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

It seems I am always starting these blog posts with an apology for not being quite as faithful as I originally intended when starting this writing venture. So again, Dear Readers, I am sorry. Life seems to take precedence to whatever happens here. So what's been going on since August 19th, you ask? Tons.

I finally found out that I am leaving for Korea in December. I have to be there on the 10th--which makes it around 7-8 weeks until I leave. I found an awesome job at Starbucks (seriously--what a fab company!) and I really like the people there. It makes me sad that I am going to leave them after such a short employment post, but Korea will help me in the long run of becoming a professor...right? :)

On September 4th, my Yia Yia (my Greek Maternal Grandmother) passed away. It's still weird to know that she is gone and that I can't call her up and chat with her. I did spend some time with her this summer--we played cards and I actually won. My relationship with her has not always been what it was in the end times, but I suppose that is to be expected. She had her favorites and I clearly wasn't one of them--however, I know she was very proud of my accomplishments this year. I was looking through some old pictures yesterday in an effort to weed through the ones I would take with me to Korea and those I would leave behind. I found two pictures of her that made me smile--the first depicts us under an umbrella. When I was a kid, I sucked my thumb and held onto my ear--but in this picture, I am holding on to hers. The second photograph is of my Yia Yia when we went on a road trip from Florida to Charleston, SC; Myrtle Beach, NC; and then to Williamsburg, VA.

Here are the pictures of your viewing pleasure:





As of late, I have been collecting the things I've deemed necessary for the move. Coffee, mostly. :) I've also been asked to pick up a few things for Kat and Val :) I've also perfected the art of packing and repacking.

I can't promise that I'll write every week--but I'll do my best, especially when I'm in Seoul.

xox

Slacker McSlackerstein

I've recently decided that I'm a terrible blogger. It's true. Don't believe me? Look at when my last post was written. July 11th. Believe me now? Fab. Let's move on.

I recently acquired a new job--I'm a barista at a local Starbucks. :) And I really like it. Don't worry--I am still heading off to Korea. I am waiting on my first pay check so I can get this background check done. Finally. Sigh. I know I could just as easy ask my mom for the money but she has already shelled out so much $$ to help me that I almost feel that I should just wait until the 27th. It's only another week.

So what else have I been up to, you ask? Tons. Well...maybe not tons, but ya know, a lot. I've been doing some reading, knitting, memory making, and the like. I went to Florida for a month to hang out with friends and family--cried my eyes out when I had to leave my dad's house. He told me he was proud of me and that I had exceeded his expectations--which is not to say that he had low expectations of me..you know what I mean. He never got verbal confirmation from his father so it was important to me that he gave it to me.

It's been one helluva hot summer thus far...I'm waiting for Autumn to come around...like now. I generally find something good about every season, but I. Love. Autumn.

Sweaters. Spices. Pumpkins. Change. Leaves. Tea. Sigh. I. Love. Autumn.

My step-sister, Becky, is having another boy in November! I know the first name is Dylan but I'm unsure of the middle. Anywho, I'm knitting her a baby blanket for him--it's my first one ever and I'm pretty excited about it. :) Last week began this new tradition with local yarn shops in the Chicago area called a Yarn Crawl. Jess and I went around to 5 different yarn shops and got a chance to see what they have to offer. Some were fabulous, others, well, not so much. I told Jess that we should open up our own yarn shop with a book store and an espresso bar. And we'd have a resident cat. LOL. Girls are silly sometimes.

la la la

c