Ask the Universe for a Sign...

So lately, I’ve been kind of pondering about what direction I want my life to take. I’ve had a great two years in Seoul… I’m soon starting a new position in a new city, still in South Korea…which means that I’m technically quitting my job BACK HOME. I’m currently on a leave-of-absence from my school board in Ottawa, away from teachers and students that I really liked. I was granted a two- year “sabbatical” but can no longer apply for any more time. The moment has now come to either go back, or resign…

I haven’t sent my letter yet, but HAVE managed to otherwise engage myself for the year to come.

Still, I keep looking for “signs” that the direction I’m heading is actually the way I want to go… (You know, job security and 6 years of seniority IN MY OWN COUNTRY is no small thing to leave behind, to say nothing of friends, family, and cats). I’m also not getting any younger.

But, ah! Ha! This morning, as I was finalizing a few things for an approaching trip to Japan, it all fell into place!

I.GOT.MY.SIGN.
I can’t BELIEVE I never noticed it BEFORE!

Look closely at the Canadian Passport:

Do you see it?

Right there, smack in the middle of the emblem, IS MY NAME.

M-E-L.
Woah!
That means I keep traveling, right?

_______________________

As I am writing this, sadly, another thought popped in my mind.

…or, does it mean that I belong in Canada?
Shoot. - another sign, please.

Let's Be in Romance

Kindergarten Writing Portfolio -

Task: Choose an emotion. Write a sentence about it and draw a picture of a time when you felt that way.

Samples:

Man. These kids are 6 years old. I, on the other hand, wasn't asked by any gorgeous people to "be in romance" until well into my twenties... and my parents didn't believe in allowances. It's a cruel, cruel world.

Bagel-Making at its Finest

It's the Journey, not the Destination

Not too long ago, my friend Amit and I decided to be adventurous and head out for all day outdoorsy activities at a Winter Ice Festival outside of Seoul. By the time Amit was ready to go, it was 2 p.m. By the time we bought coffees and located our bus stop, it was 3:30p.m. and we'd just missed it. By the time we located another bus, leaving from a major bus station, it was 5 p.m., and the bus wasn't leaving for another hour or so. By the time we actually made it to the festival, the festival was over. Deserted town. Desolate river. But packed riverside tents! We downed a few beers, tasted grilled, barbecued fish...and were offered what I believe to be roasted pig's legs. A tasty treat! The Koreans were impressed by Amit's enthusiastic efforts at speaking their language. A mere two and a half hours later, we were on our way back. Sometimes, it seems, you do things for the journey, NOT the destination. ;)

Undeterred by the dark and the abandoned ice, Amit rooted through some forgotten fishing equipment by the riverside and headed off for his own few moments of fishing bliss.

The Reason I Drink Coffee in the Morning

I'm currently subbing for a teacher at work. On Friday, I woke up, downed many a cups of coffee...walked to work...and hopped on a bus heading to the Children Museum. No, you are not hallucinating. The kids were feeding balls into a contraption that was shooting them at a target across the room. Loads of fun when you're 3 feet tall...deadly if you're not. :)

Séoul, 22 MARS 2010 : Il neige, il neige, de GROS flocons blancs...

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Flower

The last day of the semester, only 3 out of my 12 grade 2 students showed up - we had a Monthly Test, and most of the students had been in and out all month due to their regular school's vacation and testing schedule. They couldn't take the test since they'd missed too many days. Hence, we adapted our curriculum just a tad...

Since we were done with our regular Speaking Class book, we opted for something different. After a rigid semester of performing outstandingly well in all of their subjects, it was time for these youngters to let loose a little bit.

We'd been studying planets in Science so I brought in materials for the kids to invent aliens... They had 10 minutes to create, and then they had to stand in front of the class to present. I was told it was THE BEST DAY OF THEIR LIVES. I hope they were exaggerating. (They did get a bit goofy, as you can see - but I thought they were lovely.) There also might have been a pizza involved...or, as we dubbed it that day, "Alien Snot Pie". Let me ask you this: What other job on Earth allows you to step into your office and toast a feast with a cup of Alien Eye Puss (AKA on other planets as Coca-Cola)?

My job. Priceless.

It's a Small World After All

사랑해요 - I Love You

The groom sings "I Love You" to the bride.

생일 축하 합니다, brotha!

Today was an emotional day at work: a colleague has to fly back home for a few weeks to be close to her mother, who is battling cancer and is soon to undergo chemo treatment. It is a very unsettling time for her, as she of course wants to be as close to her relatives as possible but... traveling across continents, and maintaining her own affairs in order, is no easy feat. It is hard to know that someone you like is faced with such a life-altering event yet know that there is not much you can do to help ease her pain. My thoughts go out to that person.

It also got me thinking about my OWN family.

Tomorrow is my brother's birthday. I love the guy very much.

I thought about my colleague's present plight and thought that maybe a birthday is a good occasion to remind one's family that they MEAN A LOT to, uh, oneself.

I usually like to use quotes. I'm not always very eloquent, so borrowing words from others often seems more appropriate. I googled "brother" and "quotes" and found just the right words to express how tight our relationship is...

.

"Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet."

Vietnamese Proverb

But, of course, then I got to thinking. If I keep my hands clean…and my feet stink at the end of the day…. What does that mean?
No good. Not enough feeling.

.
So I wrote a poem.
.
.
blind as a bat
never thinks about that
(he cooks eggs …
but I mop up the coffee)
still
strong as tongs
tackling boiling water

one year older today
greying at the top
the cat still saunters away
when he crosses her path

one year older…
yesterday a kid - - somehow
today
a man

Bah! WHATEVER! You’re still MY little brother.


There! Nailed it.
Joyeux anniversaire François!
xox

Learning to Think Korean

Today was a day for coincidences. Fortunate ones, I think. For instance, this morning, I walked into the office. My jacket was barely off that I was marching out of the room again to answer a teacher’s question… but that’s neither here nor there. I turned the computer on and set to work rewriting the entire morning program’s homework assignments for the coming year. I plugged in my earphones after the first bell rang and all the teachers rushed off to class. I tuned everything else out. I read stories... I whipped up comprehension questions... I considered lowercase VS capital letter conundrums.

Near break time, I got up to grab a tissue…and noticed the clutter on top of the microwave. A few colleagues departed a few weeks back and not all of the belongings they left behind found takers. I decided to put some remaining books away into the ignored-by-all pile of moldy books that dwells on a dark corner of our office’s bottom shelf. And there, to my surprise, I came across a book entitled: Learning to Think Korean. A Guide to Living and Working in KOREA. Unaware of the fact that I would soon have to seriously consider flipping through its thirteen chapters on a fact-finding mission, I nonchalantly tossed it into my handbag.

I went back to work.

Circle ten words that start with the letter C.

Kersplash! went the little green frog one day.

Think of a word that starts with the letter D. Draw it and write it on the line below.

…and so on. And so forth.

I was typing feverishly away, but my hands and feet were slowly turning to ice.
I cranked the heat up to 24 o C.
Still ice.

I cranked it up another notch.
(Here, I’d like to take a minute to state that it SNOWED in Seoul today.)
Regardless.

Back into the zone I was, greyscaling dozen upon dozen of funny clipart pictures.

That is, until the door opened and the big boss, Big J, stepped in for a chat.

This is where it gets INTERESTING.
The lady is simply stunning. She is a bit older than I am but looks like a classical asian movie star and has the bearing of a queen. I can’t help it: I always feel my back go straighter and my shoulders pulling back whenever she is in the vicinity. She paused suddenly, stunned by the impact as she crashed into my wall of heat. Without missing another beat, she casually took off her tailored jacket and sat down beside me. She laughed gaily and we started to discuss temperature. You know, perennial office small talk. She was hot (no pun intended). I was cold. I held out my frosty fingertips as attestation of the arctic chills that were present but just a bare few moments ago.
I stated that it was probably due to my being immobile, just typing away for most of the morning.

She was silent.

I stated that after months spent walking around teaching, which requires being constantly on the move, my body was surely just getting accustomed to the change of pace my new schedule involves.

She hesitated, then said: “No, probably not. I think you just need to have better circulation.”

As I’m used to some meaning usually getting lost in translation, I didn’t hesitate a beat. I immediately said: “Oh, you mean I need to exercise more. I get it. Trust me, I have been thinking about it more and more lately.” (I then give myself a quick pat on the hip, to illustrate that the need to get the circulation going is probably not only due to cold fingertips).

“No. That’s not what I mean.”

…?

“I mean…”

…I could swear that she is blushing.
“You mean I SHOULDN'T exercise to get my blood flowing?

“Well, yes…but no, that’s not what I mean.”

…?

“Well, I used to be like you. But my blood really started circulating when I was trying to have a baby. After the birth, I never had any problems.”

Anyways, I couldn’t even tell you what happened after that. At one point, I realized I was alone, staring at a computer screen filled with smiling animal replicas.

Huh!
So now I’m at home. In a few minutes, I’m going to pull out my new book and analyze this new bawdy philosophy.
Then, I’m going to set my finely-honed planning aptitude to devising a daily routine of trying to have a baby to get my blood flowing. Heck, if I’ve got my boss’s blessing, and it helps her cut back on the electricity bill, there ain’t nothing holding me back now!

Of course, just like going to the gym, I’ll probably want to do that with someone else, you know, for motivation. So. Whaddya say? Any takers?