Please Excuse the Dramatics

Spending the Holidays in Korea

Last night I couldn't sleep, so I wrote an 8 page letter to a man that will never receive it. Believe it or not it helped. Obviously Thanksgiving does not exist in Korea. It was just another work day for me! It made it kind of convenient...my first vegetarian Thanksgiving and no turkey! My friends and I have plans to celebrate Thanksgiving this Sunday. We're all very excited! Since we don't have ovens, I'm very eager to see how things will turn out. My mom has sent me a couple of items, which I'm sure will go over famously. Mac 'n' Chz, Red beans and rice, CHEETOS!...we're tying to make the most of things.

I thought maybe it was going to be easy to get through the holidays here without a family since American/Christian/Corporate Consumer Targeted traditions don't exist, but already Daejeon is filling with Christmas decorations. Holly and I got our picture taken with a Korean/Skinny/Metrosexual/Santa Claus on Saturday! There are lights in the trees, wreaths, and Christmas trees everywhere. It will be my first Christmas away from my family. Away from the consistently-drama filled-family holiday. On Thursday, I did make time to call California to speak to my celebrating family. Over the past five years, I've become extremely close to my brother and sister. I never knew how much I would miss them. I never knew how much I took for granted the closeness and comfort that only they can offer me. It's hard...losing that comfort. Frequent emails, less frequent phone calls...it's just not the same. I miss them tremendously. And my nephew? FORGET IT. Emails from him make me instantly cry. Hearing his voice makes my heart hurt. Leaving them has undoubtedly instilled in me the fact that I must live close to them again. I absolutely have no choice. I have to be around them. I feel lucky that I was such a big part of Conner's first 6 years of life, but I want to continue being around him...watching him grow up...taking him out...spoiling the HELL out of him...etc. I'm not sure when I'll be able to personally take back my title and role of Auntie Ju-Ju, but it will happen again. It has to.

Julia Kristina Larson

Daejeon, Korea

Please...I Don't Want to Die!

Overall, I believe Korean people value and want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. On most menus there is almost always a "well being" option for the more health conscious eaters...(sometimes this is dog meat...but hey, whatever!)

It seems like everywhere I go I see people stretching, walking, jogging, etc. The parks, and the sides of the street are filled with people conditioning.

Under a lot of busy streets there are these tunnels, so you can cross the street underground. One time I was walking there and about six old ladies had set up a big mat where they were all stretching and chatting. As I approached, complete silence echoed throughout the tunnel as they watched every move I made.

I was walking to the grocery store when I passed this grown man. He was all geared up in his work -out suit...he was on a mission! As I approached him from behind, it looked as if he was jogging, but then I was asking myself, "If he's jogging, how am I gaining on him?" In a matter of seconds I was passing him. He wasn't jogging. He wasn't walking....he was taking the smallest of baby/jogging steps ever known to God. For about one of my 5'4"  walking strides he took about 6-8 very quick baby steps.  I think I laughed out loud.

Holly and I were riding in a cab in Seoul when I noticed our 60+year old cab driver punching himself in the head continuously. After all of the previously mentioned experiences, I almost didn't even acknowledge it....but you know me...I started watching him in the rear view mirror.  Were we getting on his nerves with all of our blah...blah...blah...blahs?? Did he have a headache? Was he CRAZY?? Upon further investigation, I was alarmed to discover that he was falling asleep at the wheel!!! As we entered a tunnel,  I think I screamed when his eyes closed and his head almost hit his chest. Holly and I immediately rolled down the windows as I started saying every single Korean word in my vocabulary. "Hello! Hello! Hello!" I cried in Korean. Then Holly and I began singing....very LOUDLY.  I think this helped. I guess I know this helped because I am still living to tell the frightening account of the SLUMBERING TAXI DRIVER.

Ughh...I Hate That I Have To Do This!

This is what I will do:

I will write about what happens to me in Korea, regardless if they are positive or negative experiences.

I will change the names of people who are involved in order to protect their identity.

I will be dramatic.

I will write about what I feel no matter how frivolous, annoying, and self-centered it might seem to anonymous readers.

I will complain because that's what I like to do!

This is what I won't do:

I won't write assuming, or worrying about if I am offending people.

I won't be scared to write about what happens in my life.

I won't pretend to be perfect. I'm not. I realize this and accept it.

I won't keep rude and threatening comments on my site. (which is the reason this post has to exist at ALL!!)

****If you don't like what moves me to write, or the way I express myself through my chosen topics, then

DON'T READ MY SITE!

Now....back to the dramatics!!!!

Nightmare on Songtan Street

I had such a vivid dream the other night. I have to tell you all about it! I have never in my whole life been so happy to wake up! Holly and I were travelling by bus to a city somewhere in Korea. We were kind of excited because we had no idea what the weekend was going to be like. We were going to visit a friend of mine that had invited me to see where he lived in Korea. We got to the crowded bus station expecting our friend to meet us there. We were walking around aimlessly....not knowing what to do next when we got a phone call explaining that our friend had unexpectedly been called into work, so he could not meet us. Instead, he was sending his roommate to come and pick us up. We were given the general direction, and we began walking. Shortly after meeting the roommate we discovered he was completely in love with Holly after only knowing her for about 5 short minutes! He took us to our hotel....we checked in...then we walked around and ended up at the bar where he was (not fondly, according to the bartender) known by name. We were drinking PITCHERS of some kind of pink liquid and STILL waiting for our friend. He finally shows up to find Holly pretty drunk and me just bored.

Our new friends were in the military. We went to their room and watched a very high quality film filled with girls showing their boobs, and word-for-word commentary from Bill and B.J. This is the part of my dream where things begin to get extremely weird. My friend, (I think his name was Bill), explained to me that his other friend was coming too. She was someone he had been "hanging out" with for the past three weeks. He thought it would be cool...all of us hanging out as friends...Me, Holly, Bill, B.J, and this mystery girl. I thought it seemed weird, but whatever. I'm always, especially in dreams, eager to make new friends! Then, after explaining how we were all friends, Bill takes multiple photos of me...tells me how "kissable" I am...then tries to kiss me! I freak out because we're supposed to be friends! (he even calls me his homie!) PLUS the mystery girl (who come to find out) he's spending the night with, is on the way! I'm confused! I DON'T KISS HIM! While we're waiting on Tara to get there the guys are repeatedly making fun of us for having college educations. Did you know that having a degree could be jokable? (only in dreams!)

We go back to the hotel. Although Bill and Tara are staying in the room next to ours, Bill is hanging out in our room. At this point I think I might like to make out with him. He's kinda sexy. I tell him I want to, but we don't. My dream gets kind of fuzzy here. Why is Holly not in the room with us? Where is she and for such a long period of time? Why am I pushed against the dresser? What the hell is going on? We leave. That's Bill, Holly, and I. Why did we leave B.J. and Tara at the hotel? Why haven't I even met Tara yet?

Somewhere along the line Bill disappears from my dream, and that's when Holly and I really start having a good time. We go to a dance club and dance all night. I think about 500 guys hit on us. It seemed like every time I turned around there was a new one. I drink WAY TOO MUCH....I leave with one of the guys I danced with all night....I go to his room....I leave there...I get lost by myself in a part of Korea I've never been before surrounded by people who don't speak English. Somehow I'm back at the hotel. There is a lot of yelling. I meet Tara...Why am I so mad? Why is Bill back in my room and Holly is not there? There is more yelling. I can't remember why there is so much yelling. Holly leaves.

I wake up from this dream that turned into a nightmare.

When I woke up from this dream, I felt as if it had really happened. I was embarrassed. I was confused. As I began telling Holly about my dream, we discovered she had the SAME EXACT DREAM TOO! How unbelievable is that??? What's great about that, though, is that she could fill in some of the gaps that were missing!

In her dream...

B.J. told her that Bill didn't really get called into work, that he just didn't feel like meeting us at the bus station.

At some point in the night, Bill tried to hit on her saying that if his roommate hadn't fallen head over heels in love with her already, that he woud really like to get with her!

Tara told her that she had been dating Bill exclusively for the past three weeks, and it was that night that he had first said those amazing words, "I love you."

Bill also told Holly that it was all me trying to get with him. He never did anything.

Thank God this dream is over.

Thank God i can just file it away with some of the other dreams I want to forget ever happened.

What did I learn from this dream? I learned that you should always trust your intuition. If you get a feeling about a guy from conversations, emails, pictures...etc. Trust them! Then run screaming away.

Where Are You From?

Seems like a simple enough question, right? Not for me. I was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I lived there until I was about three, then my family moved to a small town named Ozark, Missouri. We lived on a farm...I remember my mom braiding my hair every morning while looking out of a big window in the living room. WHY did she have to pull my hair so tight that it made my eyes squint? Then my parents got divorced. After moving around within Ozark a couple of times, we eventually moved to Nashua, which is a suburb of Kansas City. I was in kindergarten. In the Nashua house I remember girl scouts...and falling off the back of a motorcycle going up a hill in my front yard...and watching my cat get hit by a car and holding it in my arms as it died....I remember our neighbor Trisha had a trampoline and I swore it was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to me. I remember going exploring with my brother in this open field...there was this really scary white dog who would chase us and I was always terrified one day we wouldn't be able to out run him. In first grade we moved again. This time we moved to Kansas City to a neighborhood called Gracemor. We had a neighborhood pool where we would ride our bikes to every single day in the summer and stay from open to close. I used to pack picnic lunches, and my brother, my best friend Crystal, her brother and I would lunch in the woods next to the pool. I had my first french kiss there. I met my friend Cherie in second grade, and we remain best friends to this day. I stole my sisters clothes...I collected wormie dermies...I did gymnastics in the front yard while my brother played "Guns" or "War"..whatever they called it. It was in this neighborhood that my dream came true and mom bought us our very own trampoline.  We lived there until I was 15...we then moved a couple of more times within KC...I learned how to drive...I got drunk for the first time...I fell in love...I had my first job...then my 5th...I moved out on my own during my senior year in high school. I got my first apartment with my best friend Emily and fell in love again. I moved to New Mexico when I was 18. I have so many memories from living in New Mexico too....I lived there seven years...graduated from college...moved to Korea.

So where am I from? Am I from Colorado because I was born there? Am I from Kansas City because I've lived the majority of my life there? Because I met my life-long friends there? Because my Dad still lives in Missouri? Am I from New Mexico because that was the last place I held residency? Because my brother and mom still live there? Or am I from Daejeon because I've lived here 4 months?

Recently, I was standing on the street taking a survey from one of the 5,000 Korean university kids who roam the streets searching for foreigners to complete a 5 min survey for an assignment from their English class...The student asked me this seemingly standard/no hassle question, "Where are you from?" I decided on this particular day to choose Missouri, when someone I was with (who shall remain nameless) yelled in my face, "NO YOU'RE NOT! YOU ARE LYING! YOU'RE FROM NEW MEXICO!" Not only was I embarrassed, but I felt the need to justify myself which is completely and utterly ridiculous.

So really....WHERE am I from again?

Dancin Everyday

Holly's parents have been here all week from Washington State. For some reason I thought they would offer me some kind of comfort...maybe make me realize something I was missing...but it didn't happen. That's good I guess. This weekend I am accompanying them in Seoul to do some touristy things. We're taking a tour bus around to see the sights. I love Seoul.

November 11th is a holiday here in Korea. It's called Peparo Day. I can't WAIT to tell you all about it...but first I have to upload pics. It's HILARIOUS! (but what isn't here?)

I was talking to some of the kids in my chess class the other day, and they were telling me about their experiences in schools outside of Korea. One guy spent some time in Australia and the other in Boston. I am always eager to hear them talking about the details of school since I will be an ESL teacher when I return to the states. I was asking them about ESL class, and I was very surprised to learn that they HATED it! They were talking about how boring it was...etc. I told them I was an ESL teacher and they said,

"You must be special because you are not boring at all. Yes. You're special."

It was a small comment and probably went unnoticed by everyone else in the room, but it meant the world to me.

Today toward the end of class when we had a couple of minutes left we played..."My favorite _____ is ______."  We go around the room and the kids fill in the blanks with whatever they want to. One of the kids said, "My favorite teacher is Julia."  That's when I immediately did my: I'm-her-favorite-teacher-dance. Then I got asked what was my favorite dance?? The everyone-did-their-homework-dance or the I'm-her-favorite-teacher dance?

I still can't decide.

YeeHAW!

Today I was able to upload the photos from my digital camera! I am so happy that I think I might cry! It's all thanks to Jen. She's the one that let me use her computer. Halloween was weird and fun in Korea... definitely not like last Halloween...no party...no jello shots...no costume party...no profit from door charges...but still fun times!

I hope you guys like the photos! Please feel free to comment on the site itself, or send me an email and tell me what you think.

I miss you all. I love you everyday! Thanks for visiting my site!

Nope. Not Him!

I'm depressed about the election, and maybe confused about how to reflect on my emotions concerning the results. It's completely discouraging, and I have never been happier to live outside of the country. 

I traveled to Seoul this weekend by myself to spend the weekend with a guy I met. All I can say is, "Nope. Not him." and that's where it ends.

I was riding in a cab today on my way home from the train station and I was simply happy. I like it here. I'm content. Will I ever go back? That is yet to be determined.

.

I Found a Husband!

I feel as if a 5,000 pound weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I went in to see my director today with Jason, not my head teacher Jason, a Korean teacher here named Jason. He was my translator. The meeting went about 115% better than I expected it to. I explained to him that I wanted to be released from my contract. We discussed why in detail and I felt so much better explaining to him how I feel and what has been happening. I asked to leave in January. He explained that I needed to stay at least 6 months so I wouldn't have any penalties for breaking my contract. (which would be jan 21st)....then he asked me if I would consider staying until the end of February. I agreed. I told him I wanted to leave on good terms. I told him I was sorry and I felt badly because he has been so good to me, but I explained how my few positive interactions with him could not compare to the daily and constant negative interactions I have with Jay and Liz. He was very amicable, and again I felt very lucky. So I am leaving at the end of February!!! I am so excited! I am very happy!

Now for the fun story.

I like to design clothes in my head, but unfortunately I can never see my creations take place because of my lack of skill, sewing machine, material, and motivation to get any of the before mentioned things accomplished. In Korea there are custom tailor shops everywhere. I decided to visit one last weekend to order my dream winter coat. (since i don't have one after living in New Mexico!) Holly and I went into a random shop in Itaewon after being approached by a very enthusiastic Korean man in a suit. On the way down to his basement shop, we introduced each other. After hearing my name he said, "Wow! Venus and Julia! Those names sound so beautiful together! We should get married!" He then preceded to tell me he wanted my children. It sounds creepy and crazy, but it was just simply hilarious. Holly and I were seated in his "office" and I began describing my design. While I was speaking he would gasp and nod and smile. He was excited! He told me I was an artist! He explained to me that he graduated from design school and was very eager to work on my idea. He said that he didn't get the opportunity to make things like what I was describing very often. Most of his work is boring. (so he said) He kept murmuring that he was worried. He would say over and over again, "I'm very worried." I thought it was because he was thinking my design was a little out there (which it is not)...but Holly finally asked him what he was worried about and he told her he was worried about the number of men who would definitely be following me around when I wore my new coat!

After the deposit was paid and he had made Holly and I laugh about 5 million times, he asked us if we would like to see a picture of Mc Hammer in his underwear. The next thing we knew he turned on his computer and loaded his web site and this is what we saw...

Venus made MC Hammer 6 suits. You would think he could've worn one in the pic!

Venus is by far the coolest Korean man I have met since living in Korea. If you ever go to Itaewon and need a suit, or any kind of custom clothes, he is your man. Here's his website if you want to look around! The other famous people he has made clothes for are under "Customer Story". Just click the link.
http://www.venustailor.com/