Small world

So I am watching Korean basketball on TV. I jumped online to check out the rosters for the 2 teams I am watching. One team called KCC has a player on the team who is Korean but previous played on the semi Pro league in Springfield, MA right next to my parents! What a small world!! This is the team I am going to watch this Saturday in Seoul :)

PS...He just happens to be a 7'4" Korean as well... He is huge!!!!

Great Vacation

After a GREAT visit to the US I am back to work. I got to visit the family in Minnesota. It was wonderful to hang out with everyone. I loved being able to go shopping with my mom as well...although with all I bought I was not a friend of the airlines on the way back haha. I got to enjoy Grandma's cooking (which is always a bonus!) I even got to visit with Jill in the middle of our shopping spree :) We lucked out with the snow already being conveniently on the ground so no one was snowed out.

I headed to California soon after and got to see many wonderful people. I was lucky enough to stay with Mandy and her mom. Again, lucky enough to partake in Mrs. Jones' cooking :) yum! I got to hang out at Kim's house on New Years (so much fun!) And go to a puppy meeting...so many cute puppies in the group now! I enjoyed lunch with Marla at Tarranea (I had never been...great location) and we saw a gray whale!! I got to go to Disneyland...in the rain :) haha. And even got a lunch date with Emma and Michael (2 former students)

After all this amazing fun it was hard to come back! I flew from LA to Tokyo with...wait for it...NO TV! Come on Delta...that was 12 hours with no entertainment. The only TV on the plane was the one projected at the very front. ugh! About half way through the flight we noticed there was some commotion 2 rows up. There was a couple who had a sick baby. The flight attendent take the babies temp and it was 102! They stopped the movie and asked if there was a doctor on board because someone needed medical attention. We all felt so bad for this couple. There were 2 doctors that came to help and luckily we were not to far away. When we landed they asked us all to remain seated so they could get off the plane and to the ambulance that was waiting. I hope the baby is okay. I had to run from that flight to the next but got 3 seats to myself....of course that only happens on the 2 hour flight not the 12 hour one haha.

Everyone has commented that I look happier after being home. I feel that way! Thanks to all of those who drove me around, drove to visit me, went out of their way to see me, or just called to say hi while I was home. I love you all and was SO happy to see everyone. I'm sorry that I could not visit with everyone..especially in Cali but I will be back in the summer :)

Loves!

Sweet Video

My kinders have grade 7 buddies we see once a week. I told the grade 7's we were going to make cards for them. This is what one grade 7 "Daniel" came up with as a present for his kinder buddy (also "Daniel")
I was really impress and touched by this!
Enjoy

Our first snow together!

Gigi (art teacher) Mark, Me, Ayu (our aide)
Our kids...most of them anyway :)

Our first snow together. Mother nature smiled on us. My class spent the morning with fingers crossed chanting "come on..Snow, come on....snow!" over and over. We are sitting at lunch and one student says "LOOK!" and I turned off all the lights (it was really dark outside) and we watched the snow fall. The kids all shouted "We did it" thinking they had made it snow (I'm convinced they did!) We finished lunch, went out to play and had a wonderful time. The snow stopped just as we finished recess and it warmed up. The snow is now gone and it rained a bit after that. It hailed on my way home but I have not seen any more snow. It was amazing timing :) Looking forward to more snows together :)

Hey everyone,

I know you have heard some crazy news from Korea. Please know it is not as bad as you will hear. I have talked to many of my Korean friends and have been reassured not to freak out. The locals are not freaking out so we are all following suit.

I am just writing to let everyone know I am safe and happy! Please think of me but don't worry about me!

Love you all!!

Birthday fun

Celebrating with my Korean friends from the left:
Jang (dont know the next two people) Taehyun, me, JB, Hanmie, Kevin, and Sung-o

I not only turned 30 this year I got to do it in Korea! How many people can say that! Pretty cool already :)

Birthday day 1:
I showed up to school (with my tiara that came in the care package...hand made of course) and Mark had all the kids bring me cards and some of them had little "presents" they made. It was so sweet. They all said one nice thing about me (which because of the crown most said Miss Pupper is a queen) Then we celebrated Sung Min's birthday because I share my birthday with my student. His mom had brought lots of treats, enough for both mine and Marks class. It was fun. About mid day security comes to my room to deliver a HUGE bouquet of flowers...From my mom and dad!!!! So unexpected and wonderful. Then a few minutes later the office staff Jenny, Unna, Hyeji, and JB comes in singing with a cake for me. The staff is so wonderful!
At the end of the day a few of the staff took me out to eat. Mama and papa bear, Gigi, Joy and Chris, Vanessa and Rob, Mark, Karen, Sunghwa, Brie and Jordan made it out. It was really nice. From there some of us walked to Cafe de Moim for a party. Simo, the music teacher for my kids, shares the 15th of october as well. We had a joint party at the cafe with dancing and live music. Almost all of the Chadwick staff showed up and many played instruments and sang at the open Mic. It was so much fun. (I don't have the pictures from this event yet...but I will get them when I can)

Day 2: Saturday (still my birthday because it was the 15th in the US ha ha) Brie took me out to lunch for my favorite Kimchi jigae. Then Joy and I met Hanmie, one of the security staff, for a night out. We ate dinner with Hanmie and Jung, then played pool. Hanmie kept disappearing from the pool place and we couldn't figure out why. They took me next door to the nooribong room and it was all decorated with balloons, candles and a cake....that is where Hanmie had been :) My Korean friends (and joy) celebrated there. It was SO fun, we laughed, danced and sang.

My First CARE PACKAGE!!!

I love you all! This is the best! I'm so excited to look through all the books and the notebooks my mom sent. I got skin stuff and peanut butter haha :) I got Peets Coffee (decaf? Whatever it's Peets!!) There are an array of teaching books! I have a LOT of reading to do. I'm so happy to have them! I got Coffee Creamer!! I Can't wait to have Peets Coffee with Creamer tomorrow! No more of this skim milk thing ha ha.

Best of all I got star shaped glasses and a wonderful card signed by caring people! You are all amazing and you made my week to have this all put together!

(By the way this is titled "First Care Package" in hopes there will be more...because this is fun! :) ha ha)