you oughtta

"sexy" dance for any free drink!! 

  in light of finding out that one of my best friends will be visiting me for a week, i will make a list of things everyone ought to do when in this country:
1.  visit the dmz (demilitarized zone) between the north and the south
2.  visit insa-dong art area in seoul near myeongdong
3.  visit itaewon (little america) in seoul
4.  go to the park in the middle of yeongtong of suwon
5.  go to the noraebang after the bar and let it out
6.  have barbecue even if you dont eat meat .. try it
  so im sure i could think of many more things that are probably more fun to do but these are what came up first, the noraebang one is a bit random but you gotta do it!  see you so soon fluffz (manda)!!  =)

 
 

 

 

confusion or ..

Sometimes I'm confused by what I think is really obvious. But what I think is really obvious obviously isn't obvious...

bit of hwaseong fortress 

an entrance to hwaseong 

  this weekend i went to hwaseong fortress in suwon and only spent an hour there but it was a very relaxing hour.  The castle/fortress place is a big wall surrounding the center of the city of Suwon.  It was built in the 1700s by King Jeongjo in honor of his father Prince Sado.  The father was murdered by his own father by being locked alive inside of a rice chest because he disobeyed him by failing to commit suicide alone.  This fortress is now considered a World Heritage site by UNESCO, which I believe makes it a bit cooler if that's possible.
  I dont know if anybody has ever watched an old-time Korean drama but if they have, then they have seen a scene where "bad people" are punished to death and all I could think about at the fortress was: am i standing on a part of land where somebody was killed?  This place really put my mind at ease, even when thinking about the people who were beaten by the King's servants.  It was really cool to see the room of the King with his bed and gold painting/plating around the wood and head of it.
  Now, I just need to go back early in the day and spend the entire day there so I can actually see everything!  Can't wait ..

One of the little bedrooms at the fortress 

remember crazy jan?

they actually have hamsters as pets here in korea  

you would think the english would be correct 

why does the smaller toilet have a bigger stall than the normal toilet 

  So the past weekend I reluctantly decided to be of company at a bbq at one of the branches and yes, reluctantly.  Not only did I have to make the usual small talk with people I didn't know, I had to pretend to enjoy myself because I was the outcast there.  Now let's not get ahead of ourselves, if I really didn't want to go I could have just went home by myself, but as we all know -- I'm not THAT independent just yet.  I figured I would go have fun for an hour or two and then go home, right??  Wrong.  We ended up staying a few hours then finally as I'm thinking I get to go home and watch some Harry Potter with the Weezy, some guy (nothing against him, he was very nice to us) decides that it's okay for us to come to another location post-bbq.  Now, when I say he decided it's okay, I mean "guys it's okay come, please come, you will have a good time -- reallly it's okay" kind of it's okay.  So here we go on to the next venue with more alcohol meaning more unwanted shots down my throat to ease the anxiety of being somewhere once again I do not want to be at.  And there it goes.  Crazy Drunk Janet.  Yes I know you all know her.  I decided myself then that it was okay to let the people have it that I did not want to be there, no doubt.  So my friends (God bless them) gave in and said let's go home and we went but not without that "some guy" attempting to stop us and proceeding to say to me "i don't know who you think i am but..." with my continuing to just look at him make a fool out of himself.
  anyway, the moral of the night: quit being such a bitch jan, suck it up, and keep drinking -- it will all "be okay".  I did get some good pictures out of that adventure anyway, like that GREAT english up there!  =)

hey dude i like your bag

  i know this is the norm here in korea but i can't help to wonder why guys do this.  and what makes the girls here want the guys to do this?  this is my research question: Do girls shop for their bags with the boyfriends and get aid in choosing a bag because the guys are the ones who essentially carry these feminine things?  side question: Or do the guys just buy the bags themselves since they have to be seen with them out in public anyway?  
  is that why girls arms are so skinny and demented looking here?  they dont have to carry their bags out anywhere and considering women out here never stay home, they are never doing manual labor of any sort.  even the doors in korea are sliding doors so most of the places you dont have to push or pull any doors, just stand there and it opens for you or if it doesn't sense you -- you just push a little button and it will open automatically.
  next time i go out, which will be in a couple of hours, i will have my camera in hand to take many pictures of guys carrying nice little purses on their arms and if i get the courage -- maybe i will ask somebody my research question so i can write a thesis and a hypothesis.  wml.

america the great

little old korean house at namsan tower 

seoul map at the namsan tower peak 

I don't know where to start but I want to begin with HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND!  I am sad that I am not in the States this weekend to celebrate.  I just found out that half of the family is going to new york for the holiday and I am upset and jealous that I am not going to be there.  But in light of the great day, I am going to work on Monday wearing red, white, and blue with nice blue jeans on!  =)  Fitting, isn't it?  I also believe we're having a barbecue that night to celebrate with lots of American music including a little Miley Cyrus party in the u.s.a.!  I can't wait.
  The second two pictures are from namsan tower in seoul.  I went there the other weekend with a friend I trained with, their friend from the states, and my cousin from Korea.  This is the same weekend we went to the dmz while I was half intoxicated.
  I have been feeling sick all week and it peaked yesterday morning when I had a massive headache and I was dizzy all day.  It doesn't help to drink while you're sick, it only makes it worse, so I recommend no alcohol when under the weather (words of wisdom, right?).
  I am dog-sitting for a co-worker this weekend and it is quite entertaining to watch the two dogs play/fight because they gnaw at each others teeth and just head butt the whole time, and they could do this for HOURS on end.  well peace buddies.

cuts my security

architecture in front of the dmz tunnel number tres 

awful blue helmets we have to wear into the tunnel

big poster of a grand father during the war 

with a korean soldier at the dmz 

  this google post has been a bad friend of mine this week because every attempt at posting, somehow everything would get lost.  anyways, last week i went to the dmz with my cousin and somebody i trained with last month and it was fun if you dont consider the fact that i was half drunk for most of the trip.  not only did i fall asleep during the first part, i got sick at the end of the tour.  
  the first part that i missed was visiting the freedom bridge where prisoners were exchanged after the korean war, hence the name of the bridge.  the second part was visiting the third tunnel of the dmz which is close to seoul and was discovered by south korea in october of 1978.  the tunnel is pretty long but its really compact so only big enough for a few people to walk next to each other but huddled in which is why we had to have the helmets on and i, after the fact, learned the hard way to appreciate those blue things on my head -- otherwise i would leave without one.  the third part of the tour was visiting the dora observatory which allows you to see the dmz and gaesung city which is a big city in north korea where theres a big village.  the last part of the trip was going to dorasan station which is the closest train station to north korea from south korea and president bush visited this station in 2002 and made it really famous to the world, especially to korea of course.
  visiting the dmz was probably one of the best things i have done so far in korea, it took me back and made me realize how much history there is in this country, not that i didnt know to begin with.  although i am the epitome of a conservative american, i am allowing myself to appreciate my background and begin to consider my ignorance of being a "korean american".  thanks South Korea, couldnt have done it without you.

cant think

b-52 shots 

creamy tomato soup 

  So while we were at itaewon the other day, we went to a german restaurant there and all they had on the menu was meat of course so i had to go for the creamy tomato soup and ordered some bread (900 won) with it.  it actually wasnt that bad, i kept wondering what the soup was because i had a slight feeling that it could have been campbell's tomato soup and if so, then houston we have a problem.  i do not like any of the campbells soups for some reason, maybe it was all that soup i had when i was a child growing up, or maybe im just being dramatic.
  The other picture is another one of b-52 shots but from a different occasion.  ive only tried two of those since ive been out here but theyre definitely growing on me!  the price is kind of high but considering the entertainment they provide for us in the production of these shots, i think its absolutely worth it, so long as the owner doesnt continue to make them for us (he wasnt that great at it unfortunately).
  Any who, I am supposed to be getting my air conditioner fixed today but they are stalling and it is making me unhappy, because it is 82 degrees outside and I have windows that succumb to the heat outdoors.  if this man doesnt come back within the next twenty minutes, he might catch me in the shower -- which i hope he doesnt, because thats where ill be cooling off!

25 things about LAX

25 things about LAX

chcheck it out! the second half is better than the first!

a twosome place outdoors

fast company magazine ten dollars 

korean street market in seoul with cultural stuff 

black market on the streets of seoul, korea 

  So the other day I went to Seoul with some people in Suwon and we went to a few different places in the city to hang out.  Many of the places we went to are catering to foreigners, hence, all of the really cliche Korean stuff around and the ability to find American magazines (but for really expensive, of course).
  The black markets here are hilarious, they have anything and everything you could possibly think of and most of the time if you know anything about fashion and brands, you can tell they are fake just by looking at it (I mean avid fashionistas, that is).  I feel like there is absolutely no point in having nice designer things in Korea because everything is so fake!  If any of you ever decide to come to this awesome country, leave your nice things at home, you can find the same thing here for really cheap then sell it for more back in the states -- for sure.  Would anybody like a nice bogus Louis Vuitton wallet?  I will gladly purchase it for you with my hard earned money and send it over to the states, this might be illegal, I don't know.
  I'm at this cute little cafe in Suwon right now called A Twosome Place and they have a little outdoor section in the back closed off by brown wooden walls with white art painting on it.  I decided to come to do work and have yet to start, and I have been here for a couple of hours now.
  I suppose I will start sometime tonight before 1.30 in the morning because I have decided that's my bed time now.  Peace buddies ..

im sorry miss jackson

I apologize for the fact that I have not updated my blog in a while, I just got internet today so I have not been able to get on the internet in a while other than for work.  So the first two pictures are of b-52 shots that we took at a bar called pavox during the second week of my stay in suwon.  they were pretty good, thank you aerie for those shots =) . 

the last picture is of me trying to chug the soju cocktail mixed with yogurut.  it was DELISH.  

  so the work has been alright so far.  i work everyday and on average i work about 24 hours a week.  I do realize that's half of what the full time is back in the states but considering the work here, full time would be thirty hours so I almost work full time but not really.  

  It's weird because I feel like I need to be home sick but I am not really as home sick as you would think.  It has a lot to do with the people here.  Everybody I work with is really down to earth and cool for the most part.  I mean don't get me wrong, there's still drama at work, but I try my best to not get involved -- also considering the fact that I am still the new girl and probably will be for a while.  At least for another few weeks I assume.  

  Honestly speaking, not having internet at home for the past few weeks has been okay for me.  It gave me some time to actually get to know this place and not worry about social networks and also gave me the chance to really care about myself and reflect upon what has been going on in my life lately.  

  So in conclusion, internet ruins peoples lives for sure haha.  What do you think?  You probably disagree, huh?  Well until I hear back from you, I will be sleeping and living my life (as Rihanna put it with t.i.). PEACE BUDDIES. 

"teacher introduce yourself"

shopping mall famous to foreigners

a shopping mall called maxstyle at night 

some famous gate/castle in the middle of dangnamdo

ramen from little restaurant near gangnam

so the pictures are from the other day when the mother and i went out shopping for new work clothes (only ended up buying one piece of work clothing) and we shopped from two in the afternoon until nine at night non stop.  there are two malls in this area, one is called migliore, and the other is called something else .. the migliore place is very famous to foreigners and is very cheap with a lot of cute clothes and a lot of really ugly clothes -- the other mall is really nice and the foreigners dont really go there because there are a lot of foreign brands like tory burch and burberry and armani which all of the native koreans go to because they want all those designer clothing.
  i cant remember if i told this story or not so im going to tell it again if i already did; i went running in the city the other morning with my running gear on and there was a big crowd waiting to get on the buses so i stopped and ran in place.  a nice korean lady asked me if i was a foreigner and i answered, yes why?  and she said because youre running with work out clothes on in the city.  and immediately i knew, koreans dont run outside, DUH!  the air is so bad in seoul, its enough that they have to walk everywhere in that polluted air, and to run?  that's crazy stupid!  i should have known, silly me.  so the gym right next to my apartment is called bobo sports, and its a whopping 60 dollars a month for a membership so im really just considering running outside every morning still.  i came all the way to korea to work and live, i might as well save that money to live instead of spending 60 a month to possibly maybe work out once a week if that.  it's 12.43 in the afternoon right now and i have to go into work at two for a workshop so i should get started on my preparation for later today!!  i miss everybody and hope everyone is doing well!  xoxo.
.jan.  =)

this blows but its not bad

spicy seafood stuff with vegetables

greetings it is 415 in the morning right now and i have been up for a total summation of 21.5 hours now and i have to be up in a couple of hours actually to get ready for training!  so i had to take four tests on monday and i failed half of them, no surprise there considering i went out the night before and got intoxicated as opposed to staying in and studying for the tests that i actually indeed knew about in advance.  i re-took these two tests on tuesday afternoon and passed them with flying colors, however i wonder if i really did because the top trainer just scanned through them and said im good at the end.  today (or technically yesterday) we had to take a medical and drug exam and it was so nerve wracking because this could be what determines whether we stay in this country or not ultimately (not that i should have anything to worry about, right? ...).
  ive been counting how many hours of sleep ive been having every night and its not jet lag that is getting to me, its time management and all of this intense training that we are going through.  not only am i learning how to do my job, it seems as if im learning a lot about american government through my korean job at this big korean company, ironically.
  anyways, the two pictures above are from dinner last night (or a couple of nights ago, i dont know anymore) and the first picture is of a spicy korean dish with seafood and vegetables that you mix and cook together on the table, and the second picture is of my cousin, my roommate lagloria, and my mother.  i dont know if i mentioned this but the mother came to korea with me because she couldnt let her baby come alone without any close help and as spoiling as that is, i really appreciate that she came because shes been a huge help for me and my roommate.  alright time to take a shower and a little nap before going to training for a full day again!  peace buddies.  =)

ahh

so i should be studying right now because im taking several tests today but im not because im hungover from drinking yesterday with some trainees and a current employee!  im sure my roommate hates me because i came back to the hotel with the other trainees at eleven last night drunk and we were loud and obnoxious while she was sleeping from having just arrived from the states!  we went to a little restaurant by the hotel for dinner and had 'bindaedduhk' and then drank a bottle of rice wine and then had seven more bottles of soju and took shot after shot after shot until finally i said that we should go home to study before training starts, so after i got home i passed out half naked in my bed.  im beginning to think that im already off to a bad start because im pretty sure i dont got good grammar (see, i should have studied).
  i already miss american food and its pissing me off that i dont have easy access to a nice little turkey sandwich with pepper jack cheese and avocado anywhere around here.  let alone, i cant find a frikkin place with normal american oreos and kettle cooked jalapeno chips either!!!!  alright...blogging about it is pissing me off even more now so if anybody wants to send me some reduced fat oreos and kettle cooked jalapeno chips, dont let me get in your way.  ill send some 'maguhli' (rice wine) your way, its the bomb diggity.

spread love

Spread love everywhere you go.  Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.  Mother Teresa.

I believe I am still in denial that I am leaving.  I have been trying to spend time with a lot of the people that i care about the most here and it is just hard trying to manage time and friends, not that there are many.  but the hardest part is hanging out with them as if it were any other day and then thinking to myself, what if this is the last day, is this what i really want to be doing with them then? i AM in denial because i dont want to talk to my friends about me leaving and to say good-bye to them.  so i just wont. 

i am here for nine more days, well i guess its eight now, and i cant seem to get a grip on the fact that i really should start PACKING! i spend more time thinking about the places i want to go to in charlotte before i leave than thinking about a packing plan/idea.  speaking of, i went to nikkos last night and it was amazing, please try the sexy salmon -- AWESOME.  peace 

me versus last days

so its my last twelve days here in this country!  i still haven't gotten rid of all of my furniture and still have all these clothes and shoes and bags that i probably wont want later.  does anybody want any old juicy and burberry clothes?  seriously!  i just dont understand how im supposed to pack up my life into two bags.  and apparently each have to be at the most fifty pounds?  really?  im pretty sure half of my spring clothes (the stuff i want) and one pair of sandals are 50 pounds!  the "packing life up" gods are definitely against me.  and they like it.  
and as if this pressure isnt already enough .. what am i supposed to do with the STUFF that i will actually want later?  does this company realize that the south isnt my home?  home is either in the west in california or, now, up north in new york!  i can't just take my memories down the road to my grandparents house anymore, no, i dont have that great luxury.  ive already spent thousands of dollars (parents money of course) on purchasing "new clothes and shoes for korea" and a new suit case (actually, to be purchased) and on stocking up on toiletries that i will need and wont be able to buy outside of the u.s.  i feel like im the only person in the world who cares about any of this, and my mother i suppose, but now that i really think about it -- I AM THE ONLY PERSON IN THIS WORLD WHO CARES.  
i should probably get to packing and all that right now .. but i probably wont again.  i wish everybody out there good luck, good luck to anybody and everybody who is packing up their lives right now, its hard stressful and emotional -- its your life.        

procrastination

there's that statistic where 99.9% of all people get through things the normal way as opposed to the .1% of the people who face every obstacle on the way to the destination of achievement and now i am beginning to feel like i am surprisingly that .1% of all people who cannot go through obstacles normally.  you know this feeling?  the feeling where everything im going through is the absolute opposite from what everybody else is right now.  its been over a month now since i got the call about being accepted into this company and i have yet to get rid of many unimportant things in my apartment.  im leaving in a few weeks and i act like i have that 'over a month' belief in my head where i can just hang out .. I MUST STOP.
honestly i have yet to even attempt at putting a thought to what exactly i am going to pack.  i keep thinking that ill hang out for a little in cali when in reality im only there for a couple of days before i depart for my final destination.  this is really scary.  today my aunt told me i should prepare for my training that i will have in korea and i thought: train myself for training week?  what in the world is that??  ive always had an anxiety problem (self diagnosed) and my stress level right now is just out there, and the effects of it are about to get me in my sleep tonight or lack thereof.  i need to breathe.
im hoping that through all of this, the whole chill anxiety be cool part of this process, will all pass over and ill be on that flight out of charlotte in no time so prepared for my new life outside of this country and not looking back thinking about what i should have or could have done while still here.  im laughing as i think about what i should or could be doing right now.  all in all, this waiting and procrastinating and anxiety build-up is good, its giving me the chance to live my life normally as if i were never leaving this country and as if i were to see all of you again in a few weeks on a regular basis  =)  ahh procrastination!!

before the beginning

welcome 

i was speaking with my friend the other day and we were talking about how i was going to keep in touch with everybody without being able to message people all the time via text, and then this friend of mine had the brightest idea of creating a blog.  and alas, here it is.  i received a job in korea and i will be moving there in the beginning of may.  i have always thought about leaving the country to do something with my life, and last year i was finally given the opportunity to think outside of the cube and actually give it a try by applying.  I started the process around october and really got into it in december then got the big news in february, and now here i am with less than three and a half weeks left in the country to see what im going to miss and what i wont be missing at all (or so i think).  thus i call the next few weeks "after the end, before the beginning".  thanks for making me happy u.s.a. (now until im gone), in advance.