Cool Canadians

I have made some great friends while in Korea including these 2 people - the coolest Canadians in Korea. I got to hang out with both Sarah & Matt this past weekend at this fun little coffee shop. Being with friends and laughing is the best thing in the world no matter where you are in the world.



This waffle was so delicious with its whipped cream, ice cream, bananas, and kiwi fruit
I have never documented my life so much as I have in Korea. My friends and I take pictures all the time which inevitably leads to even more laughter.

Samgakji

Since September, I've become really familiar with this subway stop right in the middle of Seoul- it's the home of my best friend . Every time I cross the bridge over the tracks, especially at night, I feel so aware of the strange wonder of the city which is nothing like I will ever experience again.
The view from the bridge onto the tracks
A subway train passing through
Typical Seoul - lots of tall apartment buildings & cars

Seoul Tower is the big rocket like thing in the background

Jumping

Sarah & I made great travel buddies in Cambodia. We both shared the same spirit of wanting to make the most of our limited time and make the best out of any situtation. Most importantly, we both shared the same sense of humor. I can honestly say that I have never laughed so much and so hard as I did in the four days we spent together. A great deal of the laughter stemmed from taking creative pictures instead of the same boring photos over and over. One way to ensure a unique shot is to jump. Here are some of the best and the not so good jumping pictures we took all over Angkor Wat.

Sarah shows how to get some height. It's all about kicking those feet upwards to the sky.

Smiling makes any jump that much better. How you could not have fun when you're jumping in the middle of an ancient temple?
Almost at peak jump, it's really hard to get the timing right. The jumper and the photographer have to work carefully together to coordinate for an optimal shot with maximum air. It's not as easy as it looks for either person involved.
Flying through the air like a spider monkey or some other weird creature. Notice the figures in blue in the background. They are two Cambodian women on a break from cleaning. Needless to say, the sight of two foreign girls jumping off the ruins and taking pictures was quite entertaining for them. I'm pretty sure we were the highlight of work for them that day.

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm is another temple at Angkor Wat in Cambodia (yes, this is really late). The temple is literally being taken over by the giant trees growing in, on, and around what is left of the ancient buildings. It is one of the coolest things to see - these amazing trees intertwined with what is left of beautifully designed temples all in the middle of a quiet and peaceful sunlit clearing. That is all there is to say about it, the pictures say all the rest.

I will not miss this

I think I was important, because the speak one more language
than I talk many of speak language people and than
I spoke very many people,
and I want to going england I examination my self.
and it was fantastic of speaking many .language
first the speaking many language, and than the
person is speaking many of the people the
one person is saying korean and english
than this person is speaking korea people, and
english people.
second speaking more than one language
and than the people are think that person is
very smart, because this person is speaking
two language.
last it was very good of speaking two language
because the speaking two language
was memory ability rising.

This is a student essay directly copied & pasted from the school's website where the students upload their essays & I have to mark them. There are some things I will not miss when I go back home. One of those things is student essays. I will not miss all the hours I've spent at my computer in the morning, during prep time at school, and at night grading essays. I will not miss having to try to make sense of something like this at 12:30 a.m. I will not miss continually trying to come up with new essay topics that will not bore me after I've read the fourth student's essay. I will not miss all the highlighting and clicking. I will not miss the poorly designed grading program I have to use. I will not miss student essays.

Jobs....

Seeing as I am officially unemployed in 4 weeks, I started thinking of what I am going to do next. I came up with a list of jobs that I am now qualified for after teaching English in Korea for 14 months.

Interpreter - I have learned to process a mixture of discordant sound effects and flurried hand gestures in my brain and extrapolate a meaning that is 93.4% correct. When broken English is added, my success rate jumps to 98.7%.

Editor - After reading and marking about 100 student essays per month, I am an expert at finding and correcting misplaced commas, sentence fragments, multiple uses of the be verb, and overuse of the electronic dictionary for words beyond vocabulary level and unrelated to context.

Stand Up Comedian - I have developed and perfected a repertoire of funny voices, accents, slapstick humor, goofy faces, and exaggerated body movements. I can be humerous on the spot, even under the pressure of fifteen bored students.

Celebrity Interviewer - I can get anyone to talk about any subject. Bring on everyone from Angelina Jolie to Justin Timberlake. I can handle them all.

Walking Dictionary/Thesaurus - Need a quick explanation of any word? I'm the person to go to. I can explain even the most complex word in the simplest of terms so that anyone can understand.

News Spinner - Fourteen months worth of writing report card and essay comments have given me the ability to make even the most annoying and stupid student sound like a wonderfully behaved genius without even breaking a sweat.

Anyone willing to hire me?

Bayon Temple

Bayon is yet another temple in Cambodia. This one was memorable for all the carved stone faces
I love how the ruins of the temple are left in place right where they fell. To me, it's more interesting than clearing the rubble away to make what is left more pristine. The scattered stones and pillars add an air of mystery and tease you with the imagination of what was.

Sarah looking cute from the windowframe
Me hanging out in the doorframe