I have had a rather random few days and I thought it was a good time to send an update from Korea.
Since the Japanese earthquake and tsunami and the subsequent radiation issues we should no longer buy Japanese produce or meat...which was casually told to us by our Korean collegues. However, country of origin is not always listed AND if it is, it's listed in Korean - so it may as well not be listed when it comes to me. Good thing I don't eat meat at all now and spinach was never really a big deal in my life. I am also a bit paranoid now about the yellow dust and radiation rain. We had a random flurry of snow the other day (winter REFUSES to let go, it is still so cold here, lighter for longer, but icy icy still, it is getting to me, I am developing SADS, I am horribly grumpy and sad at the moment and I am almost positive it's the weather) sheesh, sorry for the distraction there, right where was I? Ok, so random snow fall last week, despite being cross about the cold I do still get disproportionately excited about snow. So as a class we all rushed to the window and watched the snow for a bit. Then when I was in the staff room I was merrily babbling away about the joys of snow when one of our Korean teachers, Lynn, said: 'oh no, it could be radiation rain. Make sure you don't get too wet. Be careful.'
Now that squashed any snow joy I was experiencing. We took a taxi home and tried not to get too wet with potentially cancer causing snow rain. Once we were in the taxi I had a paranoid hyperchondriac moment and thought my skin was burning slightly. Danielle swiftly informed me it was all in my head and I was to stop it immediately. 2 minutes away from home I tried to get some money out of my pocket and felt a tug. I thought I was just sitting on my mitten (witch is niftly attached to a string so I never lose them;) so I tried to move it only to discover that in my haste to get out of the possibly toxic rain I had closed the door on my mitten. Thus, not only was it randomly snowing in March there was also a white taxi driving along Pyeongchon with a red mitten frantically flapping in the door. It took a long time to dry and now I am a bit suspicious of it...it was exposed for a long time to the rain snow.
Gretel is now a rather large hedgehog (by hedgehog standards that is) and I have taken to letting her run lose in my apartment in the mornings while I am getting ready for work. Then I find her and put her back into her cage. But on Friday morning I forgot she was out and went off to work just being excited that it was Friday. I got home at about 7:30ish and recalled that she was on the lose. Now, my apartment is essentially a room, and there is no escape from this room if you are a hedgehog, which is why I wasn't too concerned about her being out. However, after a quick look in her usual haunts I could not find her. So I tried some other potential areas and still no Gretel. At this point was a big alarmed, she could only be under the bed...but I put up like a little fence around my bed so that I didn't have to worry about that when I fist got her. With not much enthusiasm I checked under my bed, but she was not there. At this stage I was really alarmed. But I was meeting friends for dinner and reckoned that I would leave some food out for her and go and when I came home and switched off the lights she would make a noise and I would locate her, hedgehogs are most active at night and they dont like bright lights, so I thought this was the best idea having looked everywhere she could have been.
Now, in Korean homes and some restaurants, you take your shoes off at the door and walk around with her socks on or slippers. I do this in my apartment too, so all my shoes are in my little entrance. As I was putting on my one boot I happened to lean over and look down, and what do I see, but a little prickly bundle squeezed tightly in my red leather boot. She was wedged right in there and try as I might I could not get her out. I skyped Danielle straight away and showed her the boot with Gretel inside, it was hilarious. But I was concerned that she was actually stuck in there and that I was going to have to cut my boot to get her out. I left my red boot sideways on the floor with a bowl of food at the opening and went to dinner. She had extracted herself by the time I came home, thankfully she had not poohed in my shoe (which was another concern) and I only had to extract 9 quills from the sheep skin...those quills hurt like something else when you stand on them.
Every month our pre-school classes have a field trip or an activity day. This month we went to the fire station. Since my last pre-school classes graduated to the first grade I have not been teaching pre-school, but I get more excited about the field trips than most of the kids, so I was invited along. Woot! Now, this fire station has an entire area created for educating children about what to do in fire situations. So they have a giant wall that they project fire scenarios onto and the children are taught how to use a fire extinguisher and then they have to extinguish the fire by spraying it! If they don't aim right or start soon enough then the fire consumes the room. It was fantastic to watch! Interactive video game that teaches you how to use a fire extinguisher. Yes please.
They also have a smoke passage, where it is really dimly lit and there is loads of smoke and you have to walk really low to the ground so you get some air and then find the exit. Fun fun fun.
Then they have a room which has a maze made out of cages with doors that open or are dead ends...they switch off the lights and there is only a red emergency light that flashes periodically and you have to find your way out of the maze using touch and hearing and some vision. Awesome.
Finally, they have an earthquake simulation room!~!!!! oh yes. They have built an entire kitchen on a raised platform and you have to sit at the kitchen table, each person is assigned a task to do, so I had to turn off the gas for the stove, then the mains had to turned off, a kitchen closet had to opened and then we all had to get under the table. For the teacher run they let us experience a 3.0 tremble and they worked it up to an 8! It was hectic, I felt all wobbly for ages afterwards. It was possibly too soon after the Japanese quake, but still a cool experience in a contained environment. Not for real real.
So that is my random news. I was devastated by the Protea's loss, but the team still did well to get where they did. I am missing home so much that I actually found myself streaming Algoa FM...it was a low point, it did make me feel better though.
Lovelovelove to everyone!
