Last stretch before holiday break ...

That's right, only two more weeks until I head for the tropics! Namely, Thailand and Cambodia. I'm going with my friend Maria. I'll only be able to take nine days until it's Back to School, but I won't think about that when I'm taking in the awesome temples at Angkor Wat or soaking up rays on the beaches of Ko Chang, Thailand. I intend to stay away from computers (and classrooms!) as much as possible. I will be sure to tell you all about it, if not while I'm there, when I get back. We've been doing our homework and have found out how to negotiate the border crossing into Cambodia, as well as found some nice and pretty inexpensive cabanas on Chang island (Ko Chang). They're right on the beach - reportedly, the tranquil surf is literally lapping at the foot of the balcony!

As you can tell, my head is practically in Thailand already, but I'll say a few words about Korea. As you may have noticed, I posted a photo of an important Korean food: kimchi. Koreans are very proud of their culture, and kimchi is a very imortant part of that culture. It is hard to imagine a Korea (or Koreans anywhere) without kimchi. Kimchi for breakfast, lunch, and dinner: you get the picture. (By the way, it is served on the side, usually placed on the table before the main dish.) And I must say, I'm really starting to enjoy kimchi. When I sit down for a meal, I almost start to crave it. At a restaurant (I usually eat out: it's cheaper and easier here than buying food to cook. You can get a solid, healthy Korean meal for around $5, or even less if you need to.) before they bring out the kimchi, I wonder how it will be. It's usually about the same but there are subtle differences. And sometimes there are other variations of kimchi and other side dishes. It seems I am developing my Korean taste buds, because I do enjoy Korean food. And, importantly, I almost always feel great after eating it. You know how after you eat a meal with too much grease, or cooked with questionable methods, you feel kind of crappy? Not with Korean food. (The Korean government is paying me to say all this about their food, by the way; now I've written my requisite 150 words for the month. whew.)

School is getting both crazier and better. How so, you may ask? Are those two not at odds with each other? Well, not really, not in an English hagwon in Korea. I am coming to see more and more that (at least at this school) I am part of a game here, so I'm just trying to have fun with it. The school management work themselves into a fuss trying to please the parents (read $$); the parents drive their kids to slave at their studies to fulfill their resposiblity to Korean society; and the kids just plain go crazy, in different ways. Dropped into the middle of this madness is the bewildered foreigner, trying to get her bearings in a totally new and sometimes maddening environment. So, as I was saying, I'm beginning to drop any illusion of control: I'm along for the ride!
Come to think of it, the statement about being part of a game probably holds true about a lot of things. But, in summary, I'm not taking things quite as seriously and they seem to be going smoother as a result.

One final word: Happy Holidays to all of you, whether you be in frigid climes or balmy. May you make merry and not forget those important to you in this season of togetherness!