shanghai twist

indescribable?

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:11:54 -0400

I don’t know what to say…

I should be sleeping right now actually…

My flight to Korea in 10 hours… my flight to America in 18?

This trip wasn’t anything I expected, maybe I expected too much which led to a more humbling experience?

I just got to rest for a good 50 days or so.

There are only a few events that I will remember clearly, I guess.

I’m coming home. YAY

http://www.cyworld.com/o_ohuh

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:51:20 -0400

http://www.cyworld.com/o_ohuh:

IF YOU WANT A SNEAK PEAK AT PHOTOS!

august 4, 2010

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:50:55 -0400

Wow, I can’t believe it… just two more nights and three more days, and hello home!

Today, I went out with Hyo-Sun unni! She took me out to a new place, we went to a Taiwanese restaurant for lunch and a Hong Kong restaurant for dinner.

Man, we talked a lot. She was so nice and I’m very thankful that she gave her time to take me around.

I really sound like a fob right now… and I really don’t know what to write… O_O something is wrong with my writing skills. BLAH

I am terrible with gift shopping. For those of you expecting something great, forgive me.

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:50:34 -0400

I am terrible with gift shopping. For those of you expecting something great, forgive me.

see ya later alligator!

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:57:41 -0400

The Canada team left for Korea yesterday, so David and I went to the subway station to greet them goodbye. The train apparently takes people to the airport in 7 minutes or something. I’ll see them soon, He will make a way :)

expo, again?

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:48:46 -0400

So, if you remember one of my earlier posts about how I will never go to the World Expo again, I lied. I went with part of the outreach team yesterday. Unfortunately, it started to pour so we had to run around to the next pavilion. I saw a new one! Poland

After the EXPO we ate at McDonald’s and I had a good conversation with Reina Kim and Sae Bom So.Those UNNIS really took care of me this past week and I can’t wait to see them again. Do I see a possible trip to Toronto in the future?

D-9 till California!

opening hearts

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:06:08 -0400

I just came back from an indescribable week.

I am sorry that I can’t share any information or pictures on public websites, but let’s just say that this is probably why I was sent to Shanghai.

As for telling you what happened, I would rather tell in a group, not individually (if possible)… just because the “How’s China?” question got a little overboard. HAH!

I hated and loved this past week.

I definitely need to learn Chinese.

black heels

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:05:24 -0400

Hm, sorry about the late post, but it’s not like there was anything to say… Well, not much I guess. Pretty much, you can just think that nothing too special happened when I don’t post. Sorry for being lazy.

Sunday- church

Monday- I had some major cravings for some fatty awesome foods, so after dinner, the girls and I walked to Paris Baguette to grab some yummy pastries.

Tuesday (special day, hence the post)- We went out for lunch at a Brazilian BBQ place. I only liked one of the pieces of meat, to be honest. HAH, but that piece of meat was so good. I’ve had cravings for steak and stuff, and that lunch definitely covered for the desire. MUEHEHEHE. Then, we went to the JJAKTOONG SHIJANG again. I got a pair of black heels!!! GAH, I’m so excited. I got a bag, a pair of sunglasses, a pair of flip flops, and a pretty fan. I definitely indulged today, but my homestay mom bought me everything except for the heels. AND I bargained the heels for 230 yuan less. My homestay mom was about to buy me the heels for 180 less, but I busted out my acting skills saying I didn’t want it unless she sold it for 230 less. After some more haggling, I got it for a very nice price. I’m so excited! :D Wow, I sound really materialistic

I won’t be posting until the 27th. I’m going out on an outreach tomorrow, which was one of the reasons we went out to shop. We actually just went for flip flops… but… hehehehehe. Time to get bitten by bugs! Keep me in your prayers, y’all. Time to pack now.

stress and destress

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:22:10 -0400

Well, as much as I would have liked to post something yesterday, the internet was down. It’s down today, so I’m asking DAVID LIM! :D

Friday was horrible. It was another late lesson and the atmosphere of class was definitely not the best because I yelled at the kids before. Don’t say that I’m evil, these kids take advantage of the fact that I wait for them until they finish their homework, and I am sick of waiting for hours. I just decided to not give them any more homework, but just lengthen the lesson, since they never finish their homework anyway.

Saturday-

My homestay mom felt bad for me because she always hears me crying about how lonely I am to my parents when I chat with them. She also heard it when I was talking to Esther Han and Hannah Choi last night so she asked Lulu to take me out today! Lulu is 27. We had such a good time today. It was really hot, but honestly, I would much rather spend the day like this than to stay at home all day doing nothing and being lazy. BUT, I wasn’t feeling too good the first half of the day until I had some hot tea and Sprite, but yeah, I had a good time.

First, we headed out to a wholesale market, I should have DEFINITELY bought some gifts there. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go once more before leaving here. Then, we went to Yuyuan Garden and walked around. After we headed out to a Hong Kong restaurant. We talked for a really long time there about a lot of things.

After, we went to a mall, an underground market, and then Starbucks, and then talked for a long time again. Then, we had XIAO LONG BAO. That was good, but you can’t have too much of it.

Lulu and I definitely connect well. It was nice to talk to someone that’s somewhat in the same generation as I am.

no title

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:04:44 -0400

An hour ago, I was quite angry.

It’s silly how time flies so slowly, yet so fast.

It all depends on how you enjoy the time.

I was talking to Kevin Vuu today, and he mentioned to me the date and I told him how since I do the same thing every single day, I lose track of time a lot.

Yup, that’s it for today.

Oh, wait. Stop asking me how Chinese boys are. I don’t meet people here. TT^TT It just makes me sadder because it reminds me that I have no friends here.

july 14, 2010

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:34:22 -0400

UGH, not again…

I hate this internet stuff… -.-

I had class and I taught them simple, compound, and complex sentences. I remember learning that in 10th grade for the last time. I think Gloria has definitely improved in her writing, I’m just trying to have her use more advanced vocabulary now. YAY!

The kids are watching Iron Man 2 right now. It would be a good listening exercise if there weren’t any Chinese subtitles.

I wrote something when I first wrote the blog of the day, I don’t really remember much of it.

That’s why, I think your blog post is the best if it’s the first post and you don’t have to rewrite it.

D-24

I miss home.

i'm fat and pampered pt. 3

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:44:20 -0400

Pampered, but I feel somewhat violated.

The oldest, homestay mom, and I went out to pick up the youngest from VBS camp. After picking her up we went to lunch and then a public bathhouse/spa. LUNCH WAS SO GOOD. BEEF SAMGYUPSAL. OH MY GOSH, melts in your mouth. Anyways, I hate bathhouses. Well, not hate, but I definitely do not prefer them. I would have just liked to go into the saunas and taken a shower and left.

My homestay mom had me get DDAEMILUHD by one of the workers there and I got bathed in milk (well, not bathed, but the lady poured milk on me). AHA. Yeah… it was awkward… never again… :*( UGH. I’m just grateful that there weren’t a lot of people there.

I met this ajumma named MiJin.

Realization: God is showing me how small this world is in such a big country.

So, this lady Mijin came from Korea. Her hometown is Choonchun, which happens to be my mom’s hometown. It is very likely that they are from the same high school. She was really friendly and outgoing and told me that I was PRETTY. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, I am a 美人. MUEHEHEHEHE. And she liked my personality, and that I must hear that I have a good personality. AHAHAHA. I was like, umm, uhhh, yeah, sure! PUEHEHE.

It seems that God is really working in her life and showing her all these things. I was quite envious, actually. She graduated from Seoul University as a nursing major, and is now working at the Seoul University Hospital. WOW WOW WOW. She’s thinking about coming to the States and stuff, so we shall see where this encounter will go.

No class today, I was actually at that spa for about 5 hours, I think. Now it’s 9:40 P.M.

Good day, good day. I really wish a friend came with me.

Oh yeah, a first- MY FIRST TIME AT A JJIMJILBANG. AHA. Eggs, shikhae. YUM :) Then, we had dinner (SUL LUNG TANG) and came back.

eh

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:43:51 -0400

It was a Monday, if you know what I mean.

umm, umm, umm

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 11:55:17 -0400

Let’s see…

Saturday… I watched How to Train Your Dragon and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs with the kids… in English this time :) I think they had a lot of fun watching the movie. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this idea earlier. We had a lesson in between the movies.

Sunday… Church, of course, and just a lot of TV.

Umm…

Yeah… As much as I find the youngest irritating, especially when she cries just because she can’t handle it and gets one thing wrong (psh, perfectionist + overachiever) , I thought about what I was like as a kid. Was I like that when I was her age? To be honest, I really don’t remember. I only know what I was like because of stories that witnesses of my life remember. BUT, I do know that I wasn’t the most likeable person at that age. I guess the fact that I don’t really remember means that I’ve let go of that past? Or tried to let go of that undesirable character? I guess it just means that I’ve grown.

I feel so bad for these kids. It’s summertime and they have to learn a new language. I definitely do know how they feel. THEY WANT TO PLAY!!!

AND, for those of you asking, “HOW’S CHINA?!”

It’s hot… but it rained a lot today so it wasn’t that hot…
It’s big… everywhere I go, I always get bumped into, very rudely most of the time, and sometimes you make one step per minute (okay, a little exaggeration there…)
It’s lonely… I have no friends here, I’m not kidding. That’s why I always dream about people at home and the weirdest things happen in those dreams.
It’s boring… well, this is partly my fault, but since I just teach during the weekdays, there really isn’t much time to go out either… Maybe if I woke up earlier, but even if I do, the kids aren’t done with their homeworks, so I have to wait for them.
It’s fun… okay, I know I just said it’s boring, but there are the fun days as well! BUT, it’s too hot to go out anyway. No pain, no gain, right?

free rice

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 08:55:07 -0400

AHHHHH! I finally got my computer back. I was about to put it away and decided to give it another shot. It didn’t charge because of the outlet, not because of my charger! MUEHEHEHEHE :) So, hello my TOSHTOSH. It’s good to have you back! :)

So, I decided to have the kids play freerice.com to improve their vocabulary. It’s definitely an activity that I will use for the rest of the time :) YAY!

Um… Yeah, nothing special!

YAY! I got to talk to people today. I miss you guys so much. EHEHEHEHE :)

birthday and toy story 3

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:26:53 -0400

So, I’m late on my update. Sorry, but the past few posts have been boring anyway, so it doesn’t really matter, does it now?

July 7, 2010 - Homestay Mom’s Birthday

The homestay parents left for church by the time I woke up. I checked the kids’ homeworks and held class. When they came back they brought back a cake. ICE CREAM CAKE!!! from Dairy Queen. It was quite delicious :) TV all day… Sigh.

July 8, 2010 - Toy Story 3 (In Chinese -0-)

I guess it’s a first? The first time I watched an American movie dubbed in Chinese. I thought I was going to die. They sure use the word “friend” a lot in that movie. I could pretty much tell what they were saying in some scenes thanks to the images. Pictures are really worth a thousand words… It was a cute movie indeed. The 3D glasses were funny looking though. I went with the kids and David’s two friends. A boy named Danny, that I just met, was so shy in the beginning when I was asking him questions in English and stuff, so we just decided to communicate through body language, and by the end of the day, he was speaking English to me… Why do all my relationships start out this way?

We haven’t had our lesson today yet, and it’s already 7:30… I wish we didn’t have to… POOP.

july 6, 2010

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:55:09 -0400

My days here are seriously becoming longer and more and more unproductive. It’s irritating and someone just farted in the living room -0-

I really hope that these kids will learn something new through my “teaching”.

Hm, speaking of teaching, I guess I’ve tried to somewhat develop their characters and behaviors. I don’t have any right to say anything, and it’s especially embarrassing to do when they’re parents are watching… I don’t know what has gotten to me, but I’ve begun to teach these kids how to become a better person from my standards. That may be a very wrong thing to do, but let’s think of it this way. If I’m the only person on this Earth that thinks this way and everyone else thinks the same way but not my way and if they change to fit my standards, then they’ll make everyone happy. Wow, that sounds really selfish… BUT there are just some things that these kids do that make me upset and unhappy.

I just hope I won’t be a hypocrite.

Must Become A Better Person

july 5, 2010

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:38:14 -0400

In two days, I will have no connection whatsoever with anyone.

The kids were super responsive and happy today and I got hooked on another Korean drama :) EHEHEHEHEHEHE

Too bad I finished all the episodes that are out so far…

bye bye, hani :(

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:03:28 -0400

I woke up, feeling really tired, got dressed, went to church, came back.

Hani dropped by before dinner to say his final farewell. I’m going to miss that kid…

i was icky, then pampered, icky again, and now clean

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 12:03:42 -0400

I just had the best shower ever…

Wow, my feet and legs hurt so much, but I must say that today was probably one of the most fun days I’ve had so far.

I woke up at 7:10 (the earliest since I’ve been here), got dressed, had a baked sweet potato and went over to another apartment to head out Zhou Zhuang, which is about an hour and a half away from Pudong. The van’s A/C wasn’t working very well, so it was a pretty hot trip.

I met 8 people today: a JDSN, a pastor, Sang-Pil Oppa, Ga-Yeon Unni, Ah-Ran Unni, Eun-Hye Unni, Ye-Wan Unni, and Ji-Eun Unni. David (the oldest) came along too.

We rode one of those river boats and the lady rowing the boat sang for us! It was really hot, so we decided to head out and have lunch. By the time we arrived, it was pretty dark and rainy, but we realized we were only having lunch, when it actually felt like dinner. THEN! FULL BODY MASSAGE. It actually kind of hurt, to be honest. It was one of those massages where you lay down on your stomach and there’s a hole on the bed for your face. Then, we headed to WHYTAN (the lighted buildings place) and rode a DRAGON BOAT. It was fancy and all, but there wasn’t anything too great about it.

Then, we walked to the subway station, which took about half an hour. David and I got off a stop early and took the taxi home.

It was seriously… SO HOT today, even though it rained now and then. The heat wouldn’t have been too bad if it wasn’t so humid here… It felt so good to FINALLY have a nice, cold shower.

Every time I meet someone new and have a good time with them, I always think of ANCCG Winter Retreat ’09. I probably won’t meet those people again anytime soon, but seriously, today was a blessed encounter. The pastor actually lived in Pasadena (small world). Everyone IS connected in some way and it is pretty amazing. I think I got pretty comfortable with the people I met today. After lunch, I wasn’t feeling very well, and the unnis gather around to pat my back or squeeze the area between your thumb and index finger. I guess it really is a gift… BUT, I did notice my flaws today as I met them. Or maybe I’m being a little too self-conscious… There were times when I just thought ‘Oops, shouldn’t have said it like that,’ type of a thing. I think I loved today. I really hope that I’ll meet these people again. Korea next summer? :)

Thank you, unnis, oppa, jdsn, and msn, for a memorable day :)