S-L-A-C-K-I-N-G

I am asked at least once I day when I am leaving for Korea (and occasionally people ask about Prague too, haven't totally updated everyone). The answer is I have no effing clue! To go to the Czech, we could basically just roll in. Korea is a whole other animal. We have sooooo much shit to do!! Most of it has to do with the fact that we get hired by a school before we leave. Therefore, we need to have our work visas before we arrive or I hear they will deport you! Ahhhh! So first we need to submit our resumes / cover letters / letters of rec etc, do a couple interviews, and get hired by a school. We then need physicals, we have to interview at the Korean consulate (which I am so lucky there is one in Boston because there are only 10 in the country), pass background checks amd all this other pain in the ass shit. All in all, it takes about 2 months. And guess what?! I haven't done a damn thing yet. So, FML - I better get crackin.

In other news, Amie bought me a learn to speak Korean book and cd set for my birthday. Interesting. The cd goes so fast! After like one minute, they expect you to be saying entire sentences! I haven't really learned anything except words Amie's taught me, like anyohasayo (or something like that) is hello and shikodo is shut up. Hmmm, this week I should at least pick up another Lonely Planet, this time for Seoul.

Also, Name this Blog! I am taking suggestions of what to name this crap since obvi Czech 123 is not applicable anymore. Let me know if you have any ideas, that is if anyone is still actually reading this nonsense!

Free!

The stupid online class is over!! Hooray! The class wasn't hard, but a serious pain in the ass! I am just happy that I don't have to do homework anymore. Also gives me more time to concentrate on the one million things I need to do before we leave.

I still don't know that much about Seoul, truthfully. It's an enormous city, so I hope it's not too overwhelming.

Red Mango and Kimchi Beat Out Weird Dumpling and Pivo

It's official (well, as official as we get - meaning subject to change), we are heading to Seoul. I have positive feelings on this decision, mostly happy that I don't have to be broke for a year!! Bummed out about Prague, but I know I'll get there someday...

More to come when I am not so damn tired. Here is a pic of a Red Mango in Seoul that I swiped off the internet. I fully intend on replacing stolen Korea photos with my own when I get there! New camera (birthday present from mom) should be here anyday too! :-)

This blog might need a new name.

Another twist. We are now considering going to Seoul, yes even though we have tickets to Prague. There are several pluses and minuses for both cities, but it comes down to money and job security, unfortunately. So! For those of you paying attention, we were first going to Spain, then Prague, Istanbul, and now Seoul! We keep moving east. Before you know it, we'll be planning on California and then Boston. Hopefully we actually leave! Everything is up in the air now. First step is to apply to schools and see what happens. We are running out of time!

One major plus to Seoul is there are yogurt places there. I know at least Red Mango for sure. I miss Yogurtland so much!! It was in my life for too brief of a time! And now I am miserable without it. So if I could enjoy Red Mango in Seoul, it might ease some of the pain. It's def no Yogurtland. I mean, they had Mother's Cookies there for crying out loud! How do you get any better than that?!

Here is a pic of my last delicious yogurt from you know where. Sigh...

Plane tickets, Czech!

It's been a really busy couple of weeks around here. First off, it took me forever to find an English classroom that would allow me to volunteer. Who knew?! Part of it was that there are less classes in the summer, and part of it was haters who don't allow volunteers. Luckily, my fabulous friend Elena recommended I try the International Institute of Boston and Lowell and they are happy to have me. I am going to be helping out for 10 hours a week through the end of the summer. I love it there. Really, I am surprised at how enjoyable the class is. The students are all refugees who have come to the US in the last 6 months and they are so excited to be learning English! They are from all over, predominantly Nepal, Burma, Iraq, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Apparently there is a large influx of Burmese in Lowell in the past year, especially in the last 6 months, and I would say about a third of the class is Burmese. I hope teaching abroad will be as fun as volunteering!

I've been working a shit load. Too much actually. Over 50 hours a week of waitressing is brutal on your body. After an 11 hour shift on Saturday, my legs were aching when I got up Sunday. I am not going to work any more weeks like last. It was too much, and my tiredness is reflected in my attitude at work. When so much of your pay depends on your personality, you really should be nice to your guests. Or care about them at all. By the end of the week, I really didn't give a shit if your burger was overcooked or the cheese wasn't melted on your nachos. You're a chunkaaa, you shouldn't be eating those nachos anyway! Ok, apparently having 2 days off hasn't improved my attitude...I am just permanently bitter about restaurant work.

The forums at Dave's ESL Cafe are effing with my head. I read some posts that say we can roll into Prague and as long as we have a solid interview and are able to present a compelling lesson plan along with our certification, we are in! Others drinking the haterade (yeah, I said it) say an online TEFL course is like not being certified at all and good luck to us. So I am nervous. Another concern is culture clash. Apparently, the Czech are pretty reserved by nature, and to put it lightly, Jullia and I are not. At all. So pos no one is going to hire us and we will be yet again without work, but this time in another country. Worst case scenario!! Oh well, plane tickets are bought, so as of August 31, I will officially be an "ex-pat!" tee-hee-hee.

On a lighter note, Mom and I dined at Blue Taleh tonight. De-lish! I was introduced to 2 new things, which I LOVE! First was the Asharhi Cucumber Roll which we had as an appetizer. It is salmon, yellowtail, tuna, and avocado wrapped in thin cucumber slices. OMG, it's awesome. Even better, if possible, was the Cucumber Margarita! OMFG, absolutely delicious. Patron silver, with simple syrup, lime juice, and just a touch of watermelon schnapps with thin cucumber slices floating around. THE BOMB!! Mom had a Mango Martini served with a fresh pineapple slice, also fab. Do they serve these drinks in Prague?!

Appropriately, Czech words today are: Unemployed = nezaměstnaný

Homeless = bezdomovec

Can I get the veggie burrito?

There are no Czech vegetarians. Yes, I am going to make that bold statement before I even get there. Apparently Czech cuisine is all about roast pork, sauerkraut, and some boiled bread dumpling that is sliced and served with meat juice. Oh, and tripe too! Tripe soup is supposed to be popular. Even if I was a meat-eater, these things are less than appetizing to me. Ok, I'll just come out with it, Czech food sounds nasty!! There is only one vegetarian dish named in Lonely Planet: smazeny syr (fried cheese!). LP advises me to eat at a Chinese food restaurant if I want to go out. My only hope is dessert! There are crepes and fruit filled dumplings with chocolate and ice cream. Ughh, I just did a google search for Czech restaurants around Boston because I was curious to check out the menus. The closest one is in Killington, VT!! That is not close! I guess there isn't a huge demand for houskove knedliky (the boiled dumpling) around here. Plus this place seemed pretty Americanized -- I mean, they had spinach dip on the menu. I will be sure to post a review and photos of my first authentic Czech meal when I get there.

The poll has closed. Prague beat out Istanbul 7-5. I would have been pretty surprised if Istanbul had won, considering it has never been mentioned as a possibilty before I threw that poll up. We were considering going there instead for about a week. I read some places that we may be able to find jobs easier, then I read some other places that we wouldn't. Pretty much the same as the Prague research. Anyway, the main draws were the awesome weather - 85 and sunny everyday - and being near the water. But we are sticking to Prague! The voters have spoken and this is where we'll go ;-)

The weather continues to suck here in MA. It rains every single day. And it's cold! Low 70s, cloudy skies everyday. I hate it. Weather has a strong effect on me, and the type we've been having here makes me want to sleep...all the time.

Already mentioned some Czech words today, but just to recap, they are:

smazeny syr = fried cheese

houskove knedliky = weird dumpling

It's just like New England!

Tonight Tomorrow Tomorrow Night Light Rain / Fog Low 58° F Precip: 60% Light rain this evening. Then becoming foggy. Low 58F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Light Rain High 74° F Precip: 80% Occasional light rain. High 74F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rain / Thunder Low 60° F Precip: 80% Rain with a thunderstorm or two during the evening, followed by a few showers overnight. Low around 60F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Sunset: 9:16 PM Sunrise: 4:56 AM Sunset: 9:16 PM

I am still new at this, so forgive the less than perfect image above of the Prague forecast. I spent wayyy too much time trying to figure out how to keep the rainy clouds in there to no avail. They really did make it so much better! Anywhoooo, I wish we were going somewhere that didn't seem to have the exact same weather as New England!! Here, partly cloudy, rains everyday. Prague, partly cloudy, rains everyday. WTF?!

dest = rain (pronounced dairsht, kinda sounds like Durst - the nookie, c'mon! stick it up your yeah!)

plastenka = raincoat (pronounced plash-tyen-kuh)