Letting the Giant Free

So V-Day is officially done. We had our final meet-up (Cast and Crew Picnic) this weekend and I am all aflutter with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I am so glad to be done with V-Day. It was an amazing experience and I am still in awe that we raised 20 million won for KUMFA. I feel so incredibly blessed to have met some truly amazing and inspiriting people along this journey and now that it is over, we can resume our daily lives--but still take some time to meet up. Aaaand on the other proverbial hand, I am soooooo without a purpose right now. Kat said that usually people get homesick around the 3 month mark and here I am, almost 5 months into my stint in Korea and I am just NOW feeling the effects of said homesickness. I suppose I miss the weather in Chicago (although, I have been hearing nasty words like "SNOW" and "APRIL" and it makes me happy that I am not there). And of course, I miss the people. Jess is graduating and I won't be there to scream for her. I miss my niece and nephews. It's lonely in the future, Dear Readers. I've even entertained the idea of getting an animal to help me cope with the lack of connection that is in my room.
I just need to get out more. I need to get out and see Seoul. Get lost on the subway and take pictures. I enjoy doing that kinda stuff with other people--it's time that I start doing it on my onesy. I also need to get lost in a few good books. I have recently acquired many new books so I will be reading a lot more--this of course, makes me quite giddy. And I also need to sit down and start writing again. I have only written one poem since I've been here. One. Ugh. I need to get motivated. I miss taking my writers group class because I was forced to write each week. Now it's like a holiday--I write when I feel like it. I need to put myself on a strict schedule. I need discipline. I need another cup of coffee...

I've been going through this "what am I supposed to do with my life" phase and when I came across Hunter College's MFA program on my bookmark history--I felt this awakening within myself. This giant is yawning and wants to stretch her limbs--I'm not sure why I nearly had her drawn and quartered. Maybe because I was afraid of her. Afraid of the impact and tremors that I would feel if she fell. Afraid of how tall she would be I allowed her to stand up straight. What would the air be like, way up there? My only answer is to help her up, let her stand and let her be. If she gets taken out with an editorial slingshot, she should get back up and start again.

But I digress.

Teaching. Vaginas. Whiskey. Sox....These things make the world go 'round...

Hello Dear Readers...That should be plural, right? I mean, there are more than just one of you out there? I feel the urge to just hold up a "HI MOM" sign. Sigh.

It's been quite some time since I have posted anything on here--and the last one was about The Moon Bears....oh where to begin?

Since I have been in Korea, I have been teaching, volunteering, grading, drinking, and seeing some pretty amazing things. Pictures you ask? Well...my camera was accidentally left behind in a cab and the cab driver has yet to report that he has it...so no pictures as of yet. I have to get a new camera--but on the bright side, I'm in Asia which is a pretty good place to pick up a nicely discounted one. I'm still researching the one I want--preferably a Sony (just so I can use my other memory cards).

My job is amazing and I love it. I really, really do. The kids are awesome, my bosses are phenomenal--I'm one lucky foreigner. And I have met some truly inspiring people here. Most of them I work with, the others are fabulous people with whom I volunteer. I haven't been able to volunteer with The Bear Truth lately (as I work late on Fridays when they meet) but I have been giving my all to a cause I deeply believe in: VDAY. I am the Volunteer Coordinator of VDAY Seoul 2011 and I'm also in the production itself...the production being The Vagina Monologues. This is an amazing organization that wants to end violence against women and girls. If you haven't educated yourself on VDAY, take a moment and do so. G'head. I'll wait.

So I have been giving so much energy to this cause and it has been so worth it--I'm just so tired now. But we only have 5 more days until this project is over. It's been amazing--it really has, and I'm so ready to do this and have it be over. I know that sounds rather wrong--and I certainly don't mean it the way that it sounds. This year all of our proceeds are going to benefit KUMFA (Korean Unmarried Mothers and Family Association). Being a single mother is tough, but it is wicked tough in Korea. There is a social stigma against single mothers (yet not even a slap on the wrists for the fathers) and most are forced to either have their babies aborted or give them up for adoption. Because of Confucianism, Koreans will not adopt another Korean baby as they view it as "not a blood relation" and therefore, not family. I am so happy to be a part of this year's VDAY organization as well as the performance. I can't wait until it's over but at the same time, I am so happy to be giving my all for this.

As far as the drinking goes...yeah. It's not really THAT often. It's just nice to cut back with friends and enjoy a little whiskey now and then ^^

Which brings me to my next topic...BASEBALL SEASON! And The Sox haven't failed me yet...what other team could cause me to drink during the week. We're off to a slow start, after being swept by the Rangers this week, but I'm still hopeful. After this long of being a Red Sox fan, you kinda have to be.

So that's it for now folks, I will see what I can do about making these posts a bit more regular. Until then, keep your ear to the grindstone.

xox
c

The Bare Minimum Isn't Enough

So one of the causes I have joined while I am in Seoul, South Korea is an organization called The Bear Truth. I had heard a lot about this organization because my friends here are involved in it and I would see their awareness campaigns that exposed the mistreatment of these bears in South Korea. The Moon Bears are held in captivity and are "farmed" for their bile so that they can make medicine from it. Now, I am all for using natural methods of curing illnesses and disease alike, but extracting bile from a bear's gallbladder should not be on the list. After doing some research on this issue, I found this information (from Wikipedia):

To facilitate the bile milking process, the bears are commonly kept in extraction cages, also known as crush cages, that measure around 2.6 feet x 4.4 feet x 6.5 feet (79 cm x 130 cm x 200 cm) for an animal that weighs between 110 to 260 pounds (50 to 120 kg).[2] While this allows for easier access to the abdomen, it also prevents the bears from being able to stand upright, or in some cases move at all. Living for 10–12 years under such circumstances results in severe mental stress and muscle atrophy.[3] In two model Chinese bile farms, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) reports that the bears are moved to the crush cages for milking, but the rest of the time live in a cage large enough to stand and turn around.[2]
The World Society for the Protection of Animals sent researchers to 11 bile farms.[2] They reported seeing bears moaning, banging their heads against their cages, and chewing their own paws. The mortality rate is high. Bile bears suffer from a variety of physical problems which include loss of hair, malnutrition, stunted growth, muscle mass loss, and often have their teeth and claws extracted.[4] When the bears stop producing bile after a few years, they are usually killed for their meat, fur, paws and gall bladders. Bear paws are considered a delicacy, and have been seen priced at $250.[2]

So The Bear Truth, amongst other organizations, stand for stopping this process. Wiki even goes on to saying that, "Bear bile is not always needed to make traditional Chinese medicine or other products. Many herbs, such as coptis or rhubarb, can be used as alternatives for bear bile." But like many things, money seems to be a driving force. In order to save the bears, the farmers have to be paid off--and then there are the sanctuaries where the bears would live out their days. In South Korea alone, there are 1,140 bears that are in these bear farms. And the upkeep costs for the bears in these sanctuaries are steep.

Currently, The Bear Truth's mission is to get the Korean Parliament to pass a bill that will make bear farming an illegal practice; but like many causes, they cannot do it alone. For this, they have created a 5 step action plan:

The 5 Action Plan!

*Register on TheBearTruth
*Donate/Buy a bear (Help us fundraise to continue our campaigns)
*Join Our Events
*Spread awareness with friends www.thebeartruth.org.
*Join our cause on Facebook and Twitter page.

The Bear Truth will be hosting another awareness campaign soon in Itaewon. Now, Dear Readers, I know that most of you don't live in South Korea. But the more you know, the more you can tell someone else about it. So do what you can. Buy a bear through the website (it's legit, I promise) and lend your voice to the cause, and the bears. The Bare minimum simply isn't enough.

xox
c

How come that is, Teacher?

My ability to phrase my words succinctly has gone to shit. I now teach little Korean kids how to speak, write, and read English and it has taken it's toll on my own vocabulary. For a girl like me, sometimes...most times, my words were all I had.

I have been here for a month and two days now and I can't say that I hadn't been warned...I just didn't think it would happen so quickly. But maybe that's because I am embracing my job. I do love it. I love most of my kids. And the ones I'm not excited about seeing certainly get my pulse up when I have to sternly tell them to sit down and to stay on task...stay on task...I feel like I'm back in third grade. My favorites are Tae-won...he actually looks like a Korean version of my nephew, Andrew; Yumin, Charlotte, Clara, Henry, Peter, and all four of my high level Kindergarten students. I should take pictures. More on that later.

I'm finally getting over a cold that I've had since New Year's Day. My middle-of-the-night-coughing-fits are coming to a close and for that, I am truly thankful. Korea has been a pretty amazing experience so far. I just can't wait until Winter Camp is over so that I can finally get to the regular school hours...which is 2:30 to 8:30. How wonderful will that be?

Okay..I have to go pack my backpack..more later!


c

Merry New Year!!

Hello, Dear Readers--

It's been quite some time, hasn't it? I haven't really been on the internet that much (seeing as I don't have access in my room as of yet), so please excuse my absence.

First off--Seoul is amazing. I have met so many interesting people here in the 24 days I have been living here, it's astounding! The teachers at my school are awesome, and pretty much all of Kat's people are truly decent individuals who care about some pretty amazing causes. I am honored and privileged to be a foreigner among them. I haven't had much of a cultural shock--I have been around a Korean culture since I was a teenager, so that part doesn't really phase me. And if there is anything that jars me, instead of saying, "Um. That's weird." I tend to say, "Oh, well, that's not what I'm accustomed to seeing..." But being so culturally open leaves me to wonder certain things about myself. We'll get into that a bit later. I'm still figuring out the wording I would like to use.

The food is ah-may-zing. I don't think there has been a dish that I've tried that I haven't liked! I barely remember the names of the dishes, but rest assured that I will figure that all out soon. I'm only 24 days old here, afterall.

As far as teaching goes, I really do love most of my classes. Some truly test me and my ability to keep my composure--especially when I feel I can't control them....then again, teaching is more than just controlling a class. Some days I feel so incredibly ineffective. While others I feel on point and friggin fabulous. I'm sure that this will all click one day...I just hope it's sooner than later. It kind of reminds me when I was working for Starbucks and how uncomfortable I was with the bar and making espresso drinks...but then one day, it all clicked. Boy, was that ever a fantastic day...

Christmas went well--I went to Kat's family's apartment over by the East Sea. It was really cold, but far warmer than it was in Seoul. It's been really, really cold here. And they don't really salt the roads like they do back in Chicago. I've almost slipped whilst walking to and from work so many times! New Years was pretty rad also. We spent it in an area just outside of Seoul called Itaewon. Itaewon is foriegner city--most Americans, Australians, and other foreigners spend their time there. They have lots of American fast food restaurants there ( KFC, Taco Bell, Subway, Quiznos, 2 Starbucks--on the same street!) and a lot of bars. We went to this place called Between and it was pretty swanky. We had a great intro to the new decade, and after a while, we transferred the party to a place called Berlin. Berlin was rather disappointing and I was too tired. I was looking forward to going home. :)

I'll try to post some pictures on here soon--but you can always look to my fb page for those.

xox
c

You Are The Moon...

So here I am, listening to The Hush Sounds' "You Are The Moon," feeling rather lonely and a tad bit melancholic over what is supposed to transpire in the next few days. I've been preparing for this move to Seoul for such a long time that I'm driving myself nuts. I'm so tired of packing and repacking. I'm tired of being at home. I'm tired of thinking, "this is the last time I will be doing this in Chicago..." On the one hand, I'm so f'ing ready for this...on the other, I want to curl up in a little ball and just cry. I'm not afraid of change--I almost always embrace it. I'm just tired of the prep work.

I plan on using this blog a whole lot more than I have in recently months--it will be a great tool for corresponding with my friends and family. At least I hope it will be. We shall see, I suppose.

xox
c

Grr.

I. am. exhausted. and. apparently. emo.
;)

But that should be nothing new...the emo part that is. The ticket to Seoul has been bought, coffee is still piling up, and I still have to repack so I can fit all my crap into my bags. FML. I've been getting coached on becoming a minimalist, which is great, to be quite honest. When I move to Korea, I would like to not fill my life with crap--but of course, who would honestly say that they want to fill their life with crap? I just know me...If I end up collecting too much stuff, things will be difficult to deal with. I believe I'll be okay for the first couple of months. Let's just hope that I keep up with this "no more crap" notion.

Speaking of "no more crap" notions, Good God Almighty! I'm friggin' sick of these attack ads!! Ugh! You all know I'm a Socialist Democrat...And you probably realize that I'm voting against Mark Kirk, Bill Brady, etc. I'm just soooooo sick of these ads. I'm also sick of The Tea Baggers. But that is for another time. Just know that I hate Sarah Palin.

I've actually worked myself up so much that I can't continue.

I'll write later.

c