the mallory show

the mallory show is what i have taken to calling our skype dates. being that it is in the early morning for mallory (and her momma) and my evening.....the times usually work out great. mallory is definitely a morning girl, so i get nothing but funny and cute for the 15-20 minutes we chat. it is the best part of my day. i can take some snap shots of what my webcam is displaying and here are some from today's mallory show:


mallory just being cute! it is great when i catch her eating breakfast 'cause she is a busy girl and otherwise i only catch glimpses of her as she runs around.


thinking of what to say or do next.....


just being silly.....


mallory showing me her beautiful smile.


good-bye kisses before i go off to yoga and mallory to her babysitter's house.


bye-bye!


these next two are from a while ago. i forgot i took them. so pretty mallory!

she looks so much younger here!

i love the mallory show so much! thank-you mallory (and momma)!

대한민국!

i'm not much of a soccer fan, but the world cup is quite fun. korea (대한민국) has to be one of the most nationaistic countries on earth, and because of this, they make watching the world cup very fun. everyone---and i mean everyone---watches the games featuring korea. restaurants bought new large screen tvs, everyone wears red to show support and if you weren't already out watching with the crowds, you were sure to be awoken with the cheering in the middle of the night whenever a korean goal was scored. korea made it through the first round of play, but lost their round 16 game. it was fun cheering with local koreans while it lasted.

here are some pictures of us cheering on the korean team:

i didn't have my red t-shirt yet. :( but it was still great fun!

here is a shot of us girls at the last game. good times!

the only close up of me. not too flattering, but shows a great shot of my cute red tee i bought.

smile

there have been a few moments, over here-in korea, that have made me smile recently. here are some stories.....

last month, when classes were still in, i had dismissed my class and after gathering up my things and leaving the classroom, i noticed a student of mine waiting in the hallway.

me: "are you waiting for your friend?"
ljs: "yes."
me: (looking to see who the teacher was) "your friend has a difficult teacher. she is a good teacher but she wants her students to work hard."
ljs: "yes. a very difficult teacher."
me: "i'm more relaxed than her. i like my students to relax in the classroom."
ljs: "me too! i like relaxed!"

i thought his "i like relaxed!" response was cute.

then about 2 weeks or so ago, after i had entered my grades, i got a text message. the messaging conversation went like this:

incoming message: (unedited)"Thank you I just check my grades and I find A+ at C.E" (ce is our class title---communication english)
outgoing message: "you're welcome. who is this?"
incoming message: (again, unedited) "Sorry I'm Jinse I'm really happy now!!"
outgoing message: "thank you for working hard in my class. have a good summer."

amidst the complaining and rediculous requests for an A+, there are some thankful students. You're very welcome jin-se!

another day that week, i wrapped up my final class with another group of students. i had no longer said my good byes to them and thanked them for studying with me for the semester, and a student came running into the room. it was the only class he had that day and it was our last one....and he missed it! we all had a good laugh about it.

just a few moments ago i returned from the grocery store. on my way home i ran into a lady who often makes my thursday morning coffee at the local paris baguette (a bread and pastry shop chain) for me when i'm on my way to teach at the preschool. she gave me a huge smile and then reached into her bag and shared 3 plums with me. so sweet of her! fruit is highly over priced in korea (or at least, way more expensive than back home!) and because of this koreans value fruit much more than we do in north america. fruit is seen as a treat and often times a gift in korea. thank you, paris baguette lady!

another great thing about going home will be stopping in calgary on my way back to korea to see my friend tobi!!!

this is one of my favorite photos of us from about 4 1/2 years ago! aaahhhh.....the good ol' days of sokcho! looking forward to seeing you tobi!

nova scotia.....here i come!

i finally got my ticket home booked! i actually fly into saint john now (thanks to a wonderful girl known as mallory mae!) but i'm very much looking forward to adventures in nova scotia and showing teddy all it's beauty of the summer. the following are pictures of some of the things i'm most looking forward to:

the annapolis valley! my home and home to some of the best fruits and vegetables i have ever tasted! (and i've been to a lot of places!)


i'm also looking forward to hiking cape split. it is a great little hike and so beautiful.


i'm looking forward to camping.....anywhere in nova scotia. i love it!


i'm looking forward to the beaches.....especially carter's beach! i can't wait!


i'm really looking forward to picking and eating as may blueberries as i can. they are so delicious! (as well as any other in season fruits and veggies the valley farms have to offer!)


in honor of my dad's retirement last summer, a wonderful friend gave our family a free weekend stay at her cottage/farm house near antigonish, which isn't far from the beautiful cape breton. we will all meet there after my week in saint john. we will be going for a drive around the cabot trail, since we will be so close. looking forward!


BUT.......aside from all of what nova scotia has to offer and what it has that makes me happy, i am MOST looking forward to mallory mae! she is the best thing that has happened to me (and probably our family!) and it is so hard to only see her once a year. we skype often and she even goes to the computer saying "auntie! auntie!". bless her heart! i can't wait to see the look on her face when i'm no longer the "auntie in the computer". i can't wait to scoop her up and squeeze her. see you very soon mallory mae!