Back in America

Home sweet home!!!!!!! I am so happy to be back in America. I love being here so much that I am really thinking of staying for good. I love how I fit in here and no one stares at me. I am just an average person and I actually love how that feels. This feeling is really surprising to me because I thought I would really miss the attention of being a foreigner, but I am happy being one in a million.

My trip home was less than great. I flew United airlines and it sucked beyond belief. The crew was rude and not helpful. I was coughing the whole time I was awake and I am sure I was annoying the other passengers. I tried to get a cup of hot tea but ended up waiting almost two hours to get it. When I told the flight attendant this she practically called me a liar and then said I could of gotten up and gotten it myself (are you shocked by that, because I certainly was when she said it).

Of course I met a Korean guy on the plane who I had interesting conversation with and we spent our lay over together having coffee. He gave me cough medicine on the plane because he had a cough too. He also helped me with my extra heavy luggage. This was the only thing that made my travel pleasant, so thank god for him on the plane.

My arrival home was warm and wonderful. Not only warm because my parents picked me up but literally warm outside. I left a chilly Korea and came to a hot Arizona. It was 90 degrees!!!! My first week here, I thought the heat was unbearable, but now I am loving it and sooo thankful. It is still between 85-90 degrees outside!!!!!

Now I am trying to decide what to do with my life. Do I go back to Korea and work another year and then travel Asia. I have been dreaming about that for a year already and I hate to give up that dream so soon. Should I pursue a career as a flight attendant and travel for free? I could go back to school for my masters, but I have no idea what I want to study. Right now I am going to just decide to play the lottery, so pray for me that I win big money so I don't have to make any decisions just yet.

My Last day of school

Wow, I can't believe I have been in Korea for an entire year. I never thought I was going to be away from my parents for that long. But I did it. I completed an entire year on my own. I lived by myself, made new friends and took care of myself. Some would say maybe I even turned into an adult. Normally I would say that I am not an adult, but after I completed this year, I realized that I am. I set finacial goals for myself (which I met every month), I lived on my own, I paid all of my own bills, I cooked my own meals (or bought them), I held a job, I paid for my own medical care, I bought my own groceries and I cleaned my own apartment. I have transformed from a kid to an adult, but I do still act like a kid. I am really proud of myself for this past year, I never would have thought I would have become so responsible. I am looking forward to seeing my family in friends back in Arizona. In only two days I will be back home, and I just can't believe its finally happening.

My last two weeks in Korea have been horrible. I have been so sick and I haven't had the energy to go out, even for goodbye dinners. I feel horrible that I am leaving without saying goodbye to some of my very good friends, but their was just nothing I could do about it. I am going to the hospital today to get a chest x-ray, and then I fly home tomorrow.

Unfortunately I left my school with a bad taste in my mouth. The second to last day my manager informed me I had to complete some paper work. This was not my job to do this work and since she told me this on my second to last day, with only twenty minutes left of class, I told her it would be impossible for me to complete it before I left. She told me I would have to do it at home. Due to some other obligations and the fact that I was coughing up a lung, I wasn't going to be able to do it at home. I told her I would try to do it on my last day. SHe yelled at me and told me, I couldn't do it tomorrow because I had to teach and the school wasn't going to pay me my money. This is a lot of money they were threatening not to pay me. So not only was I sick, but now I was super stressed they weren't going to give me the money. I caved and said I would do the paper work, but I was coughing so bad at home that night, I couldn't get anything done. I was freaking out on Friday, my last day of school. Now I was sick, stressed, sleepless, and emotional because I was saying goodbye to my cute little kids, who I love more sooo much. The morning was really hard for me I love my kindies and they were really sad I was leaving. They kept saying "please don't go to America," I told them I have to go because I miss my mommy and daddy. They said" ok then go next month, please teacher one more month, go next month." All I could do was cry, I really didn't want to leave them. One of my students refused to leave the classroom, and said he didn't want to go home and he wanted to stay with me. I told him, he has to go home to his mommy and daddy, and that I would always remember him. The rest of the day was difficult, but it was nothing compared to saying goodbye to my kindies.

The school ended up paying me the money they owed me. But I am still angry that they even put me through the stress. I almost resigned with this school, and now I am so glad I didn't. I am so nervous about the plane ride, I am going to be coughing the whole time, but atleast I will be with my friends and family at the end of it.^^

Want to go to a party?

On a whim Jamie and I headed to Itaewon on Friday night. I used to frequently go to Itaewon, but for the past few months I have really enjoyed being with Koreans instead of with foreigners. But on Friday, I felt the need for something low key and easy, so Itaewan it is. We started to out at Geckos and after one drink we decided we wanted to go to Helios to go dancing. We walked out of the bar and then I said "Hey Jamie, do you want me to show my old hang out?" She was curious about the place I used to call home here in Korea and so we made our way to Seoul Pub. Seoul Pub is like Cheers~ Everyone knows your name. Even though I haven't gone to this bar in months, the owner, the waitresses and all of the regulars greeted me with open arms. So we were there for about two minutes before the drinks started flowing from all of my old friends. Everyone asked about my brother, and told me they really missed him.

Then I met one of my brothers friends, that I never met before. My brother told me about him, but we never met. Anyway, we were talking with him and he is married to Park Mi Kyoung. She was a very famous singer here in South Korea. After chatting with him he invited us to his very exclusive party. He said there was going to be a lot of Korean celebrities and we should really go. Jamie and I decided this would be a good experience and we decided we would go after we ran a few errands the next day.

On Saturday we woke up and hurried over to Hongik University for a student art fair. Here I purchased a special flute for my little cousin Amy. It makes a beautiful sound and it is supposed to be easy to learn how to play. Jamie got this really pretty necklace that was real silver for only $18. Then we rushed home to get ready for our big party.

The party was great. Park Mi Kyoung was soooo nice and the food was fantastic. There was some other famous people there but I didn't recognize any of the names. There was a famous singer whose name sounded like Cologne. He was in a motorcycle accident and now he is paralyzed. He was really good looking and seemed really nice. I didn't take any pictures because I didn't want to look like some weird person who wasn't used to being around famous people, I mean everyone was really cool and didn't act like it was a big deal to be at this party. We were there for probably like 4 hours and then we decided to go dancing in Kangnam.

I always have a great time in Kangnam. Really the most random things happen there and it's always interesting to see what will happen. Jamie and I started out at the club and then decided to go outside to get some air. While we were sitting there this guy came up to us and asked us if we wanted to go for a drink(in broken English). We agreed to go and we saw he was with two other guys. One of them was fluent in English(he lived in The States for about seven years). He told us he wanted to take us to something we have never experienced and took us on a long walk. The streets were getting less crowded the farther we walked and Jamie gave me a "is this dangerous look"(Korea is very very safe, which makes me worried about going home.), I told her it was fine and then we walked over to a normal looking street bar. I have been to a few of these but decided the new company would be fun. Then our order came. The food looked really weird. It was thin gray strips that had tiny bumps all over them. It was COW INTESTINES!!!! ( I wished I took a picture.) Jamie and I both ate it, and it wasn't horrible, but I don't want to eat it ever again. We had a good time hanging out with these new guys and we went back to the club and danced the night away. Just another random night in Fabulous Kangnam.

The Korean style night club

I was dating B for a while, and during that time he frequented the Korean style night club that is also known as a 'booking club'. Since he always went there I was so curious about what happens there. The background information he gave me wasn't good. Basically a few guys rent a room in the club that has a big table with couches surrounding it. Then the waiter pulls girls from the dance floor and into the room. The girls sit in the room and chat with the guys for a few minutes and hopefully they like each other. If they don't like each other than the girl leaves and goes into another room. Ever since B told me about this I decided I wanted to see it for myself. B told me that since I was a foreigner I probably wouldn't be pulled into any rooms. Plus he let me stay in his room, so I wasn't just walking around the club.

Jamie and I arrived there about midnight and went straight to B's room. His friend A was there and he had a girl in the room. I really liked this girl, she spoke English well and was really friendly. After a few drinks we went on the dance floor and that is when I felt a stranger grab my hand. Even though I was obviously with B, a waiter grabbed me and pulled me into a room. He pushed me into the room and the guys told me to sit down. I sat there for a few minutes and then excused myself cause it was so awkward. Then I went to the dance floor and danced with B and Jaimie. A few different times I was pulled into rooms and it was kinda fun and interesting to meet so many people. Then there was a dance contest. I was not planning on entering it since I was wearing the highest heels I have ever worn. But I was pushed onto the dance floor as the last contestant, by this Korean guy. Since there was only two foreigners in the club (Jamie and myself), the crowd was very curious by me. The announcer asked me a lot of questions (he didn't ask any of the Koreans questions) and then the music played. I felt so embarrassed dancing out on the floor by myself, but I just tried my best. I kept it clean compared to the other girls (some of the Korean girls removed clothing and lifted up their skirts. I promise I did nothing of the sort). There was also a famous break dancer there and he competed also. Obviously he won, but I got second place!!! I was soooo shocked. After that contest I had many waiters chasing me into rooms, but B was too drunk and everyone decided we should take him home. I found Jaimie and we left. Actually neither of us wanted to leave because we had such a great time. B paid the bill, and I saw a glimpse of it. The total was $847. Although, I really liked this place and it was really comfortable place to party, I couldn't justify the bill. B told me that price was only for the boys and girls are free. So Jamie and I can go back by ourselves next time. Sometimes it is good to be a girl.

Alive octopus? What?

On October 4th 2006 at about 2 A.M I Liz Callahan ate octopus that was still alive.

Not the best picture of me, but here is the proof.

They take an alive octopus from a tank and then chop it up into pieces and bring it to your table. The arms still move for the next thirty minutes and this is when you are supposed to eat it. The arms are so squirmy and they are a little difficult for you to pick up. Once you get a hold of the little sucker you then dip it into this spicy red sauce and then chew like there is no tomorrow. Part of the excitement of eating this food is that it is actually dangerous to eat. The arms still have the suction cups and they work. If you do not chew it enough then when you swallow the suction cups can attach to your throat and you can choke. Also I was told that the octopus can suck on your stomach and kill you within two hours. I think that last part was just to scare me, but it didn't. It did however freak Jamie out a little. I only ate one piece and it was horrible. Would I do it again? Of course I would. It was an exciting experience and I am glad I did it.

My birthday weekend

I thought my birthday was only one day, but it actually turned out to be a whole weekend here in Korea. It started on the Friday the 29th of September. On this day my students decided to throw me a birthday party. It was so cute, they brought in a small cake, drinks and candy. Then they decorated the board and sang me Happy birthday. It was so adorable when they sang to me I made them do it again so I could tape them.(These kids are older but their English is not as good as my other students.)

That night, Jamie and I went out with K and P to celebrate my birthday at midnight. We went to Hongdae(of course) and went dancing. We ended splitting off from P and K and we met this guy from Germany. He said it was his good luck to meet me on my birthday and he bought Jamie and I drinks the rest of the night (woohoo)! We danced the night away going to different clubs (it was club night) and having a great time. Then we hopped in a taxi around 3 am to go home. Good bye Mr. Germany!

The next day I woke up and it really didn't feel like my birthday. It felt like the day after my birthday, but I figured, yay a weekend birthday. Jamie and I decided to go out shopping for going out outfits. We headed to Myong dong and had a day o' fun. We started at TGIF for lunch, where we both ordered meals but didn't even finish half of the food. Then we spent the nest couple of hours shopping till we dropped. We went into this really cute purse store, where I found a ton of stuff I liked but at a low prices. I found two purses, a scarf and a pair of sunglasses that I decided to buy for a birthday present for myself. I went to the counter and the manager told me the sunglasses weren't for sale and they were for display only. I begged him to let me buy them, because at this point I decided they were absolutely necessary for me to have, but he kept refusing. He rang up my other items and he took another look at my disappointed face. Then he said "ok, service(which means free)." I was in complete shock. I begged to buy them and now he just gave them to me for free. Score for me!!!!! So everyone in Seoul should go to this store. It's called BE ALL and it's on the main shopping road of Myong Dong.

After our day of shopping we headed home to get ready for the birthday feast. Actually it was also my coworkers going away party. I kind of considered it more her party cause she had about double the guests I did, but it was still fabulous. We went to a place called Carne Station and it is all you can drink and eat for about $22. After we had our share of drinks, oh and I ate some food too, we headed to Kangnam. There we had a few more drinks on the street, and walked around while my Korean friend taught us Korean swear words. (My new favorite word is Sheedanga, it means F**ker) I can't feel the meaning of the word so it is easy for me to say it. I told Jen that it meant Sir in Korean, which made the night really interesting for a few minutes until her boyfriend informed her otherwise. Then we decided we needed to find a bathroom so we headed to a coffee shop that was still open. While I was in the bathroom, the boys bought me a piece of cheesecake and candles and sang happy birthday to me on the street. Some Korean guys joined in and it was really cute. I gave everyone a bite of cheesecake and then we headed for the club.

We started at Harlem, because it is my favorite club. It is busy but not so crowded that you can't move. Here there was a pole on a stage and my friends decided that since it was my birthday, I needed to go up there and dance. Since I am a little crazy and pretty tipsy at this point I agreed to go. I had a crowd of people cheering me on, and I actually really enjoyed it. Don't worry mom and family members I kept it really clean. I am now the mature age of 24. This Korean girl decided to get on the stage with me but she proceeded to do a stripper like dance and pick up her shirt. This is not Korean style and the crowd actually didn't like it, or so I was told the next day by Jamie. Well after this we danced the night away, I had a great time and then we went home around six.

I woke up the next day at 1p.m and was a frantic because I had a date at 3p.m with this really cute guy I met the week before. I got ready quickly and was hoping I didn't look too hung over. We went to the park to go rollerblading and then out for Korean style BBQ for dinner. I was way too tired to really enjoy the date. So needless to say we didn't go out again. My birthday was fabulous and it was ok, that it ruined a date for me. Even though he was super good looking and smart. But that is life. We all make decisions and then we have to live by the consequences.

My weekend was wonderful and I am glad I had such great friends to spend it with. I want to give special thanks to Jamie for making the entire weekend fun, also to TJ and Jen for making the night so effin awesome!

My cousin is sooooo cool

My mom emailed me this video of my cute little cousin Brody and I thought I would share it with y'all. He is only five years old and he is barefooting. For those of you that don't know much about water skiing, barefooting is really difficult. My cousin is extremely awesome, and it's because he has good blood running through his body.