Guam (or where I learned I don't take enough pictures)

I'm a little disappointed in my lack of pictures that I took while vacationing on the beautiful island of Guam. Luckily my friend Michelle is a stalkographer (stalker photographer) and I stole some pictures from her mostly of pictures with the whole group. I'm more of a scenery pictures taker then people one apparently. I had a really great time though. It was amazing just to relax and be outside.

Michelle took this picture and I really liked it. So I stole it. Thanks Michelle!

The whole Guam group. Michelle, Jess S, Dave, me and Bill.

I also realized I'm a bad vacationer because I don't know what this place is. I think Tumon Falls but don't quote me on it.

Waterfalls

The guys climbed up to the top.

I only put this on here to show how blindingly white I am. I have a comparison picture down below.

Sunset. I don't know who took this picture for me but they did an amazing job. I was upstairs taking a shower getting ready to go out for the night.

We were driving around and saw this place and figured it was a nice picture spot. Beautiful blue water.

Another place where we were just driving around going somewhere and stopped to take pictures.

Michelle taking a picture of everyone taking pictures.

This is called Two Lovers Cliff, or something like that. Legend has it that a couple jumped off of it because they weren't allowed to be together.

The other side of the cliff.

Another sunset.

Don't know where we were. Again just driving around the island and stopped.

Waves

More waves

The guys, of course, were jumping off of this ledge into this watering hole.

Looks like they are sky diving.

An area where a Vietnam War memorial was.

Michelle took this picture at two in the morning while we were waiting for our 4 am flight. I like it because in the 5 days we were there I actually look dark.

Anyway there is the short version of the trip I just wanted to get up here. I'll write more in detail what I did later. I just wanted to get some pictures up for people to see.

Leaving for Guam

Back in December I booked a trip to Guam with Bill, Jess, Dave and Michelle. And the time has finally come where I get to actually go on the trip. I leave tomorrow, Friday, at 9:30 pm. We don't get to Guam until after 2 in the morning. Then, thanks to Bill, we all have to be at some meeting place by 9 am to go on a 3 hour hike to some water falls. We're all going to be dead tired but it'll be worth it!

After that we'll probably just lay around on the beach, go snorkeling at some point and just have a good time. It's crazy because this is the first vacation that I have taken that I have paid for myself. I feel like an adult.

Anyway I just can't wait to get out of Korea. Today is my 5 month anniversary of landing in this country and though I like it here I'm excited to go somewhere where I'll understand what everyone is saying. Beach and warm weather are also a major bonus.

When I get back, which will be Wednesday morning at 8:05 giving me exactly 1 hour and 35 minutes to get to work (umm yes there is a possibility I may not make it), I'll come home and upload pictures. That'll be a sad day.

Kinder side note: Sally in Brown comes up to me and goes, "Ashley teacher, I changed name. I'm Serena." And I was like, how do you spell that because though I would pronouce that Sir-e-na she says it like Sir-in-a. I looked at her and said, "I'm going to call you Sally." She seemed a little defeated.

Kinder Drama

First off, Mindy, my Korean co-teacher told me that Dave and Matthew told there mom's I was scary. Yeah, me.. scary. So the next day I ask Dave and Matthew, along with the rest of Brown class, "Guys do you think Ashley Teacher is scary?" Edward, my favorite, laughed and said no and so did the rest of the class. Except Dave and Matthew. They just kind of stared at me with a look of either, "Oh no she found out we told our parents she was scary," or "Ahh what scary thing is she going to do to us?"

Well I told them that I was sorry if they thought that I was scary and that I would try and be better. However I can already tell my lack of being scary has become them walking all over me because I'm afraid if I yell at them at all I'll get a parent yelling at me. Dave also said that I threatened him with a piece of paper.

So a day after that Dave is still telling his mom and Mindy that I threatened him and that I'm scary. Mindy says that after my lunch she wanted me to come down and talk to Dave with her. I don't know why but I thought that his mom was going to be there too. So I'm hyping myself up thinking what I'm going to say and I find out it is just Dave, Mindy and me. I tell Dave that I'm sorry, again if he thought I was scary, and I told him that I would never threaten him. Mindy translated and Dave just kind of stared at me. Mindy kept talking to him and made him pinky swear me and give me a hug. I told him again that I was sorry, in Korean this time so he really knew, and then Mindy made me hug him again. Hugs get me. I started to cry. It's been a rough few weeks.

Moving on to todays drama which really is kind of a cute one. I was teaching my last kinder class, P.E. with Yale. I love Yale, hate P.E. We are all up in the playroom and as usual once they get up there they start running around like wild animals. I get them to go to the wall and we play their favorite game, Freeze. Which involved me saying go, them running around, and then I say freeze and obviously they freeze where they are.

Everything is going fine and dandy until I look over and see little cute sweet Eunice beating the crap out of Sean, who is my favorites in Yale. Ethan, who I also like, is also in the mix. So I yell at them and tell them to quit. Well the rest of the class the three of them in one partnership or another are just constantly hitting each other. I ask them what is going on and I get the blank stare I'm so used to getting from my Korean kids. I put Eunice in the baby chair for just blatantly not listening to me and then Rachel, there actual teacher, comes up to put stuff in their bags.

I ask her if something was going on with the three of them. She talks to Eunice and then the two boys and tells me that apparently Eunice really likes Ethan and Sean hit Ethan first. This made Eunice angry so she went and started to hit Sean. Sean also really likes Eunice. And that is what started the fighting. These kids are 5 years old and are already in crazy love triangle relationships. There is no hope for us.

A New Year

For New Years Eve we all went out to Hongdae, shocking I know, and went to a club called Jane's Groove. I rang in the New Year dancing and having fun with some friends. Definitely a first for me since most of my New Years Eve celebrations have involved sitting around someones house and then passing out a little after the ball drops.

High School round house kicked me in the face yesterday. I was hanging out at a friends house in Nowon. We were supposed to have a game night but most of our friends were too tired and bailed. So five of us sat around playing Apples to Apples. Well a few hours later a girl that knew the guy I was hanging out with was coming over before her and her friend went a movie. I'm sitting back not thinking to much of it when in walks her and her friend. I double take. I know her friend. Not only do I know her friend I went to High School with her friend. I'm feeling like a high school unpopular kid all over again because you see dear readers this girl was part of the "popular crowd." I know people change from high school. I'm not the same from high school she probably isn't either.

None the less now I'm feeling super uncomfortable. What is she doing in Korea? I don't think she recognized me or if she did she was playing dumb like I was. It was just an odd thing. Don't get me wrong here. I don't think I'm anything special for coming out to Korea but I didn't know anyone that was doing the same thing. To have this girl randomly pop into my social circle was the weirdest thing that has happened to me in here. You really can't get away.

I've been contemplating a lot lately. What I want to do with myself after Korea. Where I want to go. Do I want to stay here another year. I have no idea. I have so many questions and it'll be interesting to see how it all pans out in the end.

New Years Resolution time (because this wouldn't be an entry about the new year without some resolutions)

1. Lose 25 pounds which would involve exercising.
2. So try working out 5 days a week.
3. Stop dwelling and worrying so much.
4. Realize that sometimes it's just not worth it