Plastic, please.

Food Stall in Namdaemun Market

Everywhere you go in Korea you will find plastic food. These beauties are found in restaurants, markets, and food courts. The plastic dishes are a major help when there is no English menu-- so you can just point to what looks good and know exactly what you are ordering. The artificial food is so legit, it almost looks edible. Every grain of rice is perfectly crafted and intricate. But, honestly, how much money is Korea spending just to produce plastic food?

Yum!

Patbingsu @ Red Mango with watermelon, raspberry sauce, fruit cocktail + cornflakes (the ice is on the bottom)

Summer in Seoul is slowly coming to an end and I could not be happier. I've never been so keen on fall weather before I moved here. But one thing I will miss about the summer is eating Patbingsu.

Patbingsu (팥빙수) can be found everywhere in the city and usually consists of shaved ice, frozen yogurt, sweetened red beans, various types of fruit (kiwi, banana, watermelon) and cereal. Some even come with sweetened condensed milk and tteok (rice cakes). You mix all the ingredients together and although it does not look appealing, it's SO good! I like mine sans rice cake; they are just too chewy!

YUM!

Fashion Show Day

This month SLP had "Fashion Show Day." All of the Intensive Preschoolers came in last Friday with their princess dresses, fedoras, sunglasses, animal costumes, swimsuits, and jewels. They were able to strut their stuff down the SLP "runway" and pose for a picture for the school's website.

Enjoy!

Tiffany

Roy, Stefan + Bella making their entrance

Apple class terrorizing me as usual

Jessica

Kevin

Tom

David and his little bow tie

Noel

Ricky, not matching at all + loving it

In Memory of James Stewart

I'd like to dedicate this post to my dear friend James who recently passed away on August 11, 2010. As I type this, I struggle to find the right words, as his death has brought such sadness to those who loved him. James was a beautiful person and the life of the party. "The mayor of St. Michaels" as we liked to call him, he knew everyone and everything.

I have known James for almost 12 years. I've always known him as my mom's friend, but as I've gotten older, our relationship started to mean more. James was apart of the family, I looked up to him like an uncle. An uncle with incredible fashion sense and a great appetite. I remember he bought me a book when I was in middle school titled "How to be a Lady," his sneaky way of telling me to stop being such a brat.

I'll miss you James. Thanks for all of the great memories. Thanks for all of the fashion and dating advice. Thanks for your smile and great sense of humor. I'll miss you at the dinner table, and in the flower shop. I'll miss your gossip and bouncy, beautiful hair. I'll miss you and Bruce cooking pork products frantically in the kitchen. I'll miss trips to Annapolis to eat at Five Guys (who knew mayo and A1 could be such a glorious combination?) I'll miss digging in Marshalls for hours with you and mom (he always found the best stuff!) I'll miss you and Bruce keeping me up at night arguing about politics.

Thanks for turning my slob of a brother into a fashionista. And thank you for being such a dear friend to my mom.

Thanks for your support and encouragement when I moved to Korea. Thanks for making my months at home after college a lot more memorable. Thanks for always being there for me. And thanks for always making me believe I was beautiful and worthy (and most importantly, wouldn't become a cat lady). Whenever I have guy trouble, your voice will be in my head saying, "Just move on, sister!"

St. Michaels will not be the same without it's mayor. James, you were loved by so many. We will all miss you dearly, and I will never forget your laugh. Your laugh lit up the room.

Is This Real Life?

Summer vacation came and went faster than I thought it could. Being so close to my 6 month mark in Korea I was due for a little R&R. The trip to Boracay consisted of a flight to Manila, a flight to Kalibo, a bus ride from hell, a boat ride to the island and then a final ride in a tuk tuk to the hostel. I was blown away by the fantastic white beach, weather, restaurants, shopping and nights out with a San Miguel in hand. All and all, it was an amazing vacation and the post-travel depression has yet to subside.

Here are a few photo highlights (skinny dipping pictures not included):

The trip ended with zero hours of sleep, scrambling to finish packing, dragging heavy suitcases to the ferry, getting rained on, forgetting my ray bans in the hostel, all under the heavy influence of that 3 dollar bottle of rum (it was a good idea at the time).

Job well done Boracay, see you next time.

Me, Tan?!

Quote from class today:

"Teacher, arms, hands, feet, face, neck black"

Why thank you, you 5 year olds really know how to compliment.

In Korea, when someone gets a tan, they refer to it is as being black, which to me is appalling. I have heard the term "black face" far too often...

But me? Tan, say whaaat?

Picture Diary

Every week in my 1SAP class my 8-year old kids write a picture diary. They have to write about something they did over the weekend, and draw a picture of it. When I collect them every Monday, they are always entertaining and sweet. I love getting to know them on such a personal level. My favorite one so far was from Sally:

It says:

"I saw a 'toy story' movie. When people did not see them, toys moved and I was surprised. Do puppy dolls and mimi dolls in my room move too? If they move it would be funny. And I would play with my toys carefully beceause I am afraid that they would hate me."

Cutest response ever.