Pretty Posies

What's this?  TWO posts in ONE day?  I must be crazy...

So much has happened since my last legitimate post (well, lots of little things, I guess...).  Many new friends, dinners, outings of varying degrees, new discoveries and wandering around the Gwangj have been keeping me busy, as well as new shows, books and enjoying the absolutely beautiful weather we've been having lately, even if it is  sometimes through my open bedroom window...

The pictures are from a marathon walk on which Miss Desiree and I embarked a few weeks ago.  I LOOOOVE me some pansies and they're all over this time of year :)

This week has already been crazy and it's only Tuesday...  Last night, a bus full of teachers ventured to the very southern tip of Korea to a city called Yeosu for Principal Suh's father's funeral.  It was a four hour trip (one way!) and we got back at 2:45 this morning.  But, I could really tell how much it meant to her to see so many teachers walk into the room so it was completely worth the trip.  In case you're counting, that's my fourth funeral.  Crazy.

Today was Teacher's Day so there were no classes and the students planned an adorable program to thank all the teachers.  Sometimes I feel like I'm a pretend teacher playing school (which is totally and completely self-imposed, by the way), so being included in the festivities, getting letters from students and homemade cupcakes (!!), etc. really reminded me that not only am I a real teacher but also that I'm making an impact on these girls, even if it happens to be in the tiniest of ways.  I left school at noon today with a corsage on my dress, a smile on my face and a curious warmth in my heart.  (Also, last week, a group of girls asked if they could sing at my wedding if I get married in Korea and asked me to speak at their wedding if I'm still here... they're in first grade.  Homegirls warmed my heart.)

Dionne turned me onto a new, awesome website called iherb.com that sells various health, food, etc., products and not only do these champions ship to Korea, but somehow it's dirt cheap to do so.  I stocked up on things like cumin, chili powder, raw apple cider vinegar (which is doing serious wonders for my finicky complexion - using it as a toner and ingesting a few teaspoons mixed with water twice a day is seriously somehow a magical elixir.  I can't believe the results I've noticed in just a few days!  And now I sound like an acne forum...), and various other goodies that make me feel a little more whole in this delightful foreign land.