Yesterday (Tuesday) was a really good day. It was the first official day of school in South Korea, and I didn't have any classes, but my Mentor Teacher, Jenny, asked me to come in anyways. I came for a meet and greet with the other teachers and various assistants I hadn't met yet. So after that I hung around on the internet at in the teacher's lounge until lunch time, and then had my first staff lunch.
Food was delicious, then left school to go to my local library. I spent a few hours there watching Black (a Hindi film that I would recommend to ANYONE!) and then a BBC version of Persuasion, the only Jane Austen story I don't know anything about, which also was quite good. Two minutes after I got home, I got a call from Jenny saying she was downstairs waiting for me because the staff was going to have their first hwi-shik, which is an obligatory staff dinner type thing. It's a good thing I hadn't started dinner yet, because I was planning to eat cereal for every meal the next few meals because my milk expires in 2 days.
Hwi-shik was everything I'd ever hoped it would be and more. Lots of delicious food, good conversation getting to know more of my school staff members. The only thing I probably should have participated in that I didn't is everybody going around the table pouring soju for each other. Just worrying about how I should pour for each person, in which order should I approach people to pour for them... I just kinda zoned the whole practice out even though I saw it going on all around me. I guess I'll have to do it eventually.
Afterwards, we went to Karaoke with the whole group, about 16 of us. We were told at orientation that our principal will most likely be a very serious person, and the vice principal will usually be more of a party animal and outgoing person especially at hwi-shiks. At our school it seems to be the other way around. From the first day, Jenny told me that they call our principal Gandhi because he's a very kind and loving person. He even looks a bit like him. He's always been really friendly to me, talking to me in Korean all the time, asking me about myself. The vice principal has been mostly quiet and shy around me. The principal loves Celine Dion, and requested that I sing his favorite song, Believe, at Karaoke so I had to oblige.
When we left, I took a taxi back to my area with two people who live nearby, both of which are the closest to me in age. I realized that the one girl, Hana actually lives in Clasium with me! That's means now I have someone from my school that I can talk to and spend time with. She has a cute little puppy, and she brought him over last night after we got home, and we just chatted and looked at pics. She's the archery coach at my school, and I heard from some other teachers that we have the top archery team in the area. Maybe she can teach me some time!
Anyways... A great day =D
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Weekend
I've been finding ways to survive without internet in my apartment. Mostly, I've been going to school or to my local library which is really close by. Other times I am stuck watching whatever's on tv... Luckily there's usually some American tv show or movie on to pass some time.
Sunday was much better. I took the bus down to Gangneung, and met up with EunYoung, a girl who was my temporary Korean co-teacher because mine had not shown up (later I found out I don't even have one ><). She's really an amazing girl, so nice, so eager to help out, and speaks good English too. So we walked around downtown for a bit, then met up with my other friend Young who's a TaLK scholar in Pyeongchang, much more rural than me. We went to the Full Moon Festival, which is special in Korea because the first full moon after the Lunar New Year is quite important. We did all the stuff the festival had to offer, then moved on to Jjimjilbang (sauna).
We stayed there overnight, then came back to EunYoung's in the morning for breakfast. We finally got to meet her two shy little sisters, aged 11 and 13. They were absolutely adorable. I started talking to the younger one, and she's sooo smart. She didn't use much English but she could understand quite a bit. She also showed me her English homework. If I get a 5th grader who knows half as much as her, I'd be so happy. At one point, EunYoung asked her if she knew anything about Judaism saying that I was a Jew. She said right away she feels sorry for them. I was in shock when she said that because EunYoung barely knew anything. Her little sister went on to list off books and movies about WWII and the Holocaust that she read such as Anne Frank's Diary and The Pianist, and EunYoung said she knew all them but didn't know they were about Jewish people. I was so impressed, I wanted to take her back to Sokcho with me.
On the bus back to Sokcho, I met another English teacher, an Australian guy who'd been teaching here for 8 years now. He lives about 20km north of me. He gave me his card, and said to contact him if I need it. He also gave me some useful tips on getting some stuff I need, and offered some other possible contacts. Said that there are English teachers swarming all over the place here.
Sunday was much better. I took the bus down to Gangneung, and met up with EunYoung, a girl who was my temporary Korean co-teacher because mine had not shown up (later I found out I don't even have one ><). She's really an amazing girl, so nice, so eager to help out, and speaks good English too. So we walked around downtown for a bit, then met up with my other friend Young who's a TaLK scholar in Pyeongchang, much more rural than me. We went to the Full Moon Festival, which is special in Korea because the first full moon after the Lunar New Year is quite important. We did all the stuff the festival had to offer, then moved on to Jjimjilbang (sauna).
We stayed there overnight, then came back to EunYoung's in the morning for breakfast. We finally got to meet her two shy little sisters, aged 11 and 13. They were absolutely adorable. I started talking to the younger one, and she's sooo smart. She didn't use much English but she could understand quite a bit. She also showed me her English homework. If I get a 5th grader who knows half as much as her, I'd be so happy. At one point, EunYoung asked her if she knew anything about Judaism saying that I was a Jew. She said right away she feels sorry for them. I was in shock when she said that because EunYoung barely knew anything. Her little sister went on to list off books and movies about WWII and the Holocaust that she read such as Anne Frank's Diary and The Pianist, and EunYoung said she knew all them but didn't know they were about Jewish people. I was so impressed, I wanted to take her back to Sokcho with me.
On the bus back to Sokcho, I met another English teacher, an Australian guy who'd been teaching here for 8 years now. He lives about 20km north of me. He gave me his card, and said to contact him if I need it. He also gave me some useful tips on getting some stuff I need, and offered some other possible contacts. Said that there are English teachers swarming all over the place here.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Ma new place!!
"You take the things you like, and try to love the things you took." - Regina Spektor 'On the Radio'
I've listened to that song a million times already, but it's the first time I've ever picked up that particular lyric. I quite like it.
After a crazy month of orientation and trips, yesterday was finally the last day of our province orientation. So much for February being a welcome change from the whirlwind of January travels. We had two orientations, one for all 300 of us, and the second just within our province. Ours has 24 making it an enormous province with such a small group. The province below us is half our size but has three or four times as much people. I quite like it this way though.
Two days ago, we finally got the names of our mentor teachers and the logistics of our school. Mine is quite small with only 65 students from grades K-6. I was quite excited because this is the day we would meet our Korean co-teachers who would teach side by side with us in each class, and are often college students from nearby universities. I waited... waited... waited... and no one showed up for me. I went up to the Gangwon education supervisor, and it seems they could not get in contact with my co-teacher and I may not even have one.
I got in contact with my mentor teacher (who is usually the Korean English teacher at whatever school you are going to), and she confirmed that they have not been able to find one for me. Apparently we live in such a rural area that they have not been able to procure someone who speaks enough English to function teaching in the classroom with me. She also told me that they have not been able to find me an apartment yet, and when she picked me up the next day we would go around searching for one. On top of that, she didn't know when my settlement fee (that everyone is supposed to get when they 'settle' would come in). So in essence, I was FREAKING OUT!!
Yesterday came and I was still worrying about it. When I met my co-teacher finally, I saw that she is the nicest person EVER! She's so sweet. Our meeting right away went off on the right foot. I really hope that I didn't cause her much stress because we did a lot of driving around Gosung and Sokcho, first my school (so cute, I LOVE IT!), then E-mart, then the bank because my pin number somehow didn't work, then my apartment, then back to E-mart to buy everything I need, then dinner, then my apartment again.
Ok, this is something I'll forever be in debt to my mentor teacher for. She managed to get me an apartment where another TaLK scholar is living, where I was hoping to live. I have TWO bedrooms, a spaceous living room, big kitchen/dining room, and a balcony looking out onto the East Asia Sea (or Sea of Japan, depending on your politics). I absolutely LOVE IT HERE!!! Today they will have a bit of a meet and greet opening ceremony for me at 3:30pm. I start teaching next Tuesday. Now to get started on lesson plans.........
I've listened to that song a million times already, but it's the first time I've ever picked up that particular lyric. I quite like it.
After a crazy month of orientation and trips, yesterday was finally the last day of our province orientation. So much for February being a welcome change from the whirlwind of January travels. We had two orientations, one for all 300 of us, and the second just within our province. Ours has 24 making it an enormous province with such a small group. The province below us is half our size but has three or four times as much people. I quite like it this way though.
Two days ago, we finally got the names of our mentor teachers and the logistics of our school. Mine is quite small with only 65 students from grades K-6. I was quite excited because this is the day we would meet our Korean co-teachers who would teach side by side with us in each class, and are often college students from nearby universities. I waited... waited... waited... and no one showed up for me. I went up to the Gangwon education supervisor, and it seems they could not get in contact with my co-teacher and I may not even have one.
I got in contact with my mentor teacher (who is usually the Korean English teacher at whatever school you are going to), and she confirmed that they have not been able to find one for me. Apparently we live in such a rural area that they have not been able to procure someone who speaks enough English to function teaching in the classroom with me. She also told me that they have not been able to find me an apartment yet, and when she picked me up the next day we would go around searching for one. On top of that, she didn't know when my settlement fee (that everyone is supposed to get when they 'settle' would come in). So in essence, I was FREAKING OUT!!
Yesterday came and I was still worrying about it. When I met my co-teacher finally, I saw that she is the nicest person EVER! She's so sweet. Our meeting right away went off on the right foot. I really hope that I didn't cause her much stress because we did a lot of driving around Gosung and Sokcho, first my school (so cute, I LOVE IT!), then E-mart, then the bank because my pin number somehow didn't work, then my apartment, then back to E-mart to buy everything I need, then dinner, then my apartment again.
Ok, this is something I'll forever be in debt to my mentor teacher for. She managed to get me an apartment where another TaLK scholar is living, where I was hoping to live. I have TWO bedrooms, a spaceous living room, big kitchen/dining room, and a balcony looking out onto the East Asia Sea (or Sea of Japan, depending on your politics). I absolutely LOVE IT HERE!!! Today they will have a bit of a meet and greet opening ceremony for me at 3:30pm. I start teaching next Tuesday. Now to get started on lesson plans.........
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Back in Korea
After a month of travels around the US (10 different states in January!!), a nasty stomach virus, and my COLLEGE GRADUATION, I'm back in Korea now.
I arrived late, but was thrust right into things without any word of what I've missed or what I need to catch up on. Four of us arrived around the same time on Saturday the 6th, and TaLK just tossed us into the wild. After a tour of Daejeon, and a morning of instructions on how to run an English Camp, we were shipped off to Cheonan (천안) to do a camp.
Each of us were assigned a kid, and mine was really shy. She didn't want to speak English at all, and didn't really want to. Even though I tried to encourage here to speak English all the time, we spoke mostly in Korean so that she could understand me, but I would then translate to English and make her repeat after me.
We've played lots of games, and we've been running all over the place. I have bruises all over my knees. I'm tired as all hell. But at the same time, I had so much fun. Everyone had to prepare a dance, and we all presented them tonight. I wish I could adopt my kid. She's a sweetheart even though she's stubborn, and I'm sure I could help her and she could help me with Korean too.
Tomorrow back to Jochiwon where our orientation is, then Busan for the Chinese Lunar New Year for the weekend.
I arrived late, but was thrust right into things without any word of what I've missed or what I need to catch up on. Four of us arrived around the same time on Saturday the 6th, and TaLK just tossed us into the wild. After a tour of Daejeon, and a morning of instructions on how to run an English Camp, we were shipped off to Cheonan (천안) to do a camp.
Each of us were assigned a kid, and mine was really shy. She didn't want to speak English at all, and didn't really want to. Even though I tried to encourage here to speak English all the time, we spoke mostly in Korean so that she could understand me, but I would then translate to English and make her repeat after me.
We've played lots of games, and we've been running all over the place. I have bruises all over my knees. I'm tired as all hell. But at the same time, I had so much fun. Everyone had to prepare a dance, and we all presented them tonight. I wish I could adopt my kid. She's a sweetheart even though she's stubborn, and I'm sure I could help her and she could help me with Korean too.
Tomorrow back to Jochiwon where our orientation is, then Busan for the Chinese Lunar New Year for the weekend.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Kansas City
Day 28 (Jan 16) St. Louis - Kansas City
I got my stuff together by 1pm, and Willy gave me a ride to the train to get back to the main station. The bus ride to Kansas City lasted 5 hours, and I was completely dead by then. Hailey picked me up from the bus station, and took me back to her place. She goes to University of Missouri Kansas City, and lives by campus. Her place was very cute, and her roommates were really nice.
Day 29 (Jan 17) Kansas City, MO - Kansas City, KS - Kansas City, MO
Hailey was working all day, so she couldn't really hang out. I decided to go to Kansas City, Kansas for a few hours to see what was there. I missed my connecting bus, so I decided to go to walk because I figured it wouldn't be too far. BIG MISTAKE! I completely forgot about the Kansas River, and that I would have to find some way to cross it, meaning I would need to find a bridge that allows pedestrian crossing.
It took a while walking through some dingy warehouse district. Some guys I passed along the way were warning me to be careful that I wasn't in the nicest neighborhood. I wasn't really worried, and nothing happened to me. I got safely to the other side, looked around for a while, then took the bus back to the Missouri side.
Everyone I asked about what there was to see mentioned the National World War I Museum. I knew quite a bit about World War II, but not too much about the first one, so I figured it'd be interesting to go there and learn what I could. The museum was well worth it. There were a lot of great exhibits, videos, and some interactive areas as well. There was a tower to go to the top and get a view of Kansas City, but the elevator was broken, so I never got up there.
When I got back to Hailey's, Quinn came to pick me up from her place. Quinn's a guy I went to school with in Tokyo, and we never hung out too much there, but he was in Geeta's architecture class, so I saw him a lot there when I was in her office working. He took me to Gate's, a pretty famous BBQ place in Kansas City. KC is famous for their BBQ, especially their burnt ends, which I never got a chance to try because the serving size was huge. I just ordered what Quinn did, beef on a bun, which is sliced pieces of beef in BBQ sauce on a bun. It looked kind of like a sloppy joe, and it didn't look that appetizing. After I took my first bite, I totally changed my mind! I now know why KC is famous for this stuff, because a day later I could still taste the BBQ flavor in my mouth. It was absolutely delicious, and I wish there was somewhere else I could try this stuff again because I doubt I'll ever be back to KC.
Day 30 (Jan 18) Kansas City - Philadelphia
Last day of my Midwest adventure… Pretty much running out of money, and tired. I just stayed at Hailey's packing my stuff so that it would look small enough to pass as a carry on, and watching some movies. My flight was at 4:35pm, and I got to Philly at 10pm. If you take into account the time difference, that was only 4 1/2 hours total with flights and layover in Memphis! Not bad at all. Tomorrow is a chill day at home running some errands, then on to New York and Boston on Wednesday!!
Wow, 30 DAYS!! Can't believe it.... Such an adventure.
The overall impression I got about Missouri is that all the people here are super friendly and super helpful. I got warned by quite a few people about being by myself in bad areas, which I had to cross a few times, but I never met anyone along the way that looked like they would harm me. People always smile when you walk past them, unlike Philly where no one ever makes eye contact. I love the accents here for sure. I had a lot of random black guys asking me for my number, and my telling them that I was leaving the state and never coming back didn't seem to deter them. They just shrugged and asked if they could get my number again. I guess that's just a quirk of Missouri. I had some other girls tell me that they've experienced that as well.
I got my flight details for Korea finally! I will arrive on February 6th at 4:50pm at Incheon International Airport. This will be my first time flying Korean Air. I've heard nothing but good things about that airline, their service, and their meals. I can't wait for that. Also, my friend works at the airport for that airline, so I hope he's working the day I get in.
At this point, the plan is to go to Seoul on Saturday, stay at Bina's house, run some errands Sunday, then get to Jochiwon (조치원) on Sunday night where my orientation is. Seoul To Do list: cellphone in Dongdaemun, piercings in Hongdae (maybe), banjo in Nakwon (maybe).
I got my stuff together by 1pm, and Willy gave me a ride to the train to get back to the main station. The bus ride to Kansas City lasted 5 hours, and I was completely dead by then. Hailey picked me up from the bus station, and took me back to her place. She goes to University of Missouri Kansas City, and lives by campus. Her place was very cute, and her roommates were really nice.
Day 29 (Jan 17) Kansas City, MO - Kansas City, KS - Kansas City, MO
Hailey was working all day, so she couldn't really hang out. I decided to go to Kansas City, Kansas for a few hours to see what was there. I missed my connecting bus, so I decided to go to walk because I figured it wouldn't be too far. BIG MISTAKE! I completely forgot about the Kansas River, and that I would have to find some way to cross it, meaning I would need to find a bridge that allows pedestrian crossing.
It took a while walking through some dingy warehouse district. Some guys I passed along the way were warning me to be careful that I wasn't in the nicest neighborhood. I wasn't really worried, and nothing happened to me. I got safely to the other side, looked around for a while, then took the bus back to the Missouri side.
Everyone I asked about what there was to see mentioned the National World War I Museum. I knew quite a bit about World War II, but not too much about the first one, so I figured it'd be interesting to go there and learn what I could. The museum was well worth it. There were a lot of great exhibits, videos, and some interactive areas as well. There was a tower to go to the top and get a view of Kansas City, but the elevator was broken, so I never got up there.
When I got back to Hailey's, Quinn came to pick me up from her place. Quinn's a guy I went to school with in Tokyo, and we never hung out too much there, but he was in Geeta's architecture class, so I saw him a lot there when I was in her office working. He took me to Gate's, a pretty famous BBQ place in Kansas City. KC is famous for their BBQ, especially their burnt ends, which I never got a chance to try because the serving size was huge. I just ordered what Quinn did, beef on a bun, which is sliced pieces of beef in BBQ sauce on a bun. It looked kind of like a sloppy joe, and it didn't look that appetizing. After I took my first bite, I totally changed my mind! I now know why KC is famous for this stuff, because a day later I could still taste the BBQ flavor in my mouth. It was absolutely delicious, and I wish there was somewhere else I could try this stuff again because I doubt I'll ever be back to KC.
Day 30 (Jan 18) Kansas City - Philadelphia
Last day of my Midwest adventure… Pretty much running out of money, and tired. I just stayed at Hailey's packing my stuff so that it would look small enough to pass as a carry on, and watching some movies. My flight was at 4:35pm, and I got to Philly at 10pm. If you take into account the time difference, that was only 4 1/2 hours total with flights and layover in Memphis! Not bad at all. Tomorrow is a chill day at home running some errands, then on to New York and Boston on Wednesday!!
Wow, 30 DAYS!! Can't believe it.... Such an adventure.
The overall impression I got about Missouri is that all the people here are super friendly and super helpful. I got warned by quite a few people about being by myself in bad areas, which I had to cross a few times, but I never met anyone along the way that looked like they would harm me. People always smile when you walk past them, unlike Philly where no one ever makes eye contact. I love the accents here for sure. I had a lot of random black guys asking me for my number, and my telling them that I was leaving the state and never coming back didn't seem to deter them. They just shrugged and asked if they could get my number again. I guess that's just a quirk of Missouri. I had some other girls tell me that they've experienced that as well.
I got my flight details for Korea finally! I will arrive on February 6th at 4:50pm at Incheon International Airport. This will be my first time flying Korean Air. I've heard nothing but good things about that airline, their service, and their meals. I can't wait for that. Also, my friend works at the airport for that airline, so I hope he's working the day I get in.
At this point, the plan is to go to Seoul on Saturday, stay at Bina's house, run some errands Sunday, then get to Jochiwon (조치원) on Sunday night where my orientation is. Seoul To Do list: cellphone in Dongdaemun, piercings in Hongdae (maybe), banjo in Nakwon (maybe).
St. LOUIS!!
Day 24 (Jan 12) Madison
Don't really remember what I did…. Except for GOMERoke again! Went with Alex and Mo.
Day 25 (Jan 13) Madison - Chicago - St. Louis
I was so tired all of that day because my bus from Madison to Chicago was at 3:30am. We arrived in Chicago at 6am. They had wireless on the Megabus, which I loved, but they didn't have any outlets so the laptop didn't survive the whole journey. I hung out in Union Station in Chicago for a bit, then took my next bus to St. Louis. I arrived in St. Louis around 2:30, and took the train to Yvonne's house, where I was couchsurfing.
There were a lot of people living there, 7 adults, 4 kids, and some pets too. I thought some Frenchman who commented that their place wasn't really ideal for couchsurfing was just being too stuffy about it, but I had to agree when I got there. The people themselves were great, but the place was a bit more than I could handle. I spent my first evening there getting to know the people who lived there, and just chilling to music.
Day 26 (Jan 14) St. Louis
I woke up bright and early as I usually do, not wanting to miss an opportunity to see all I could before it got dark. I walked all around Forest Park, where the St. Louis World Fair was held in 1904 (?). I then walked from the park to the Gateway Arch, stopping a few other places to see along the way. Google it, it's a fair distance. In all, I walked about 6 hours nonstop that day.
I was going to go to Soulard, which is supposed to be a nice little French area a'la the French Quarter in New Orleans, but I was too tired at the thought of walking a single minute more. I went back to Yvonne's, and hung out for the rest of the evening. I watched a movie with one of their friends, Willy, who always hangs out at the house.
Day 27 (Jan 15) St. Louis - Collinsville, IL - St. Louis
On my list of places I've always wanted to go was the Cahokia Mounds Site in Collinsville, Illinois. It's actually listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, one of the few in the US. The mounds were part of the Mississipean culture that surrounded the Mississippi River area, and disappeared shortly before the Europeans began exploring that area.
It would have definitely been better if I'd been able to go there during the summer to see the mounds in their full greenery, but I made do. The interpretive center at the mound site was really interesting, and I spent some time there learning about the Mississipeans.
After that, I went back to St. Louis, and decided to walk around Soulard for a bit before returning to the house. My feet were COMPLETELY dead afterwards.
At night, there was a party at the house because a couple people were celebrating their birthdays. Yvonne's boyfriend's birthday was that day, and he's a DJ, so he played some great music. Some of the other people who live there and hang out there play music, so we all had a great time. I got to bed around 7 or 8am.
Don't really remember what I did…. Except for GOMERoke again! Went with Alex and Mo.
Day 25 (Jan 13) Madison - Chicago - St. Louis
I was so tired all of that day because my bus from Madison to Chicago was at 3:30am. We arrived in Chicago at 6am. They had wireless on the Megabus, which I loved, but they didn't have any outlets so the laptop didn't survive the whole journey. I hung out in Union Station in Chicago for a bit, then took my next bus to St. Louis. I arrived in St. Louis around 2:30, and took the train to Yvonne's house, where I was couchsurfing.
There were a lot of people living there, 7 adults, 4 kids, and some pets too. I thought some Frenchman who commented that their place wasn't really ideal for couchsurfing was just being too stuffy about it, but I had to agree when I got there. The people themselves were great, but the place was a bit more than I could handle. I spent my first evening there getting to know the people who lived there, and just chilling to music.
Day 26 (Jan 14) St. Louis
I woke up bright and early as I usually do, not wanting to miss an opportunity to see all I could before it got dark. I walked all around Forest Park, where the St. Louis World Fair was held in 1904 (?). I then walked from the park to the Gateway Arch, stopping a few other places to see along the way. Google it, it's a fair distance. In all, I walked about 6 hours nonstop that day.
I was going to go to Soulard, which is supposed to be a nice little French area a'la the French Quarter in New Orleans, but I was too tired at the thought of walking a single minute more. I went back to Yvonne's, and hung out for the rest of the evening. I watched a movie with one of their friends, Willy, who always hangs out at the house.
Day 27 (Jan 15) St. Louis - Collinsville, IL - St. Louis
On my list of places I've always wanted to go was the Cahokia Mounds Site in Collinsville, Illinois. It's actually listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, one of the few in the US. The mounds were part of the Mississipean culture that surrounded the Mississippi River area, and disappeared shortly before the Europeans began exploring that area.
It would have definitely been better if I'd been able to go there during the summer to see the mounds in their full greenery, but I made do. The interpretive center at the mound site was really interesting, and I spent some time there learning about the Mississipeans.
After that, I went back to St. Louis, and decided to walk around Soulard for a bit before returning to the house. My feet were COMPLETELY dead afterwards.
At night, there was a party at the house because a couple people were celebrating their birthdays. Yvonne's boyfriend's birthday was that day, and he's a DJ, so he played some great music. Some of the other people who live there and hang out there play music, so we all had a great time. I got to bed around 7 or 8am.
Monday, January 11, 2010
A banjo...... ?
This blog update has been consistently happening every other day for a while now... I guess I'm only gonna be counting the days of the Midwest trip, and not the whole thing, so after this, I'd be back to just saying what's up and what I've been doing. But it's pretty good that I'm getting my words out there, cause in the past I've always been too lazy to write. So this time, I'm just gonna meld days 22 and 23 together because they're pretty much leading up to a big decision I may have just made because I'm sitting here on Craigslist right now thinking that I'll be getting a settling amount of 300,000W ($265) when I arrive, and I wouldn't mind spending that on Craigslist crap for things I'd need/want for my apartment!! I really hope I don't get stuck in the middle of nowhere where I have to do a homestay. I super want my own place just because I've never had one before.
These past two days have been really good for me. Yesterday (Jan 10) morning I just hung out around the house til the afternoon. Then Becky gave me a ride to the Madison free zoo where I walked around in the freezing cold by myself for an hour. The reason for this was mostly because I was going to a Couchsurfing potluck just a few blocks away. The only problem was that I went to the zoo at 4pm (cause it closed at 5), and the potluck didn't start til at least 6.
Not a lot of people showed up because there was some confusion over changes in dates and an interference with an important Packers game. It was just the host Crystaline, her friend from work, Moe, this guy John Ray from Texas, and I. At some point in the night, John busted out his BANJO and played two folk songs, "Plastic Jesus" and "It Blow'd Away". I'd always wanted to pick up another instrument again since I'd quit keyboard before I even reached middle school. I've always liked the sound of banjos, but last night it just called out to me and said it really wanted me to play.
Today I ran a bunch of errands with Becky during the day, but just couldn't get those songs out of my head. I played a bunch of banjo music on youtube throughout the day.
In the evening, I went with Becky and the kids to see Becky's friend Mary. She's one of her "fab 5" that I hadn't met yet. I'd heard a lot about her and her great personality, and she really was! She was such a great, easy going person to talk to. She was half-Korean, but didn't know much about Korea at all. She told me all about her family history on her mother's side and it was really fascinating. I told her that she should really come visit me when I got back to Korea.
I got home and was talking to Jess. I just happened to mention to her that I really wanted a banjo. She told me to look on Craigslist. I found this perfect banjo, and the seller was just a few towns down from me! I thought it was fate. I really wanted that banjo so badly. Unfortunately he just emailed me back a few minutes ago, saying he'd already sold it. I'm heartbroken. I wonder if this is a sign of "that's a bad purchase idea" or "you'll find a better deal". We'll see!
Another good piece of news from last night, I got an email back about my graduation and orientation in Korea. Both happen to fall on the same day, and I was really gutted about that because I'd promised my parents I would go to graduation, and was looking forward to seeing some friends who were gonna graduate with me. So TaLK let me come to orientation late, and I get to leave the US on February 5th or 6th. Also, I was placed in my province of choice, Gangwon-do (강원도). They didn't say the city/town yet, but I'm really hoping for Sokcho (속초) cause that's what I requested.
These past two days have been really good for me. Yesterday (Jan 10) morning I just hung out around the house til the afternoon. Then Becky gave me a ride to the Madison free zoo where I walked around in the freezing cold by myself for an hour. The reason for this was mostly because I was going to a Couchsurfing potluck just a few blocks away. The only problem was that I went to the zoo at 4pm (cause it closed at 5), and the potluck didn't start til at least 6.
Not a lot of people showed up because there was some confusion over changes in dates and an interference with an important Packers game. It was just the host Crystaline, her friend from work, Moe, this guy John Ray from Texas, and I. At some point in the night, John busted out his BANJO and played two folk songs, "Plastic Jesus" and "It Blow'd Away". I'd always wanted to pick up another instrument again since I'd quit keyboard before I even reached middle school. I've always liked the sound of banjos, but last night it just called out to me and said it really wanted me to play.
Today I ran a bunch of errands with Becky during the day, but just couldn't get those songs out of my head. I played a bunch of banjo music on youtube throughout the day.
In the evening, I went with Becky and the kids to see Becky's friend Mary. She's one of her "fab 5" that I hadn't met yet. I'd heard a lot about her and her great personality, and she really was! She was such a great, easy going person to talk to. She was half-Korean, but didn't know much about Korea at all. She told me all about her family history on her mother's side and it was really fascinating. I told her that she should really come visit me when I got back to Korea.
I got home and was talking to Jess. I just happened to mention to her that I really wanted a banjo. She told me to look on Craigslist. I found this perfect banjo, and the seller was just a few towns down from me! I thought it was fate. I really wanted that banjo so badly. Unfortunately he just emailed me back a few minutes ago, saying he'd already sold it. I'm heartbroken. I wonder if this is a sign of "that's a bad purchase idea" or "you'll find a better deal". We'll see!
Another good piece of news from last night, I got an email back about my graduation and orientation in Korea. Both happen to fall on the same day, and I was really gutted about that because I'd promised my parents I would go to graduation, and was looking forward to seeing some friends who were gonna graduate with me. So TaLK let me come to orientation late, and I get to leave the US on February 5th or 6th. Also, I was placed in my province of choice, Gangwon-do (강원도). They didn't say the city/town yet, but I'm really hoping for Sokcho (속초) cause that's what I requested.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Finally got to House on the Rock!
I GOT THE JOB WITH TaLK!!! Just like to put that out there. I'll be leaving for South Korea again in February.
First of all.... before my updates, I'd like to mention one interesting person and one disturbing person I discovered yesterday while surfing the web.
First is the interesting one, but you may find this less than interesting. Ariana Page Russell has a skin condition which makes her skin very sensitive to contact. It becomes red and raised very easily. Instead of this being a crutch, she uses this to make artwork out of her body. I think she's a big inspiration and her art is very beautiful.
Next is the disturbing one, Hang Mioku. This woman is a plastic surgery addict who went a few steps too far. After running out of silicone to do injections into her face, she started using cooking oil. I'm so against plastic surgery, and really fear for people who make it a habit. I hope you don't.
Day 20 (Jan 8) - Madison
Well... second day in a row I was supposed to go to Minneapolis that it didn't happen... It had stopped snowing in Madison, but it was still snowing in Milwaukee where my rideshare was coming from, so she wasn't going. Some weird coincidence happened though... This girl I messaged on couchsurfing for a place to stay messaged me back saying she was my rideshare! How wild is that. She was the girl I wanted to stay with most because she seemed like a really cool girl, and she was born in Kishinev like my mom and was Jewish. Not that I prefer a person for that reason alone, but I always love meeting people from my background just to hear their stories of how their families got to the US. So when I called her in the morning to see if she was gonna go to Minneapolis, she asked me if I saw her couchsurfing message to me, and I said yes, and we ended up talking on the phone for about an hour. Even though we never got to meet, I hope our paths cross again.
The kids had some kinda performance at school, so Becky and I walked over to school to watch them. We had to watch the same performances over and over for each her kids' classes, because this is their gym class' unit on modern dance and the parents are invited to watch. After school, the girls both had friends sleeping over, so it was five kids running and screaming around the house all night. Fun fun fun.
Day 21 (Jan 9) - Madison - Spring Green - Mt. Horeb - Madison
I woke up in a really bad mood. I really wanted to give Becky's husband a piece of my mind, but didn't for her sake cause she's been great. He was really rude, trying to smoke me out of the family room from 8am because they bought a Wii the night before, and were waiting for me to wake up and install it. From 8am, he started blasting the radio really loud, which is right next to the room where I was sleeping. He also let the kids run around like crazy, screaming. The youngest kid kept coming in the room, checking if I was awake yet, and reporting back to his dad. I was about to get out of there, and even started searching for new couches in town, but eventually just gave up and called Moe to hang out.
Moe showed up a bit later, and we went to House on the Rock because I convinced him last time I saw him to take me there this weekend. It's a place I'd been wanting to go to since I first heard of it a couple months ago. This was long before I knew I'd end up in Wisconsin, and when I found out I'd be staying only 45 minutes away for it, I was determined to make the trip out there before I left. House on the Rock is a gorgeous huge house done in Japanese style on top of a large rock, filled with collections of various oddities the home owner has collected throughout the years. It's not far from Taliesin by Frank Lloyd Wright, which costs 3 times as much to visit, but I'm sure isn't remotely as interesting. It also houses the largest carousel in the world!!
After that, we went to have dinner in Mt. Horeb, which is known for its trolls. Unfortunately, it was dark by then so we couldn't go hunting trolls. We went to the Grumpy Troll to have dinner. After that, he took me back to Becky's so that I could rest up.
Map of 2010 updated.
First of all.... before my updates, I'd like to mention one interesting person and one disturbing person I discovered yesterday while surfing the web.
First is the interesting one, but you may find this less than interesting. Ariana Page Russell has a skin condition which makes her skin very sensitive to contact. It becomes red and raised very easily. Instead of this being a crutch, she uses this to make artwork out of her body. I think she's a big inspiration and her art is very beautiful.
Next is the disturbing one, Hang Mioku. This woman is a plastic surgery addict who went a few steps too far. After running out of silicone to do injections into her face, she started using cooking oil. I'm so against plastic surgery, and really fear for people who make it a habit. I hope you don't.
Day 20 (Jan 8) - Madison
Well... second day in a row I was supposed to go to Minneapolis that it didn't happen... It had stopped snowing in Madison, but it was still snowing in Milwaukee where my rideshare was coming from, so she wasn't going. Some weird coincidence happened though... This girl I messaged on couchsurfing for a place to stay messaged me back saying she was my rideshare! How wild is that. She was the girl I wanted to stay with most because she seemed like a really cool girl, and she was born in Kishinev like my mom and was Jewish. Not that I prefer a person for that reason alone, but I always love meeting people from my background just to hear their stories of how their families got to the US. So when I called her in the morning to see if she was gonna go to Minneapolis, she asked me if I saw her couchsurfing message to me, and I said yes, and we ended up talking on the phone for about an hour. Even though we never got to meet, I hope our paths cross again.
The kids had some kinda performance at school, so Becky and I walked over to school to watch them. We had to watch the same performances over and over for each her kids' classes, because this is their gym class' unit on modern dance and the parents are invited to watch. After school, the girls both had friends sleeping over, so it was five kids running and screaming around the house all night. Fun fun fun.
Day 21 (Jan 9) - Madison - Spring Green - Mt. Horeb - Madison
I woke up in a really bad mood. I really wanted to give Becky's husband a piece of my mind, but didn't for her sake cause she's been great. He was really rude, trying to smoke me out of the family room from 8am because they bought a Wii the night before, and were waiting for me to wake up and install it. From 8am, he started blasting the radio really loud, which is right next to the room where I was sleeping. He also let the kids run around like crazy, screaming. The youngest kid kept coming in the room, checking if I was awake yet, and reporting back to his dad. I was about to get out of there, and even started searching for new couches in town, but eventually just gave up and called Moe to hang out.
Moe showed up a bit later, and we went to House on the Rock because I convinced him last time I saw him to take me there this weekend. It's a place I'd been wanting to go to since I first heard of it a couple months ago. This was long before I knew I'd end up in Wisconsin, and when I found out I'd be staying only 45 minutes away for it, I was determined to make the trip out there before I left. House on the Rock is a gorgeous huge house done in Japanese style on top of a large rock, filled with collections of various oddities the home owner has collected throughout the years. It's not far from Taliesin by Frank Lloyd Wright, which costs 3 times as much to visit, but I'm sure isn't remotely as interesting. It also houses the largest carousel in the world!!
After that, we went to have dinner in Mt. Horeb, which is known for its trolls. Unfortunately, it was dark by then so we couldn't go hunting trolls. We went to the Grumpy Troll to have dinner. After that, he took me back to Becky's so that I could rest up.
Map of 2010 updated.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
SNOW SNOW SNOW
Day 18 (Jan 6) - Madison
Yesterday all I really did was watch a movie with Becky during the day, then watched the kids as she went to go run some errands. I also painted the first layer of gloss on the dresser.
Day 19 (Jan 7) - Madison
I was supposed to get out of Madison, but do to a HUGE PILE OF SNOW EVERYWHERE, I was stuck. It was ok though, because Becky was busy in town and would need me to watch the kids in the afternoon. Her husband ended up coming home an hour after he left saying the roads were bad and he'd work from him. Because of that, I asked for Becky a ride downtown.
I texted Moe who I met Tuesday at dinner and karaoke because I wanted to check out University of Wisconsin, and he worked on campus. We met up for lunch. Then I went to Lake Mendota, one of two lakes on the isthmus of Madison. There's a really good view of it from campus in the Union building. I walked out onto the lake, and it was my first time standing on a frozen lake! It was pretty cool. I wish I could have seen down, but I suppose if I could do that, it wouldn't have been safe for me to walk on.
After that I met Moe again at his office, because he said I could crash his coworker's retirement party. It was pretty chill, but I felt a bit weird since I didn't belong there. After that, I took the bus back to Becky's place.
Yesterday all I really did was watch a movie with Becky during the day, then watched the kids as she went to go run some errands. I also painted the first layer of gloss on the dresser.
Day 19 (Jan 7) - Madison
I was supposed to get out of Madison, but do to a HUGE PILE OF SNOW EVERYWHERE, I was stuck. It was ok though, because Becky was busy in town and would need me to watch the kids in the afternoon. Her husband ended up coming home an hour after he left saying the roads were bad and he'd work from him. Because of that, I asked for Becky a ride downtown.
I texted Moe who I met Tuesday at dinner and karaoke because I wanted to check out University of Wisconsin, and he worked on campus. We met up for lunch. Then I went to Lake Mendota, one of two lakes on the isthmus of Madison. There's a really good view of it from campus in the Union building. I walked out onto the lake, and it was my first time standing on a frozen lake! It was pretty cool. I wish I could have seen down, but I suppose if I could do that, it wouldn't have been safe for me to walk on.
After that I met Moe again at his office, because he said I could crash his coworker's retirement party. It was pretty chill, but I felt a bit weird since I didn't belong there. After that, I took the bus back to Becky's place.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
KARAOKE TIME~
Day 16 (Jan 4) - Madison
Monday was another slow day. The kids are back at school, her husband was at work, and Becky has a lot of research to do for her upcoming trip to UK, so she's busy as well. Midday, we started working on kid #3's new dresser. I was sanding it while Becky went out to buy paints for it. When she got back we did the primer for it.
A couple days ago, someone mentioned a musical genre that was new to me, dubstep. I found some songs on youtube such as stuff from Mt Eden Dubstep and Snoop Dogg Millionaire. Officially loving the sound of this stuff!
Day 17 (Jan 5) - Madison
Same deal as the day before. Becky had to work and the kids were at school. Becky went to the mall to take care of some stuff, so I went to pick up the kids from school when they were done. Their school was small and friendly. It's been so long before I'd been in an elementary school before. They wanted to show me off to their teachers and stuff. It's so cute when they introduce me to people "This is our couchsurfer!". I love that.
At night, Becky and I went to a Couchsurfing meetup at the restaurant Africana. Only two other guys showed up, Jason and Mo, but that was fine. They were cool guys. At some point during dinner, I must have had an allergic reaction to the sauce my chicken was in, because my throat started closing up. It wasn't that bad, but I was still worried because we were going to karaoke afterwards, and I was really excited to get up and sing my song.
We got to GOMERoke right around 9pm, and I signed up for my song "Baby Got Back". The girl at the sign up table told me to ask them if they could do it because it wasn't on the band's songlist. So I went up to the keyboardist, who's quite literally insane, of the Gomers, and asked him if it was cool. He said it was fine, and they'd add some riffs to my rapping. The band is really great, but from what I saw last time, the keyboardist is definitely my favorite. He's so funny on stage, and knows how to give a really great show.
I was up 4th. I was really excited to go because "Baby Got Back" is a song I know like the back of my hand and I could kill it. The only thing was that I was performing in front of the rock and country crowd, and there isn't a single hip hop song on their entire playlist. As soon as I started, people began coming to the dancefloor and it pumped me up even more. After I finished, I came down and got my free drink ticket because everyone who sings got a free drink. A bunch of people shook my hand, and one girl even gave me a hug. I felt great!
Also, I started my 2010 travels map. A little bare now, but I'm still only one week into January! Here's 2010. Save it to follow along with my travels =) Oh, and here's 2009 for those who wonder what I was up to then.
Monday was another slow day. The kids are back at school, her husband was at work, and Becky has a lot of research to do for her upcoming trip to UK, so she's busy as well. Midday, we started working on kid #3's new dresser. I was sanding it while Becky went out to buy paints for it. When she got back we did the primer for it.
A couple days ago, someone mentioned a musical genre that was new to me, dubstep. I found some songs on youtube such as stuff from Mt Eden Dubstep and Snoop Dogg Millionaire. Officially loving the sound of this stuff!
Day 17 (Jan 5) - Madison
Same deal as the day before. Becky had to work and the kids were at school. Becky went to the mall to take care of some stuff, so I went to pick up the kids from school when they were done. Their school was small and friendly. It's been so long before I'd been in an elementary school before. They wanted to show me off to their teachers and stuff. It's so cute when they introduce me to people "This is our couchsurfer!". I love that.
At night, Becky and I went to a Couchsurfing meetup at the restaurant Africana. Only two other guys showed up, Jason and Mo, but that was fine. They were cool guys. At some point during dinner, I must have had an allergic reaction to the sauce my chicken was in, because my throat started closing up. It wasn't that bad, but I was still worried because we were going to karaoke afterwards, and I was really excited to get up and sing my song.
We got to GOMERoke right around 9pm, and I signed up for my song "Baby Got Back". The girl at the sign up table told me to ask them if they could do it because it wasn't on the band's songlist. So I went up to the keyboardist, who's quite literally insane, of the Gomers, and asked him if it was cool. He said it was fine, and they'd add some riffs to my rapping. The band is really great, but from what I saw last time, the keyboardist is definitely my favorite. He's so funny on stage, and knows how to give a really great show.
I was up 4th. I was really excited to go because "Baby Got Back" is a song I know like the back of my hand and I could kill it. The only thing was that I was performing in front of the rock and country crowd, and there isn't a single hip hop song on their entire playlist. As soon as I started, people began coming to the dancefloor and it pumped me up even more. After I finished, I came down and got my free drink ticket because everyone who sings got a free drink. A bunch of people shook my hand, and one girl even gave me a hug. I felt great!
Also, I started my 2010 travels map. A little bare now, but I'm still only one week into January! Here's 2010. Save it to follow along with my travels =) Oh, and here's 2009 for those who wonder what I was up to then.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Frigid cold January
Day 14 (Jan 2) - Madison
Yesterday was frigid and cold. Perfectly fine if we were sitting inside, but we weren't. Becky's husband and the kids went to visit his family, so we saw this as a perfect opportunity to see some of downtown Madison. We didn't realize it was SIX DEGREES OUT! Anyways, we went to the Capitol building, which is modeled after the Washington DC Capitol. It was beautiful inside, and there was even a liberty bell inside. This was my first time inside any state capitol building even though I've been in 25 states now.
After that, we went to see Lake Monona. It was frozen, but quiet on the water. Becky told me usually people are ice skating or fishing or ice boating on the lake, but I guess everyone was still recovering from New Years Eve because the lake was empty.
At night, we went to the Club Tavern in Middleton to see Pat McCurdy. I heard his name tossed around a few times since I got her, and I heard he's a bit of a legend in the Midwest, so I was excited to see his show. He does mostly comedy songs, including Irish songs, Country, camp fire songs, and other people's music done in different genres. There was a section of his show where he was asking people what were their names and hometowns, and sang a song about them. I was chosen, and he made a little pass at the Phillies for losing the World Series, then continued on about how I hooked up with most of the star athletes in Philadelphia.
Towards the end he did a few of his popular songs that have dances along with them. A lot of the people in the crowds seemed to be regular, because most people did the moves as he sang. A bunch of girls got up on stage to dance to this one song, and the moves seemed simple enough, so I jumped up there too. I had so much fun at the show. I tried to convince Becky to get up there too, but it wasn't her thing.
Day 15 (Jan 3) - Madison
The day was pretty lazy. We slept in late, and in the afternoon we took down the Christmas tree. The family came home around noon, and the kids played with their new toys they got from their grandma. It was pretty quiet until they arrived, so my ears were not accustomed to the noise at that point. Eventually they left to go buy a new beta fish, and I finished watching my movie.
Yesterday was frigid and cold. Perfectly fine if we were sitting inside, but we weren't. Becky's husband and the kids went to visit his family, so we saw this as a perfect opportunity to see some of downtown Madison. We didn't realize it was SIX DEGREES OUT! Anyways, we went to the Capitol building, which is modeled after the Washington DC Capitol. It was beautiful inside, and there was even a liberty bell inside. This was my first time inside any state capitol building even though I've been in 25 states now.
After that, we went to see Lake Monona. It was frozen, but quiet on the water. Becky told me usually people are ice skating or fishing or ice boating on the lake, but I guess everyone was still recovering from New Years Eve because the lake was empty.
At night, we went to the Club Tavern in Middleton to see Pat McCurdy. I heard his name tossed around a few times since I got her, and I heard he's a bit of a legend in the Midwest, so I was excited to see his show. He does mostly comedy songs, including Irish songs, Country, camp fire songs, and other people's music done in different genres. There was a section of his show where he was asking people what were their names and hometowns, and sang a song about them. I was chosen, and he made a little pass at the Phillies for losing the World Series, then continued on about how I hooked up with most of the star athletes in Philadelphia.
Towards the end he did a few of his popular songs that have dances along with them. A lot of the people in the crowds seemed to be regular, because most people did the moves as he sang. A bunch of girls got up on stage to dance to this one song, and the moves seemed simple enough, so I jumped up there too. I had so much fun at the show. I tried to convince Becky to get up there too, but it wasn't her thing.
Day 15 (Jan 3) - Madison
The day was pretty lazy. We slept in late, and in the afternoon we took down the Christmas tree. The family came home around noon, and the kids played with their new toys they got from their grandma. It was pretty quiet until they arrived, so my ears were not accustomed to the noise at that point. Eventually they left to go buy a new beta fish, and I finished watching my movie.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Day 12 (Dec 31) - Chicago
Becky and the kids were heading back to Madison, so we went to have brunch at Pauline's, a small diner with a real nice feel to it. The kids and I already had breakfast, but Becky and her sister hadn't yet so they were calling it breakfast. Everyone ordered breakfast food except for me. I got a burger, and the oldest kid asked me "Danni, why are you eating a hamburger for breakfast?" and I responded because it's 2pm and we've already eaten breakfast.
After that, I went to Jessie's place, and sat around waiting for her to get ready for her art showing at First Friday the next day. While I waited, I worked on a collage bookmark. We rounded up her stuff, and went back to the Flat Iron to see what she had to work with and how she would display her stuff.
Jessie was not feeling well, and decided not to do anything for New Years. This suddenly meant that I had nothing to do and nowhere to sleep for NYE. I sent out an SOS on Couchsurfing to this woman Lorie who was organizing a get together for Couchsurfers at a bar walking distance from the Flat Iron and she mentioned her surfer was snowed-in in Fargo. 15 MINUTES LATER.... Lorie texted me and said it would be fine, to just come down to the bar and we'd figure out sleeping arangements.
So Jessie dropped me off at Danny's Bar, promising that if she was feeling better she'd come down for a bit close to midnight. I had lots of fun there, dancing to great music with the Chicago CSers, and a bunch of out-of-towners who also wanted to spend NYE there. Lorie was on the dance floor all night long, constantly pulling us back if we stopped. I was really happy when Jessie finally called back around 11:30 saying she was coming. She showed up a few minutes before midnight, and we rang in the New Year together dancing. Overall, NYE set a good tone for how I'd like the rest of the year to be.
Around 2am, we finally got back to Lorie's place. Another Couchsurfer, Susan, was staying there as well. I spent the entire ride home trying to convince them to do the plunge with me the next morning.
Day 13 (Jan 1) - Chicago - Madison
Woke up bright and early and put my bathing suit on. Why, you ask? Because I was on my way to Lake Michigan in 13 degree weather to do the POLAR BEAR PLUNGE!! Lorie, Susan, and I got to the beach at 11am so that we could get a good parking spot. Luckily the parking was free for the day. When we got to the beach, Susan decided she was going to plunge as well! In total, there was about 15 Couchsurfers who showed up, and about 9 jumpers I think...
When I first plunged, all the air rushed out of me, and I thought I would pass out. I kept running to a place I felt comfortable to dunk my head in. There was no such thing as acclimating, because my body was already frozen at that point. When I got out, we all noticed that our legs were bleeding because of the chunks of ice all over the place. Luckily, we didn't feel it yet at that point. Jessie showed up a few minutes after I'd plunged, and because one of the other CSer's friends showed up to do it, Jessie agreed to plunge with this girl Julie.
Afterwards, Julie, her CS friend Joellen, and I went to lunch at R.J. Grunt's. A bunch of others were supposed to come, but couldn't find parking and just went home. I had a hot bowl of chili and they had the buffet. I then realized that my phone was dying, and I didn't have my charger, so Joellen offered to give me a ride all the way back to Lorie's house to get it. Joellen was really inspiring to talk to, and gave me some inspiration for how I should go about 2010. When I got to Lorie's, I put my phone on the charger, and Lorie let me take a hot shower.
I met Jessie at the Flat Iron for First Friday, and watched her set up a bit until Lorie showed up. We walked around a bit, and then my other friend Rae Jang, from the study abroad I did at Korea University in 2007, came up with her boyfriend. We all walked around for about an hour and saw the various galleries from the artists at the Flat Iron.
I said my goodbyes, and took the 8:30pm bus back to Madison from Union Station in Chicago. Becky met me at the bus, and took me back to her place.
Today we are probably going to see downtown Madison.
Becky and the kids were heading back to Madison, so we went to have brunch at Pauline's, a small diner with a real nice feel to it. The kids and I already had breakfast, but Becky and her sister hadn't yet so they were calling it breakfast. Everyone ordered breakfast food except for me. I got a burger, and the oldest kid asked me "Danni, why are you eating a hamburger for breakfast?" and I responded because it's 2pm and we've already eaten breakfast.
After that, I went to Jessie's place, and sat around waiting for her to get ready for her art showing at First Friday the next day. While I waited, I worked on a collage bookmark. We rounded up her stuff, and went back to the Flat Iron to see what she had to work with and how she would display her stuff.
Jessie was not feeling well, and decided not to do anything for New Years. This suddenly meant that I had nothing to do and nowhere to sleep for NYE. I sent out an SOS on Couchsurfing to this woman Lorie who was organizing a get together for Couchsurfers at a bar walking distance from the Flat Iron and she mentioned her surfer was snowed-in in Fargo. 15 MINUTES LATER.... Lorie texted me and said it would be fine, to just come down to the bar and we'd figure out sleeping arangements.
So Jessie dropped me off at Danny's Bar, promising that if she was feeling better she'd come down for a bit close to midnight. I had lots of fun there, dancing to great music with the Chicago CSers, and a bunch of out-of-towners who also wanted to spend NYE there. Lorie was on the dance floor all night long, constantly pulling us back if we stopped. I was really happy when Jessie finally called back around 11:30 saying she was coming. She showed up a few minutes before midnight, and we rang in the New Year together dancing. Overall, NYE set a good tone for how I'd like the rest of the year to be.
Around 2am, we finally got back to Lorie's place. Another Couchsurfer, Susan, was staying there as well. I spent the entire ride home trying to convince them to do the plunge with me the next morning.
Day 13 (Jan 1) - Chicago - Madison
Woke up bright and early and put my bathing suit on. Why, you ask? Because I was on my way to Lake Michigan in 13 degree weather to do the POLAR BEAR PLUNGE!! Lorie, Susan, and I got to the beach at 11am so that we could get a good parking spot. Luckily the parking was free for the day. When we got to the beach, Susan decided she was going to plunge as well! In total, there was about 15 Couchsurfers who showed up, and about 9 jumpers I think...
When I first plunged, all the air rushed out of me, and I thought I would pass out. I kept running to a place I felt comfortable to dunk my head in. There was no such thing as acclimating, because my body was already frozen at that point. When I got out, we all noticed that our legs were bleeding because of the chunks of ice all over the place. Luckily, we didn't feel it yet at that point. Jessie showed up a few minutes after I'd plunged, and because one of the other CSer's friends showed up to do it, Jessie agreed to plunge with this girl Julie.
Afterwards, Julie, her CS friend Joellen, and I went to lunch at R.J. Grunt's. A bunch of others were supposed to come, but couldn't find parking and just went home. I had a hot bowl of chili and they had the buffet. I then realized that my phone was dying, and I didn't have my charger, so Joellen offered to give me a ride all the way back to Lorie's house to get it. Joellen was really inspiring to talk to, and gave me some inspiration for how I should go about 2010. When I got to Lorie's, I put my phone on the charger, and Lorie let me take a hot shower.
I met Jessie at the Flat Iron for First Friday, and watched her set up a bit until Lorie showed up. We walked around a bit, and then my other friend Rae Jang, from the study abroad I did at Korea University in 2007, came up with her boyfriend. We all walked around for about an hour and saw the various galleries from the artists at the Flat Iron.
I said my goodbyes, and took the 8:30pm bus back to Madison from Union Station in Chicago. Becky met me at the bus, and took me back to her place.
Today we are probably going to see downtown Madison.
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