Alone but not lonely

 **I wrote this before I left for vacation but in my excitement I forgot to post it.

In T-minus 3 days I will be on a plane and on my way to spending 10 sun filled, stress free days on Boracay Island in the Philippines. After the hellish winter I have been dealing with here in Korea, there are not enough words in the English language to describe just how happy I am for this. NEVER in my life have I been this pale. I might actually for the first time ever share a similar skin tone to my blond hair, blue eyed, white (Polish/Danish American, it really doesn't get much whiter than this) Mother.

Korea's winters wouldn't be so bad if there were sunlight, but instead every single day is cloud covered and murky. Okay actually Korean winters would still be really bad even with sunlight but at least I wouldn't look sickly. I've always liked my freckles but now that my skin tone is near translucent, having dark brown spots on my face just makes me look like I have contracted scabies or a mutated form of chicken pox.

I have forgotten what sunlight feels like. I have forgotten what it is like to be hot. I have forgotten what a sunburn feels like. I have forgotten what it is like to not be able to wear certain types of clothes because of tan lines. I have forgotten what it is like to WANT to be outside. So for the 10 days that I am in the Philippines I have plans on soaking up as much vitamin D as humanly possible. I do not care how uncomfortably hot I get, I do not care if I sunburn, I do not care if I get a sunglass tan or suffer from a heat stroke, I will force myself to sit and enjoy the heat every single moment of heat because when I return to the ROK I will once again be drown in bitter cold and gloom.

Of course I have been bragging about my future trip on all social media that I actively participate in which then leads to the question, "Who are you going with?"

I am going alone.

This answer usually receives one of two reactions. The first, pity and the second, worry. Those who pity me never worry about me and those who worry about me do not pity me. I understand the worry. People worry that something might happen to me because I am alone and people who are alone are more vulnerable. This reaction doesn't bother me, I understand it. But the people who pity me, annoy me with their looks of "ohhh this poor lonely loser. She doesn't have friends and therefore must go lie on the beach in beautiful weather, clad in just a bikini, losing herself in great novels, great music and consuming amazing food ALL ALONE."

.......still waiting for the point when I see the reason I need another person. I have friends, plenty of friends, all over the world, all ages, all colors, all demographics..there is no shortage in that area of my life. Yes, having my bestfriends next to me would add to the FABULOUSNESS time that I am going to have on my trip, but them not being there is taking nothing away. 

To those who have never done it, try traveling alone. It allows you more of an opportunity to meet other people and make new friends. You are able to experience where you are on a different plane. Alone you have to fend for yourself, figure out how to get around, communicate, what to do and where to go on your own.  It also gives you much needed time to yourself and allows you to do what YOU want to do on your OWN time schedule. I personally believe everybody should try it at least once. BUT Of course do not forget to be safe.

As for that I will be on a 10+ day hiatus. Stay tuned for my adventures in Boracay :).

#CHEERS2VACATION!

Bucket List

Before winter vacation I completed the textbook with my classes. Now that school is back in session and I have 2 weeks left in the semester I am able to teach whatever I want, granted it is in and deals with English somehow. Today I thought that teaching my students a popular English idiom along with a few activities would not only be easy but also fun for the students.

The idiom that I selected was "kick the bucket." To introduce the topic I started the class with 2 videos, the first was a video of a person literally just kicking a bucket and the second was a video with Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny using the term in context of its not-literal meaning (to die). I asked the students what happened in the first video and what they thought Elmer Fudd meant when he sang "Bugs Bunny kicked the bucket" in the second video. I went over the definition of the term and examples of how it could be used, giving the students example sentences. I then showed them a 3rd video clip. This was a clip of the movie The Bucket List. I showed this clip as an introduction to the day's activity, creating our own bucket list.

Before allowing the students to create their own bucket lists I surveyed the  class on different things that they might want to do before they kicked the bucket.  I asked them  to raise their hands if they would like to do the activity I showed on the screen. Some of the activities that I included were; get married, have kids, visit California, climb a tall mountain, be on TV and go to University. I did this to give the students some examples of different types of things that can go on bucket lists and to hopefully help them come up with their own ideas. After the class survey I allowed them to make their own.

I knew the lesson would be enjoyable to the students but I underestimated how much fun they would actually have. While they were creating their lists I was bouncing around the classroom from student to student being questioned on spelling and phrasing of different things that they wanted to put on their lists. EVERYBODY wanted my help, I have never felt so popular and useful in my life.  Both of my classes continued to work on their lists even when the period ended. Some of the lists were typical, some were boring (in my opinion) and then there were the lists that were GENIUS. Here are some highlights

Kala Teacher's Classroom's Bucket List common answers

- to visit America (top answer, I've apparently left a good impression on my students)
- to become a successful businessman
- to be a millionaire
- to be an Olympic athlete
- to be a teacher like Kala Teacher
- to go to Russia
- to see Big Bang (this is a KPop group)
- to meet Big Bang
- to get Big Bang's signatures
- to marry Big Bang
(her entire list dealt with Big Bang)
- to travel around the world
- to travel to space
- to visit Japan
- to be a pilot (an many other different professions)

The BEST and funniest answers from Kala Teacher's Classroom's Bucket Lists

- to never get married, ever.
- to buy a person and make them my slave
- to marry myself
- to wrestle a crocodile
- to eat that crocodile
- to build a rocket and blow up my sisters room
- to marry Kala Teacher
- to go to Las Vegas
- to be immortal
- to live in (Korean video game name here) world and kill (friend's name here)
- to fly like a bird and shoot lasers from my talons
- to have a wife who can cook and clean and make handsome babies
- to have many ladies

and the NUMBER 1 answer

- to make it sprinkle

After laughing uncontrollably I taught him the correct phrase,  "make it rain." 
(for all you older readers out there, to " make it rain" means to throw money in the air so it rains down over people)

As the I am coming down to the end of my first semester in Korea as a teacher, I am realizing how much I have enjoyed my students. Even through the countless times I have been ready to strangle them they really have added and continue to add to the wonderful experience I am having in here. While I am SOOOOO READY for my vacation get-a-way, returning to work won't be difficult at all. As my mom and somebody near and dear to my heart have told me, love what you do and you'll never work a day in your life.


#CHEERS2MYSTUDENTS


Kala Teacher's Bucket List

1-visit all of the World's continents
2- learn how to juggle
3- run a race in a foreign country
4- skydive, bungee jump and hang glide
5-swim in all the oceans
6-learn 3 languages (conversational level) 2 down :) 1 to go
7- do the splits, both ways
8- be the person that somebody will never forget
9- drive across America
10- learn how to drive an automatic
11- ride an elephant
12- love somebody
13- leave an HUGE tip for a random server
14- be able to do the scorpion yoga pose
15- to officiate a gay or lesbian wedding on US capitol building grounds