My grandmother is a 100 years old. My grandmother has an incredible story. (I hope to write a book about it one day.) Not only did she give birth to 7 kids, but she fled North Korea before the start of the Korean War while pregnant with my dad, and lost her husband not long … Continue reading My Grandmother
Month: May 2012
Handwritten Letters
No matters how many years I've worked as a teacher, handwritten letters and cards are by far the best gift a teacher can receive. I received this letter from one of my students who is an 8th grader now. He was in my first class that I taught here in Korea. He gave me this … Continue reading Handwritten Letters
Special Delivery
My Hanbok that I got custom made in Dongdaemun finally arrived. I had it delivered to my apartment. I'm really pleased with it! It fits perfectly and I love the colors, especially the striped sleeves. It's been so long since I've worn a hanbok that I forgot how to tie the ribbon part. I can't … Continue reading Special Delivery
My Name in Korean
We've just started a memoir unit in writing workshop. One of our mentor texts is My Name by Sandra Cisneros. I was inspired to write something about my name. Something that has been a struggle for me... My name in Korean means beauty and wisdom. My name in English sounds ugly. I hated my name. … Continue reading My Name in Korean
Life is Just a Cup of Cake
As a New Yorker, I've been spoiled with amazing cupcakes. There's Magnolia's bakery, Buttercup, Amy's Bread, Crumb's and much more. Coming to Seoul, I've been disappointed at their attempt at cupcakes. I had been hearing of this place called Life is Just a Cup of Cake in Itaewon. It is known to have pretty good … Continue reading Life is Just a Cup of Cake
Hiding Things from the Teacher
My students noticed the blue card on my student's desk. It said "Congratulations" and was still inside the plastic sleeve. "You still didn't give the card to your mother for parents day? Parents day was last week," he replied. (In Korea, there's one parents day.) "Yeah, I'm going to give it to her today," he … Continue reading Hiding Things from the Teacher
Celebrating a Birthday Vatos Style
It's always a treat when I get to go to Vatos in Itaewon. I remember the first time I went on a cold December evening, where my friend Joebo, who was visiting, introduced me to the place. He was friends with one of the owners which is no surprise since most Korean-Americans are connected to each … Continue reading Celebrating a Birthday Vatos Style
Glimpses of Dongdaemun
Dongdaemun is one of the big shopping places in Korea for whole sale markets. This is the place where a lot of of people buy clothes, accessories, fabrics, houseware and more to sell in their stores. I had a chance to walk by some of the different sections of dongdaemun. I usually go to Doota … Continue reading Glimpses of Dongdaemun
Custom-Made Hanboks @ Dongdaemun
Something I had to get done before I leave Korea was get a custom-made hanbok. A hanbok is a traditional Korean dress that women used to wear. Now, women only wear it on special occasions like weddings and holidays. The last hanbok I had was when I was much younger. It was fun getting measured … Continue reading Custom-Made Hanboks @ Dongdaemun
life is a beautiful struggle
Something that has been resonating in me from a song I was listening to this past weekend. I'm playing around with a new header for my blog based on what I created. I'm not sure yet if I like it or not. Here's another attempt at making my own quote! 🙂
