Things I should tell someone...

1. I'm busy. Like, break-neck speed, working on the bus, constantly distracted busy. I feel like I'm back in college busy. Deadline busy. Work busy. Social busy. We're doing plays in each of the classes at school. I'm writing workbooks for a publishing company. I'm planning a Single Member Conference for church (this weekend!) and and and and, I'm not keeping in very good touch with family and friends. Forgive me.

2. I'm coming along slowly in my acquisition of the Korean language. 제가 한국말어를 매일 공부해요. I've attached proof that some sort of studying is happening in the photo to the left. I'm not a good student and I don't have a formal teacher so most of my learning is happening independently and with friends via text messaging. But for all my slowness, I am learning the important stuff...including a plethora of swear words thanks to my friend chansoo who has proclaimed himself my swear teacher. Don't act like you wouldn't do it too.

3. Inspired by championship latin dancers at the halloween party, I (the same girl who was once told to "stand behind that pole and just pretend to tap dance") have started to take ballroom dance lessons. May I remind you that I am neither Latin nor a champion. And yet, every saturday I go to the Mu dance studio and pay MONEY to shuffle around looking like a confused lady in a step aerobics class instead of a sleek tango machine. It's okay though. My teacher (who goes by the english name of Bruce Lee, by the way) told our group this to help our self-esteem- "You are not the dreamteam. But you are not bad." Thank you Bruce Lee. I feel much better about the 2 hours I spend in front of a wall of mirrors reflecting back my failure.


4. Finally, you should know that I've sold my soul to a secret society simply known as the "Do You Happy Club". As on friend translated it, the official document reads "My body is now belong to the club". I signed it and now I'm learning more about what it is that I've done:

• Activities include: eating moksal, eating bbq'd shellfish, eating gray slabs of bean curd, drinking soju (or soda for the mormons among us), singing korean songs badly at noraebang, Staying out far too late (at least until ocha), teaching and then yelling out funny phrases in whatever language you choose and peer-pressuring completely upstanding citizens to join rank.
• My body is truly belong to the club now. And evidently the test of true bravery will be to put my feet in the Cheonggyecheon River... a river that smells like rotten fish and last week's sewage.
• To aid me in this test of bravery, I should be very drunk. But since I do not drink anything stronger than cider (korean version of 7up), I will have to face the task wide eyed and and wide nostriled.
• You are always at the mercy of the Pimp Chief of the club. Currently that position is held by Chansoo, although he does not really know what pimp means and sometimes gets cheif and cheap mixed up. He is self-proclaimed so I'm confident that an inner-club coup could occur.

That's it. I'm busy, but happy and getting ready to make a trip home at christmas! More about the holiday's in Korea next post.