Notice

Diana, her thoughts, and this blog are temporarily out of order. Please email for updates instead. Thank-you.

어머니

If the apple doesn't fall far from the tree,

And I get to be like my Mother,

Then I'm luckier than I thought I'd ever be,

And I wouldn't change my life for any other.

Happy Mother's day. I love you!

A watermelon costs sixteen dollars in Korea!

어린이날

Today is Children's Day- Which is a public holiday in Korea and a time to celebrate kids. This means, most people get the day off to have fun. Luckily for them, the weather is perfect for playing outside! However, some schools are still open and mine happens to be one of them. I already know that the kids will be hounding me to play games and I haven't decided what I will do yet. I don't blame them for wanting to have fun and I definitely understand why they don't want to be at school. I don't want to be at school either! I have a feeling my inner child will win this round.. ;)

빨간 띠

Since the last time that I wrote about Taekwondo, I have graduated from a blue belt to a brown and then on to a red. If you are thinking that this seems incredibly fast, I would totally agree with your assumption. I am not sure why we are moving at such a quick pace, and I wish we were advancing through the ranks a little slower. I don't want to rush into getting my black belt. What's the point?! The process has always been far more rewarding than receiving a new belt.

Nonetheless, we have started mentally preparing for our black belt test. The first step in getting ready was watching a group of other students take the exam. I certainly underestimated what a huge production this is going to be. There are hundreds of participants, 10 examiners and an audience of parents. I know I'm going to be exceptionally nervous! Here are some photos of the stadium where we will be taking the test, and a video I made of the opening acts:

Home as a Holiday

Did I mention that I re-signed my contract? As long as everything goes as planned, I will be staying in Korea until August 2011. However, I am still going home this summer, and I'm already daydreaming of Halifax..

Here are the top 10 things I'm anxious to do, see and taste:

1) I want to hug my Mother!

2) I want to sleep in the spare bedroom and cuddle with my cat.

3) I want to drink my Mom's filtered coffee with a spoonful of vanilla flavored sugar.

4) I want to visit my friends.

5) I want to swim in Long Lake with Chareen and then go for a beer at Tom's.

6) I want to eat a home cooked meal with my family.

7) I want to go to Cape Split.

8) I want to go shopping for shoes.

9) I want to speak in full sentences everywhere I go.

10) I want to take A BATH!

In March, my Korean friends took me to a place to make pottery. It was a great day in the country, and I really enjoyed doing something different. I also appreciated the chance to be creative, even though my imagination was strictly monitored. I think they were afraid that since I am a foreigner, I wouldn’t know how to successfully do something Korean. As soon as I accepted the supervision, I realized it was more beneficial than not.

Even with all the coaching, I did manage to screw up my mug! When I went to put the date on the side, I wrote May instead of March. I didn’t know how to fix the mistake, so I decided to change the incorrect month into a word. Now my mug says, “May your cup always be full!” It is a rather corny quote but it did make us laugh. On the other side of the mug, my friend Cindy wrote the saying in Korean. We thought it kind of balanced out my mistake and made it more special.

After our masterpieces were finished, Cindy cooked us sweet potatoes over a fire. My hands were freezing and it was delightful to warm them up with a tasty treat. They were by far, the best potatoes I’ve ever eaten.

Yesterday I got my mug back and it turned out better than I expected. You can’t really see what we wrote on the sides but I still think it’s lovely. The sentimental value definitely improves its beauty.

Here is a photo of my newest cup and matching spoon: