TGIS

Is there a Thank God It's Saturday? I really felt that way yesterday! I was so happy to have a free day to visit my local haunts. First, though, I had a Dr. appointment. Got there super early (remember NO appointments necessary) and was the second person to be seen.
My doctor is such a great person. We had a lot of time to talk and this time, he mentioned his 2 sons at Purdue. He was lamenting about the fact that he and his wife are having a hard time getting the boys to tell him what they are doing. I assumed that was about those everyday things parents like to keep track of. I could only smile and imagine what it must be like for kids to be waaaay over there and you are waaaaay over here.

I got my re-fill prescriptions and made plans for some tests in February. Paid my 10,000 Won (less than $10) and headed downstairs to the pharmacy. Keep in mind that my school does not provide National Health Insurance, as required by law, otherwise, it would have been a 3,000 Won payment.

Things were really quiet in the pharmacy, so same thing. The pharmacist-lady and I got to visit for a nice while. (I totally forgot to have her show me how the pills are put in those little paper squares that I showed on a blog last month.) Last time, she gave me a little bottle of cold "energy" drink, but yesterday, it was a heated bottle of the type shown in the first picture. Most people drink the energy drink right down, but I haven't been able to do that yet. I usually take it easy but still get a little wave of nausea when I'm finished. It passes very quickly, but still. I was joking that my body can't take that "hit" of energy all at once. As I was leaving, she gave me three extra bottles, one of which I gave my grateful taxi driver. It seems to be a no-no to reject anything in this culture. Who knows what he has been given over the years.
Went right to downtown to the movie, but was super early for that too. Just like in the "old days" of my first arriving, I was approached by a nice looking gentleman with his two children in tow. Turns out he was a rice farmer from Punan (check that) which is a small town, about an hour from Jeonju. His English was nearly perfect, though he was very modest about it. He wanted me to meet his son and daughter, who were very shy about talking to me. I kept asking their dad not to press them to talk, as I could see they were very uncomfortable. The man's wife wouldn't come near me, which I tried not to take personally, as I believe she was looking out for their college-aged daughter who was meeting them for the movie. Anyway, it was fun to speak to this man, who was just concerned with his kids. He wanted someone to evaluate their pronunciation, as their small town had no foreign teacher in school system. What talking the son did seemed really good to me, but hard to tell in such a situation. In the end, I told them about the English Village system in Korea and promised I would email the information to them. English Village is typically a week-long total immersion program that provides a really creative atmosphere for kids to learn English. Jeonju has an English Village. After that, I had lots of kids stopping to talk. It felt really good to have the company. Oh, and saw "Michael Clayton". It was ok. Maybe 10 people max. in the theater.

I threw in this second picture, to show the fun results of my Friday night at the market. It's kind of hard to tell, but the item on the left is a cute plastic purse-type thing full of baby cucumbers. It as a little handle and a clip for your keys! Who knew? A cucumber handbag! And, had to include a picture of these pumpkin cookies. I haven't had a chance to try them, but had to check them out! Great packaging!

This last picture is of the great little coffee place I visit after the movie for my tuna salad sandwich and iced mocha drink. It's called "Sandwich Cafe Uncle", run by a very nice man and his wife. I tend to do my best reading and thinking in this little place. There is just an aura about it that make me happy and I tend to have it all to myself, given my movie-watching schedule. Lots of people come in and out to take their coffee away, so it's all mine most of the time. I consider it one of my best "finds" in Jeonju.

The rest of the day I looked around in Hot Trax, the paper, sticker, box, bag, office supply, calendar, CD, iPod, pencil case heaven. LOTS of people yesterday doing Chris mas shopping. I heard my first Christmas carols of the season in there. I was checking out my options, as I have been invited to a little holiday get-together and reunion of sorts of my 10 AM adult class. Several of the ladies have done a terrific job of staying in touch with each other over the years and have invited current and former students to a dinner and gift exchange the night before election day. God only knows how many teachers they have met and lost during those years.

Having said that, my Australian colleague, Trudi (pictured in my first blog and in the Halloween one also) is leaving right after the first of the year. She has been at my school and traveled to other locations for 2 years. She is moving on to other opportunities, after a 2 month visit back home.

This entry has gone on far to long......will be wrapping it up. Bright, sunny day, but COLD! Staying in all day to nurse another cold and to rest my voice. Know you all are getting ready for your holiday! Keep those cards and letters coming!