Happy Canada Day!

So its been a while since I've posted on here. I'm still alive and well but haven't been doing all that much. The constant stimulation of things that seemed to be so new in the beginning are blending together and just seem normal now - so to speak. I do catch myself saying "only in Korea" a lot though. For example, I was walking home from the gym yesterday and went by a new bakery that just opened up down the street from me. New stores seem to pop up everyday around here (and ones I've come familiar to get torn down just as easily). Anyways - there was a promotional booth set up with a spin wheel to get prizes. I was checking it out to see if it was worth me trying to cross the language barrier and finagle a way to get some free stuff from when something caught the corner of my eye. I was surprised to see a man on stilts staring down at me on the other side of the wheel dressed up like a giant baguette yelling "Hello, I love you!!" lol I giggled and thought to myself "only in Korea" - then went on my way. It's the land of randomness which is probably why time here has flown by so quickly. I've been here for almost 8 months which is mind boggling to me. I don't think my mind has really slowed down since I got here. Like I said, it's constant simulation - lights flashing - cars here - random men on stilts over there - it's endless. I find myself looking more and more forward to my travels after I leave here when i'll be out on a beach somewhere with no one else there but me and the fish in the ocean... and my ipod of course. It'll probably take me being back in Canada before I have time to digest that I lived overseas for a year. I do miss Canada though - my family, friends, old co-workers, Tim Hortons, driving, fresh air... etc. It was a nice surprise this past weekend when some Canadian (and American) friends and I partook in some Canada Day events. One of the pubs here was serving ceasars! Anyone who's ever worked/gone out with me can vouch for how much I love those delicious contagious drinks. I ended up ordering two of them - and later found out they were 8,500 won each which is equal to two days worth of food... but it was totally worth it. I enjoyed every savory sip! I didn't order it, but I was also surprised to see they were serving poutine in celebration of Canada's 144th birthday. They were also having a Canada Day concert which I opted out of too because it was such a beautiful day for the beach. It was nice to meet so many fellow Canuks celebrating Canada Day in their own way no matter where we went that day. And, it was even nicer to feel so close to home even though I'm so far away.

At school I brought in a bunch of mini Canadian flags for my students that my old co-workers gave to me before I left. My kids were so excited to get them - they were shaking them around in the air through out the hallways all day. The American guy I sit next to thought it was a bit much, but I just laughed and told him to lighten up. Here's a picture of some of my older kids with the giant flag I brought in.... we also had a work function after school and my flag ended up making a guest appearance there too. Ok - maybe I did over do it a little. What can I say, I'm a proud Canadian :)