formulated to renew the "dewiness" in my skin. Essentially it helps keep my skin looking hydrated and works as a good layering agent between my essences and my final step.



7. My final step is to seal everything in for the night with a lotion/night cream. I have three different ones I use depending on how I feel and how dry it is outside. Since it is winter (and Korea has really dry winters which is not good for my skin AT ALL), I tend to use the heavier creams and will only use the oil in the summer.

My good old Vitamin E oil from home! I have had this for about 3 years now (a little goes a long way) it is a great way to hydrate your skin without putting on heavy creams and lotions. I like to use this one in the summers or if I just want a lazy night where I wash my face but want to not do all the steps (aka steps 1 and 2 only).

You are never too young to start working on preventing wrinkles. This cream smells AMAZING and is specially formulated to help prevent and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

This cream is the heaviest and most "traditional" out of my night creams. It has a light mint smell and tingles when you put it on. Like the other two, a little goes a long way. This one is specially made to help reduce the appearance of pores and to (again) help with the appearance of wrinkles.

It might seem like a lot, but after a while it becomes less daunting and, as I said earlier, very relaxing to do at night before bed. Plus my skin looks and feels more hydrated and healthier!

Bonus:

With only being 4,000 won ( ~ 3 USD) this is one of the best things I have ever bought and i can see why people buy this by the tub-ful! It is essentially just pure aloe vera gel and I use it everywhere. It can be put on your body to hydrate, on burns, on your face, and (my personal favorite) on your hair. I put it on the ends of my hair before I go to bed and then put my hair up in a bun and go to sleep. Since the Korean winters are a little more harsh and windy than I am used to, my hair gets really dried out and tends to break easier (cure my love for long hair). But ever since I started using this on the ends of my hair, my locks have felt healthier and I have had less breakage.

The wonderful aloe vera, but in a smaller "on-the-go" tube. This one comes with roller balls, so it also massages the area as it releases the aloe. I tend to use this one under my eyes to massage away and puffy eye bags or dark circles, while at the same time moisturizing the area which (once again) helps prevent/slow the signs of wrinkles and aging.

So that is everything I am doing for my skin nowadays. It was a hard change and I need to remember to make myself do it, but it has definitely been worth it!

****Here are some good videos on Korean Skin Care Routines by a few of my favorite YouTubers. Also another (less intense one) by a great YouTuber who I follow who lives in Japan. ****

My Students: My Little Joys and My Occasional Headaches

I finished my first semester (currently 4 weeks into my 2nd) and I got to say, teaching is hard, but it is definitely worth the effort. At Sewanee (my university), one of my favorite professors made a comment to me after I lead a group discussion on Catholic Relics and their prominence in period works of literature that I should conciser teaching as a potential job after I graduated. As any potential global politics major will tell you, I was going to change the world either working for the US government or some NGO somewhere across the globe. I never saw myself as a teacher or someone who would like working with kids before. Sure I was a swim coach for a summer and work as a lifeguard at my local YMCA, but those were just summer jobs where I was with other people my own age for the most part.

Plus to be quite honest, when I originally applied for the job I was curious to see if my professor was right, but I mostly really wanted to come back to Korea (esp Seoul) to find out why I am so drawn to this country. But after the training and being put into a classroom with on average 10-12 students everyday, I learned I really do like teaching the kids the material and helping them hone their skills in the English language. I really like being in the classroom and interacting with my students. Of course I would like them to really learn more and to improve, but for me the best thing is when I can relate and really get to know my students. I am always asking questions about their life and interests. I really try to relate what we are learning/talking about to their own lives to make their learning more personal. For me, showing them that they are able to express themselves and relate to others in a foreign language is the ultimate goal (besides having them level up and improve their English).

Teaching is hard, I am not going to lie. I have to not only teach the students the material, but I have to always be aware of classroom management and make sure that the students are not playing on their tabs when they should be following the lesson (all my classes are taught on tablets). I have had to deal with kids not wanting to be in my class so they feel the need to just go crazy, distract others, or even to just ignore me. I have had students refuse to work with others and out right tell me they hate a classmate.

But I have had more instances of students joking around with me, coming together to create and imagine different view points in a story, see a connection to their own lives to the life of the character in our books, learn to voice their thoughts and opinions on a topic they might not be able to talk about outside of the classroom in a language they are learning (example the War on Terror, plastic surgery, Humanoids, and whether or not the government should provide free lunches to students). Teaching so far has been life changing and very rewarding.

Will I be doing this for the rest of my life? I am not sure, but for now I am just going to enjoy experiencing this new chapter in my life.

Why Korea, Why Return?

I have gotten this question quite a few times and frankly have been asking myself the very same question ever since I started to even entertain the idea of coming back to Seoul to teach after I graduated from University.

It is a very hard question to answer, and maybe there is no real answer other than there is something about South Korea that keeps drawing me back to it. It is like a feeling, a deep urge inside me that is constantly pulling me back. When I am here in Seoul, I feel free; like I belong and I understand how everything works. Now granted the language barrier is extremely annoying ( I am working on that my Korean, so hopefully it will get better).

But I guess that I am trying to say is, that despite being on the other side of the world, Seoul reminds me a lot of home. Most people would not think of it, but the Korean culture really reminds me a lot of the stereotypical Southern culture that many nowadays are trying to revive: respect for elders, being polite to others, having a hierarchy of respect based on age and position, a family that seems to be centered around the children and food--everything seems to really relate. Plus the fact that Seoul gives off a 1950s America feel may add to the feeling of home.

But at the same time, Korea is a fast paced and quickly developing country in the world. South Korea is the axis of Eastern Asia right now. With all the political tension between China, Japan, North Korea, and the US right now, South Korea is the focus of many of the world's top political watchers. Korea is also one of the only countries to have such a quick economic and political turn around. Just 70 years ago, South Korea was still colonized by Japan, and now South Korean technology companies are at the same level and passing Japan in most global technical presence. So as a global studies major I am in heaven right now since I can experience all the changes first hand.

But like I said before, I love the person that I am here; I am happier, more confident in myself, and feel like I don't have to pretend about who I am. Not that I was pretending before when I was home in the US, but I felt like I had to fit into a specific role that people and society had told me that I must fill. But here, I feel like there is no preconceived role that I have to be. Yes there are stereotypes that exist about foreigners and white females, but I feel like they are not present enough to cause much issue, plus the fact that I love breaking them and changing them for the better.

So what I am mostly trying to say is that I came back to find out why I feel this way and to keep becoming the Sarah that I love (the one I am here in Seoul) in hopes that when I do come home to the US, I can bring her back with me!