tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13436590014365669242024-02-20T18:14:56.842-08:00Irish Mexicans in South KoreaStacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-83482370315121788922011-05-01T05:25:00.000-07:002011-05-01T05:25:37.547-07:00And the school year is almost over...Hello friends!<br />
We have been counting the days until we get to board that beautiful plane! Oh, how we miss our family and friends!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNTTWuDlDCHq7kQwtMwJBSzxbxOgDLo4CsO9OArhyWtqkEwUyBEYf6kMNdD5h93Dw3n2SsIqcSjBmLpQgRbY045E2Jts1Q74APxXYiSu1s3-Qbvf2BW7VfyCX23JDr3uu5BJoTy_mIFs/s1600/DSC_6494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNTTWuDlDCHq7kQwtMwJBSzxbxOgDLo4CsO9OArhyWtqkEwUyBEYf6kMNdD5h93Dw3n2SsIqcSjBmLpQgRbY045E2Jts1Q74APxXYiSu1s3-Qbvf2BW7VfyCX23JDr3uu5BJoTy_mIFs/s320/DSC_6494.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>The weather has finally started to change. It has warmed enough to wear just a sweatshirt and pants. The rain has also come which is what has kept us inside lately. In Ethan's words "April showers bring May flowers!" and it is SO true! Flowers and cherry blossoms have bloomed all over Korea and there is color everywhere! The green has returned to the hills around us and the neighborhood once again smells like fertilizer/poop.<br />
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The car is working out nicely. Gas is kind of expensive but we only filled up once in a month! I must say that it feels like a borrowed car because we are so detached. We really miss our Altima. :(<br />
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We have been able to explore more of Bundang by making wrong turns. As a driver Stacy (and I) has discovered a few things. #1 Koreans don't honk because they are upset/road raged; they do it to wake up the other drivers who are multi-tasking while driving. #2 Koreans honk for many reasons like to say "hey, I'm right behind you!" or "hey, move over because I need to pass!" #3 It is okay to make a u-turn just about anywhere. #4 It is okay to park on the side of the road even when there is a no parking sign because EVERYONE does it and their cars never get towed!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ethan is the one in the Cowboys hat. :)</td></tr>
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Relating to school: Ethan completed his first music concert and did magnificently in his part! We are proud parents! Stacy is getting to teach the classes he wanted next year and is looking forward to preparing this summer. I am just ready to complete the year so that I can start over next year fresh. We are down to 7 more weeks, 5 of which are 4 day weeks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faculty kids...all 24 of them</td></tr>
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Easter was a success with all the faculty families gathering for an Easter brunch and egg hunt. We continued the tradition of making confetti eggs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had really good seats!</td></tr>
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Cirque du Soliel, my first major social event totally organized by me was also a success! I will be a social committee leader next year with my colleague, Sondra M. It's going to be lots of work keeping up with my family, work, social events and the other random things that come up. I am looking forward to it though!<br />
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We also visted the Korean Folk Village in Seoul that was gorgeous and eye-opening. Ethan liked trying out all of the ancient grinding tools. We enjoyed the visit with the Brayko family that have 2 kids that are Ethan's age.<br />
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Ethan just finished up P.E. swimming lessons at school and continues to train for soccer. He WILL be the next Messi! He is a strong swimmer just have to keep him working. He is super athletic so we are optimistic that he will do great things in the athletic arena.<br />
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BIG NEWS!!! Ethan lost his first tooth April 26 at Pizza Hut. His tooth had been loose for a few weeks and we kept trying to pull it out. We had this thing going where each night Stacy would work on it but it just wouldn't come out. The evening of April 26 we decided to head out for pizza. After we finished eating, Stacy and Ethan went to the bathroom to wash hands. I am at the register paying when Ethan comes running out of the bathroom holding a bloody paper towel to his mouth. I asked what happened and he says with a paper towel in his mouth "Daddy pulled my tooth out!" I wanted to be happier but I had a plan of recording this event with a camera. Why didn't Stacy read my mind??? Seriously! So the best I got were a few pictures. Anyhow, Ethan prepared his tooth for the tooth fairy and low and behold the next morning he awoke to 2,000 won under his pillow!!!<br />
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We have a full schedule this May and June. Our flights home have been booked and we land on U.S. soil June 19 around 7:15pm and we have a full 6 weeks home!!! We return to Korea July 28. Time is going to zoom by and we have lots of people to see and visit! We are very much looking forward to it though. :)StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-34504200877144843572011-03-19T03:27:00.000-07:002011-03-19T03:27:16.191-07:00Made it to spring break...ahh!Blog? What blog??? That's how I have felt since I haven't visited our blog in forever. Since the last post, we haven't really done anything. In February we went to see B-Boy and the Ballerina with awesome break dancers. Leave it to Ethan to catch the eye of one of the "hot" female dancers on stage. Better him than Stacy though! Ethan loved the show. Really good music too.<br />
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Time is still passing super fast here. I'm in the groove of school and working super hard with my students. Stacy is doing the same. Ethan has been improving at school too. Ethan got to participate in the house team challenge at the last assembly and fire team WON! I know he was a big part of that. Watch the video to see it. I took my Spanish 4 class to see it and they did continue speaking Spanish.<br />
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Stacy and I booked our cruise to the Yucatan Peninsula where we will visit Chichen Itza. I can't wait to fill my camera with tons of pics of this amazing place. Plus, Stacy and I need some relaxation time with one another. :) First cruise and we are looking forward to it.<br />
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More big news! We are buying a car! We tried to go without one but life has finally gotten hectic enough to need one. Spring break is dedicated to this endeavor. WOOHOO!<br />
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Once Spring Break is over we are down to 12 weeks of school. We will be back in the states June 19 for a whirlwind visit. SO looking forward to it!StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-6796771806903880782011-01-31T02:17:00.000-08:002011-01-31T04:02:41.088-08:00Caribbean Bay in -15ºCHow did you like your surprise today?<br />
Ethan: I loved it.<br />
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What was your favorite part of Caribbean Bay?<br />
Ethan: The water slide where you went "side to side really wildly".<br />
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How many times did you ride the BIG water slide?<br />
Ethan: 3 times<br />
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Which big slide was your favorite?<br />
Ethan: I liked the twisty-turny one.<br />
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Do you want to go back?<br />
Ethan: I want to go there again.<br />
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My friend Elka was there so I could play with her. At lunch all my friends went to a table where we had cups that we could play with all together.<br />
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<b>Our Experience...</b><br />
First, it was kind of expensive. I think the tickets all together for all 3 of us was about $75. If we were going to this place in the summer it would totally be worth a year-long pass. This place was enormous if you include all the outdoor and indoor sections of the park. We joined the Carscadden's, Feller's, Gibson's, Trotter's and Longbotham's for the day.<br />
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Today we only went to the section called Caribbean Bay and swam in the indoor section. They actually had an outdoor section but I wasn't brave enough for that. Stacy wanted to try it and I think he actually did. Overall, they had great water rides and well divided areas for appropriate age groups. They also had lots of life guards everywhere.<br />
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Ethan went on his first water slide today. Stacy chose to try it out first and once he finished he thought Ethan would be scared but there was no way for him to tell us. Ethan went right after Stacy. It was dark inside and you got sloshed around inside. We asked Ethan if he wanted to go again but he said no. Then we caught up with Elka and Sean. Elka wanted to go on that slide again and Ethan obliged. They ended up going on that slide several more times. Then they moved on to the larger, higher slides. Stacy and I are both very proud of Ethan for trying so many new things today.<br />
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Lunch was terrible but the company was good. Ethan was head of the kids table. He sat with 5 GIRLS at this kids table. We just sat around and chatted while we ate popcorn chicken, french fries, pizza rolls and churros. LOL! Churros are big here! <br />
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Some interesting cultural differences noticed today were men wearing Speedos and tight bathing suits allowing you to see sometimes more than you want. And the other, was changing in the women's locker room and seeing so many women walking around naked with their children. I was actually shocked when I looked to my left, while attempting to change my clothes under my sundress, and saw a lady completely naked walking her daughter somewhere. I was like, "whoa!" "didn't see that comin'." Then looking around women were all changing right in front of their lockers just stripping down. So, I thought okay...no big deal. I can do this. Why is America so darn prude?! I mean yes sex is all over the place but when you actually take a real person and say "change over there" they would say "no" or "I need some privacy." Or maybe it's just me...<br />
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Back to water fun...So they closed down the wave pool and other parts for cleaning for an hour and so we were all forced (I use this word loosely) to enjoy the jacuzzis. Oh what a wonderful and relaxing 30 minutes! After that we were so relaxed that we decided now is the time to leave. Walking out of the building, what do we see? SNOW! Yes, swimming inside and snowing outside!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-57822256387290224582011-01-29T17:50:00.000-08:002011-01-29T17:50:28.522-08:00Ice FestivalI can't believe I didn't post this immediately! A couple of weekends ago we went to the Pyeongchang Ice Festival or Trout Festival. It was a school sponsored event and we road in KIS buses. It was a long 4 hour bus ride there and back but the 3 1/2 hours that we spent playing and frolicking in the cold was delightful! All the kids had a blast and of course Ethan didn't want to leave.<br />
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There were all kinds of activities to enjoy like tractor raft rides, bicycling on a frozen lake, ice skating (the traditional way), butt skating, ice fishing, and a CRAZY fishing style where you jump in the freezing cold water and catch fish with your hands! Didn't try that and don't plan to. EVER.<br />
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We had trout for lunch and it was delish! We ate a plateful of fried trout. I would go back on a four hour bus ride just to eat it again. It was FRESH. Actually this on-site restaurant is one of those where you can catch your own fish and walk it right up to the cooks where they prepare it for you.StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-76989244247174344712011-01-26T03:42:00.000-08:002011-01-26T03:42:31.260-08:00Lunar New Year Coming up...Hello all! Hope to find you in good health and happy. We are just getting into the groove of things here and preparing for 2 more days of school. What's next? Lunar New Year! Another week of vacation! We are looking forward to some time off.<br />
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These last couple of weeks have flown by. We have been crazy busy with school and just the daily routine of things but we will slow down very soon. Ethan had hat day at school a couple weeks ago and he rocked a Sooner's hat...such a handsome kid! Just this past Tuesday, they had "Hero Day" and he dressed as Super Soccerboy. I failed to get a picture of him with his get-up but he even had a mask like Zorro!<br />
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We are currently planning vacations for next year so although this year we missed out on all kinds of warm weather destinations, next year will be amazing to make up for it. :)<br />
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Stacy is staying busy with school work, although not as busy as I have been. I think I assign more homework than he does. I should adopt his homework philosophy.<br />
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At school, I have started a new club...can you guess what it is called? The Photography Club! We've only met twice but I'm sure the results will only get better since just about all of these kids have Digital SLR's.<br />
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Neighborhood news: There is a man that we that we have dubbed "Don Juan de Marco" because of his looks. He has a fancy mustache that curls at the ends, hair that is long enough to tuck behind his ears and he wears these fancy sunglasses. So he has a dog farm right in the middle of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, it is right next to an apartment complex that several KIS families reside in. The dog farm has at least 30 adult dogs and pups combined. They are very noisy and they get to roam freely on Don Juan's land. Many of you know that dog is a type of meat eaten in Korea. NO, we have not tried it and don't plan to. Anyhow, many people make a living on dog farms providing a certain type of dog to restaurants that serve dog. It is strange to talk about dogs as food. I had told Stacy this but he wasn't a hundred percent convinced until he was walking back from the convenience store this afternoon and saw Don Juan and 2 of his buddies roasting one on a makeshift spit on the corner. According to Stacy, they tried to block his view of this by huddling together but he saw it from another angle. My how life has changed.StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-63194576279107986052011-01-14T05:22:00.000-08:002011-01-14T05:22:26.900-08:00One week down!So we are celebrating! Our first week back to school since a LONG Christmas break ended and we survived. This week has been about getting back in the routine of daily life. Wednesday was my birthday and a blessed one at that. Thursday, my Spanish colleague and I took a group of 42 students from levels 3, 4 and AP to Deoksu Palace Modern Art Museum where we analyzed works of art by Picasso and other great artists of the 20th century in Español. Afterwards, we ate at a Korean restaurant and had shabu-shabu which I can describe as such: you are seated at a traditional Korean table (sitting on the floor), the waitress sets a cauldron looking pot on the burner at the center of the table. It is full of some type of stock. Then they bring out a large plate full of cut raw vegetables and a large plate of thinly sliced beef or pork. You put the vegetables in the pot a little at a time once the liquid is boiling. Once your veggies are cooked (5 minutes) you start putting the meat in. It cooks almost instantly. The waitress then brings out a multitude of small side dishes that everyone shares. It was extremely satisfying, healthy and warm. Our Korean guides (our students) were excellent in explaining to us how to go about eating this new meal. The whole day was quite an experience.<br />
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To end the week on a high note, here was my Facebook post: <br />
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody">I just received flowers from a "knock and run" husband! He knocked on my classroom door, set the flowers in front of the door and took off! It was a fantastic surprise when I was ready to chase the "punk" who was trying to prank me, or so I thought! Thank you for the birthday flowers baby! You really know how to make me smile! :) Ethan deserves some thanks too as I'm sure he had a hand in it too :) </span></span></h6><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbJNfy258xat8qPzXZDGQQXejdd5zhY8-xM7xzMeUDWD1mDBOybEAVCNfVE9ojA9QX2ekRtSh3xK6dQ7vBBmeTupzRpQ0wo_kwRNTMxVYCQeBr14wjPHI7HujWGamvroAEhvdBaKjeHc/s1600/Photo+on+2011-01-14+at+14.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbJNfy258xat8qPzXZDGQQXejdd5zhY8-xM7xzMeUDWD1mDBOybEAVCNfVE9ojA9QX2ekRtSh3xK6dQ7vBBmeTupzRpQ0wo_kwRNTMxVYCQeBr14wjPHI7HujWGamvroAEhvdBaKjeHc/s320/Photo+on+2011-01-14+at+14.58.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">It has been a great week! Now we are gearing up for 2 more weeks and then a week vacation for Lunar New Year. This is also another opportunity for Ethan to wear his hanbok. </span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}">P.S. Ethan thanked us for buying him seaweed, like the kind they use in sushi, because he loves it. I think Korea and his Korean friends are influencing him...</h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}">Also, here is a picture of Ethan from today which was "Hats for Nepal" Day, a fundraiser for the children of Nepal.</h6><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0L9H8zqw89wYlShM-pAXTe47WBQ8pPy5vj7NJnM5x_jWZFmJcZ9i56dvaXFUyojrambLKHHL6xmIsJ3dwPoGbSFPS7NTi286IfRDqQQxDd8HoV3vbXiEyxImoW1k_hllhR0v48sQ5IM/s1600/Photo+on+2011-01-14+at+21.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0L9H8zqw89wYlShM-pAXTe47WBQ8pPy5vj7NJnM5x_jWZFmJcZ9i56dvaXFUyojrambLKHHL6xmIsJ3dwPoGbSFPS7NTi286IfRDqQQxDd8HoV3vbXiEyxImoW1k_hllhR0v48sQ5IM/s320/Photo+on+2011-01-14+at+21.32.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":"msg"}"><br />
</h6>StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-70877482757483578692010-12-31T16:57:00.000-08:002010-12-31T16:57:04.022-08:00Welcome 2011!I can't believe 2010 has come and gone! So much happened in this wonderful year. We can only hope that more good things are in store in 2011.<br />
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We wish all our friends and family a spectacular 2011 full of good health, prosperity and happiness!<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><3</span> The Fitzgeralds: Stacy, Kristy & EthanStacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-47628607485876343662010-12-25T01:26:00.000-08:002010-12-25T04:04:22.456-08:00Christmas in Korea<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Merry Christmas friends and family! </b></div>It has been a long time since I posted last and its all because I have a full time job now. Well that began back in November. <br />
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Back in October, I went to Japan with the 8th graders and the trip was amazing. We saw so much. I took tons of pictures which are posted on the picture blog. We also celebrated Halloween both at school and at home. I helped the other mothers decorate Ethan's kindergarten classroom and these mothers go all out!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLdYGy_ophZ2zKURCeXk9h8MNTpd-S9Ln1Jornp3s-5i8D6e-EzvXVBIU2rvUK3qa_gMWRBgZhP0K1xLbQLh_oR3_G2Ahg7PmlsD05I9o_qA9Cd2S-6UkXogevIFjGvG7SN39pA-kxLg/s1600/DSCN0235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLdYGy_ophZ2zKURCeXk9h8MNTpd-S9Ln1Jornp3s-5i8D6e-EzvXVBIU2rvUK3qa_gMWRBgZhP0K1xLbQLh_oR3_G2Ahg7PmlsD05I9o_qA9Cd2S-6UkXogevIFjGvG7SN39pA-kxLg/s320/DSCN0235.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>In November, we went to a SK Knights basketball game with the Tim Trotter and his 2 kids. A week later we went to Nami Island with lots of KIS faculty for MK's birthday treat. He's our business manager. It was an amazing island that really puts you in nature. It was beautiful and sunny yet cold. The following week the Spanish classes and club hosted the Spanish Festival which as a new Spanish teacher I had to help coordinate. It was a fabulous event but definitely put some gray hairs on my head. Since the school had a traditional American Thanksgiving meal catered, we didn't have to cook anything. We ate our dinner Wednesday and spent Thursday visiting more palaces. Truly gorgeous architecture and the weather was perfect - not too cold! We spent that evening decorating our house for Christmas and putting up the tree.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halloween! Ethan is a police officer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_QY3U28WEop2BZLilU2UV45a3jmRrg5CGe1795sxCaXi7TxVi9GqEp9HWbGf0uYfIMeJUV1zd6kMiTJzWOHpnHbp2I5MlvHc4Ne9ohRnK9UqNu9rud2IXi_icE1iR0_yPsNaI_Yu20w/s1600/DSCN0580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_QY3U28WEop2BZLilU2UV45a3jmRrg5CGe1795sxCaXi7TxVi9GqEp9HWbGf0uYfIMeJUV1zd6kMiTJzWOHpnHbp2I5MlvHc4Ne9ohRnK9UqNu9rud2IXi_icE1iR0_yPsNaI_Yu20w/s320/DSCN0580.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SK Knights Basketball game</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEPLfQA2RVTJUWuBz7numy1zDcJlox6GZAjyuqIL7N6dv-dzJNkqbuCMHab0H2rZKVa1KC1BcPwJiSnYGAYBezojio_nnwwmhRa2h9-7Y4q705nnAEqcX_xic7zTYRaOucT129XyZUAgU/s1600/DSCN0842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEPLfQA2RVTJUWuBz7numy1zDcJlox6GZAjyuqIL7N6dv-dzJNkqbuCMHab0H2rZKVa1KC1BcPwJiSnYGAYBezojio_nnwwmhRa2h9-7Y4q705nnAEqcX_xic7zTYRaOucT129XyZUAgU/s320/DSCN0842.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nami Island: A view from the island</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnTWkck5U6XAl1QsskH47n5347Ni47QNRn5DPEuslUPqpNnf6dOh7byjwF9L9uRVLLpS064W3jSHvRnBID7UclA4bP8xnPnX-8eIqUHBEsvtSinycr4cfl_nTRf0w89SRRGaECopAT7M/s1600/DSCN1158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnTWkck5U6XAl1QsskH47n5347Ni47QNRn5DPEuslUPqpNnf6dOh7byjwF9L9uRVLLpS064W3jSHvRnBID7UclA4bP8xnPnX-8eIqUHBEsvtSinycr4cfl_nTRf0w89SRRGaECopAT7M/s320/DSCN1158.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KIS Spanish Festival</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In the month of December, we have had about 3 snow days! That doesn't mean that we got out of going to school it just means that it snowed 3 times. :) We thoroughly enjoyed it...we never made a snowman but our neighbors did. Our social committee coordinated 2 spectacular Christmas parties: one for the adults and one for families with kids. Santa made an appearance at both parties. At the adult party, we had a white elephant gift exchange where I received red lacy thong underwear. It is a running tradition so they won't get used! Sorry Stacy :(. We received our 3rd snowfall the last Friday of finals week which made it really hard to concentrate but made for an exciting start for break!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBAYDApFcY-CgqLCuayUBDBwlRjO2zeHF7rqAA7_teDeTx5l0V0s1R7rAbj_4fTd5sV2fqWr4_2L1piROfaT40cwx9phbijdSyI-H6M4qdU8IyzSulOmecpVIp-Ou3LoPg_j5dS9ulN0/s1600/Photo+on+2010-12-08+at+12.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBAYDApFcY-CgqLCuayUBDBwlRjO2zeHF7rqAA7_teDeTx5l0V0s1R7rAbj_4fTd5sV2fqWr4_2L1piROfaT40cwx9phbijdSyI-H6M4qdU8IyzSulOmecpVIp-Ou3LoPg_j5dS9ulN0/s320/Photo+on+2010-12-08+at+12.53.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st snow fall: From my new classroom view!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUeDQl57ljhY6fq3m4KHqlTgaWKjQpJpqICe1CRqb8p1-epXAl0FEabOK5N18J3-ujjssi98NlV9nA17N3iT3PLek_xm0WpVcVa6VsVP-diNRjDtOLhEbTt8TmGzN1RSULkouhQIYrHs/s1600/DSCN9393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUeDQl57ljhY6fq3m4KHqlTgaWKjQpJpqICe1CRqb8p1-epXAl0FEabOK5N18J3-ujjssi98NlV9nA17N3iT3PLek_xm0WpVcVa6VsVP-diNRjDtOLhEbTt8TmGzN1RSULkouhQIYrHs/s320/DSCN9393.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3rd Snowfall!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uJBBlErhE3-qj6UInCTiW-6BRxbmyirtca3iwXEk7PHYBZa52wc9Ee_HKrH-az6k_cc6YU8__T6Afi_3vj9a0BUUywc4KcQTTE6uvY2W-AL4ynvsX9wMFPE2DNM3h47clTaj_HlE0u4/s1600/DSCN9477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uJBBlErhE3-qj6UInCTiW-6BRxbmyirtca3iwXEk7PHYBZa52wc9Ee_HKrH-az6k_cc6YU8__T6Afi_3vj9a0BUUywc4KcQTTE6uvY2W-AL4ynvsX9wMFPE2DNM3h47clTaj_HlE0u4/s320/DSCN9477.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My white elephant gift!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyx6TmBNFXL5wlj-dQOUuAcm3xa2f67Se6ZwzvOtHeO8lc984ymWQL8YEwDdt9jBU37mmZIBvC7IyjGaN3tJz-4Ojx3w-HBS9Jauqmx16ArHn7Idvh29NY4oeO2a19A4XX7oJ2CBWQew/s1600/DSCN9662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyx6TmBNFXL5wlj-dQOUuAcm3xa2f67Se6ZwzvOtHeO8lc984ymWQL8YEwDdt9jBU37mmZIBvC7IyjGaN3tJz-4Ojx3w-HBS9Jauqmx16ArHn7Idvh29NY4oeO2a19A4XX7oJ2CBWQew/s320/DSCN9662.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ethan and Santa</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGiSS4RzoAxB0KmKsKQEihq8Ex-H2ua02FFTyKmoT3Um-aDqfQ5fbuoUY_fSe29bDVxYdZOBdmJb5j7Qv4aQjNSFP-gK5NzUg1s1BEDntyUGQFtP-_cv9mAjKaM_I9ryjI_Srj7Lcc_U/s1600/DSCN9468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGiSS4RzoAxB0KmKsKQEihq8Ex-H2ua02FFTyKmoT3Um-aDqfQ5fbuoUY_fSe29bDVxYdZOBdmJb5j7Qv4aQjNSFP-gK5NzUg1s1BEDntyUGQFtP-_cv9mAjKaM_I9ryjI_Srj7Lcc_U/s320/DSCN9468.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2 white elephant gifts we gave: spaghetti sauce and kleenexes :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Ethan was invited to his best friend's house for a play date. Young, his Korean friend, is in soccer hagwon with him and they are in the same class at KIS. The following day, we invited Young to COEX mall and aquarium with us. They had a great time! Lots of sea life with a tunnel that makes you feel like you are walking through the ocean floor.<br />
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To get ready for Christmas we invited the Gibson's to our house for a Mexican dinner and cheesecake and chocolate covered strawberries. We played games and just enjoyed good company. Then we were invited to the Pages house for cookie decorating and video games. Also good fun for Christmas eve.<br />
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Christmas came quickly! Santa must have thought that we were all angels this year because Ethan got almost everything he asked Santa for: Bey Blades fighting set, soccer balls, ping pong paddle, DS games, pokemon cards, and more! Stacy got the Kindle he has been asking for since it came out. I got my Nikon D7000 with 2 lenses that I thought I would never get! Thank you Santa! More importantly we feel super blessed to still be in touch with our old friends from back home, to have made new friends in South Korea and to be safe and happy in our new home.<br />
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Since we have already celebrated Christmas...we wish YOU a Very Merry Christmas!!! Love, Health and Prosperity to all!StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-35618878701294512522010-12-23T16:59:00.000-08:002010-12-23T16:59:04.376-08:00New Year's Cards<a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0IaMWLlq5Ys3Pg">New Year's Card 2011</a>StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-18693905136208684732010-10-17T22:22:00.000-07:002010-10-17T22:22:20.897-07:00A little more on Lotte WorldAh Lotte World....This was both a magical place and a scary place - for an adult. First off, it's like a bad dream. The characters and decorations are so happy they are scary. I can't imagine what it would be like if Toy Story had never come out. That movie made moving toys friendly.<br />
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There was lots to do there of course and lots of attendants managing the rides. Their uniforms were okay until...you made it to their heads. These giant bows fixed to headbands were the rage here. They reminded me of Mini Mouse's bow. Even the guy attendants wore the bows except their clipped into their hair. It was quite a sight actually. I was very happy Ethan didn't ask for any of the headbands. Some had animal ears.<br />
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There was food everywhere as you can imagine. There was the familiar smell of hot dogs (& naked dogs) but no funnel cakes. Pizza, crepes, "Mexican" food (still don't know what was Mexican about it), Korean Chinese food, and CHURROS! They were really tasty too. The other big fad here is dessert waffles. It's a huge belgian waffle with ice cream spread on the inside, drizzled with chocolate syrup and folded in half. Quite tasty but, I still like mine with maple syrup. They also had the usual Korean food on a stick. I couldn't tell you what it was even if I wanted. Sorry :(<br />
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The entry fee was a combo price of 37,000 won for Ethan and I which was very reasonable. Did I mention it was a beautiful day to go??? Ethan had the perfect companion too. Elka and Ethan are the same size so if one couldn't ride, neither could the other. English speaking Koreans were everywhere which makes the trip all the more enjoyable. Ethan and Elka had a funtastic time.StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-17140632322791592492010-10-17T22:07:00.000-07:002010-10-17T22:07:59.671-07:002 weekends summed up :)Wow friends! It's been a while. I've been so tired lately with all that we have going on but here's the update. :)<br />
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So the last time I blogged, I told you what was coming up in our schedules. I will categorize the events for you.<br />
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<i style="color: #f6b26b;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Proctoring SATs</span></b></i><br />
Let me begin by saying any day that you have to be at school by 7am on a Saturday is never a good day. Neither Stacy nor I had ever proctored the SATs before but luckily Texas prepared us through giving standardized tests routinely. It wasn't much different EXCEPT that it was life or death for these students. 8am to 1pm went by v-e-r-y slowly. We did bring laundry to do afterward and we had the kickball/bbq to look forward to also. Ethan stayed home with Zea, our new babysitter, that morning. We spent $50 to make $200. Worth it I would say... <br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i><br />
</i></b></div><div style="color: #f6b26b;"><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Kickball/BBQ</i></b> </div>So every year, KIS social committee organizes this event that is normally in the spring. It has been such a hit that they decided to add one to the fall. For those of you unfamiliar to Kickball, it is baseball using a round, super bouncy ball and the "pitcher" rolls it out and the "batter" kicks it. You still have to run the bases. There were two games going on at one time; one competitive game and a non-competitive game. Ethan and I were in the latter. :) Guess where Stacy played.<br />
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I helped setup the food on the wonderful patio area of the school building. Burgers, hot dogs, and grilled veggies for the vegetarians. There was this fabulous spinach dip that was homemade. I'm craving it as I'm writing. YUM. There were also pies, HUGE pies...and oreos for the kids, now that I think about it we had lots of "BIG" kids eating them. LOL! It was a successful community building event and the weather was perfect the whole afternoon and evening. I think Stacy and I left the school at 8pm...it was a long day!<br />
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<div style="color: #f6b26b;"><i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Myeong-dong shopping district</span></b></i></div>Sunday was the perfect shopping day. We have been blessed with good outdoor weather lately. It was a girls shopping trip including the Taylor women, the Page-Botelho women and me. We hit up the street vendors, Forever 21, Zara, and others. It was fabulous not having boys complaining about trying on everything. Time flies when you're having fun! I took some fantastic pictures of the area and some store pics to remember what is in the area. We found the infamous ice cream in the area. It's not a store. It's a street vendor that has these crazy long lines. Luckily it's a short wait and cheap price. The area is buzzing with energy, lots to buy and of course lots of women! Spent a whopping $160 and got a nice bag of clothes. Definitely got my money's worth.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="color: white;">NEW WEEKEND </span></i></b></span></div><br />
<div style="color: #f6b26b;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b>Saturday Soccer</b></i></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Saturdays now consist of morning soccer. Kindergarten through grade 2 soccer activities sponsored by the Elementary PTO and run by KIS ES teachers. It was fabulous, nicely coordinated and a great place to "get to know"</span> the other mothers. Ethan loved it and was very easy to find because he wore his neon yellow Challenger soccer uniform</span>. We found some very nice shin guards but can't for the life of us find soccer socks in his size. Ugh! It's really rather frustrating.<br />
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<div style="color: #f6b26b;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b>Harnish Wedding Reception</b></i></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">One of the grade 5 teachers at KIS wed his Korean fiance in what I am assuming was an unforgettable wedding. Stacy and I didn't go to the wedding but did attend the reception at Gecko's Bar and Terrace in Jukjeon. Ben and his wife Baek Kyoung</span><i><b> </b></i>are</span> the sweetest couple! She is model material too. It was a great time celebrating the beginning of their lives together, as well as, new friendships.<br />
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<div style="color: #f6b26b;"><i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Lotte World</span></b></i></div>This was a really fun place. You can liken it to Disney World just a bit smaller. According to Guinness Book of World Records, it is the largest indoor theme park in the world. The park had many recognizable cartoons, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but, she had blonde hair and a bad make-up. The dwarfs didn't look right either. Maybe they can get away with using the characters because they have changed them so much. They also have all these scary happy animal characters instead of Disney Characters. The rides were kid friendly and Ethan loved most of them. I'll let him tell you about the ones he loved. Definitely have to go back because we didn't even touch half of what was there. We will take Stacy back with us since he spent his Sunday working o school stuff. We took the subway to Lotte World and it was super easy transportation. We planned on catching the 80-1 to get home but we had to wait 30 minutes. The kids wanted McDonald's (it's always so convenient) so we made the kids happy. We knew what time the bus left our neighborhood and estimated a 30 minute wait. This didn't happen until AFTER we had booked it to the bus stop. There was this Vietnamese restaurant right next to the bus stop that we chose to sit at so the kids could eat their food. Kris ordered a soup so I thought "perfect opportunity to try a new food!" I loved it! Can't wait to go back.<br />
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Amazingly, this whole day of Lotte World, McDonald's, and the last restaurant we used ENGLISH and had no problems. I think the only time we actually used Korean was when we got the taxi home from Sunae because we missed the bus when it finally came around. We really want to learn the language but it makes it really hard when you don't need it.<br />
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<div style="color: #f6b26b;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b>Social Committee Halloween Party</b></i></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm currently helping plan the Halloween Party and for those of you who know me, I love this! It will entail activities, costumes, photo booth, and trick-or-treating in the dong (neighborhood). <i><b> </b></i></span>The hardest part of this will be finding decorations and costumes...better get creative!<br />
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<div style="color: #f6b26b;"><i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Our Richwood House</span></b></i></div><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">BIG NEWS HERE! We sell our house October 19 which is Tuesday! We are so relieved! Our first home has come and gone with many memories. </span><br />
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<div style="color: #f6b26b;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">JAPAN...My 3rd Country</span></b></i></span></div><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So Wednesday I leave for Japan on the 8th grade class trip. Mr. Jay Londgren and I will accompany a group of 14 students to Inchon Airport at 5am or 6am (need to check that). I know I have to be at school by 4am! We will be the first group to arrive in Japan and everyone else will arrive a couple hours later. We will be staying in a new place each night. The trip is 4 days & 3 nights of constant movement. Oh, BTW, my group is the last group to return at midnight. The pluses of the trip are: food, accommodations and airfare are all paid for by the school. My money is for snacks and souvenirs!<i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b></i> </span><i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b></i>(and extra batteries if I run out for the camera)<br />
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I don't think I'll actually see Stacy until Sunday evening when he returns from his professional development workshop. Also, we have hired a babysitter/house cleaner named Priscilla from the Philippines who is going to care for Ethan while Stacy and I are both away on Saturday. She came well recommended from all the other families.<br />
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Note: It has taken me 3 separate sessions to complete this blog. I think it's kind of long. Sorry :(StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-15946041104626078882010-10-11T04:09:00.000-07:002010-10-11T04:10:39.241-07:00Ethan's classroom caterpillarMy mom comes to my classroom always to check me. Sometimes my mom is right next door to my classroom. Sometimes she's not. One time I was in first grade. My teacher's name was Mrs. Nam. I was in that class once but my mom and dad moved me to Kindergarten. My teacher's name now is Mrs. Carscadden. Sometimes Mrs. Carscadden gives us a little much work but, don't worry. We have a big caterpillar. The caterpillar is something that has all the books that we read. We have to read lots of books everyday. My teacher gives us a piece of paper with a blank caterpillar. It's not a real caterpillar. We had a crazy hat day. I wore a Mickey hat with stars. It was a magic hat! It wasn't really a magic hat. It was just a fake hat and I pretended it was a magic hat. My mom wore a pretend witch hat. It had green hair. It was good. I liked it very much. My mom looked good in that. <br />
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**To clarify the caterpillar story, for every book he reads he has to fill out a caterpillar segment with what he liked about the story. Then he colors it and turns it in. He has done at least 15 since it started 3 weeks ago. He loves reading! He also likes seeing how long the classroom caterpillar is getting from the outside window of his classroom.StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-91408805752486971302010-10-08T05:17:00.000-07:002010-10-08T05:17:45.756-07:00Ethan's introduction to bloggingThe wall is great for hitting. My soccer ball, I can use my drying rack for a goal. It is awesome! I like it. It is really awesome! I like it very much.<br />
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My school is good. My mom and dad, well, my mom is a substitute. She teaches almost every class. One time my mom teached my class. It was fun! I said "my mom" a lot but I was supposed to call her "Mrs. Fitz". I liked it very much but...it was a little bit hard to do it. Well, I kind of liked it but it was really hard. I got a sad face but it was okay.<br />
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Sad face- is a, well, sad face is not good because when you do something bad and you get all three sad faces it is not good because the next day you don't get any recess for the whole day! It's not a bad thing but you get better when you go to school and learn.<br />
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I have chapter books. I read my first chapter book. It was fun. First I read to the first chapter. I read to the third. I'm on my third chapter book now. I just finished the first. Then I'm going to read the second one. (There is a trilogy) It was fun. I got to read with my friends and my mom and dad.<br />
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International Food Day - I got to try all new kinds of food, Japanese food. My mom cooked burritos from Mexico. Everybody got to try it. They said it was great! They said they liked it. I liked it too! My mom makes the best tacos of Mexico.<br />
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My new friends, do you know their names? Their names are Alina, Elka and Mac, Gabrielle, Lorenzo, Lia, Alec. It was good to meet them when I saw them. I met my friends when my mom and dad met them.StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-12590830108595858232010-10-04T04:38:00.000-07:002010-10-04T04:38:52.476-07:00Busy Little Bees.Well looking at our schedules, we are going to be very busy from now until the end of October. Tuesday Ethan has school pictures and swimming lessons. Friday, we get to eat out with one of our favorite families, the Fellers. Saturday (9th) Stacy and I both will be proctoring SAT's at the high school in the morning for some extra $$$! In the afternoon, the social committee (myself included) will be hosting a kickball/bbq gathering. Sunday could include some shopping. The following weekend we have a wedding reception to go to followed by a trip to Lotte World (largest indoor theme park in the world) on Sunday. The weekend of the 23 I will be on my way home from Japan and Stacy will be going to professional development at Seoul International School nearby. The last weekend of October is Halloween which I'm sure all the families will gather to celebrate. In the middle of all of this we will be signing our house over to new owners (kind of sad but it is a huge relief!).<br />
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We could not be in a happier place. We are living the dream, living in another country experiencing life, making new friends, and not looking back. We have already started planning vacations for next year. It is super exciting! I will try to update as often as possible as we will be going places and doing things that you have to see. Thank you for checking up on us! :)StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-53597650021104313172010-09-30T19:57:00.000-07:002010-09-30T20:01:40.750-07:00Nothing much...Nothing overly exciting since our last post. This week has been one of those long weeks because there is so much going on yet, short because in the blink of an eye it is Friday. This week was parent/teacher conferences which I will happily say I did not have to worry about. Stacy did though but luckily it was not so bad. As a math teacher, he stayed very busy but because he's a high school teacher he doesn't get gifts. Elementary school parents are really good about bringing gifts to the teachers and this usually lasts into middle school. Getting gifts is nice. Our schedule this week was modified. Wednesday through Friday were half-days with conferences from 1-4 pm. I spent my afternoons either watching faculty kids or students on the soccer field while their parents met with their teachers.<br />
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I have not really had a break from subbing as there have been lots of faculty out because they were sick, their children were sick or school related events had them missing. The school did finally hire a third full-time substitute but it really hasn't changed anything because there is enough work for 3 of us, probably even 4.<br />
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This week I have been a PE, Social Studies, Kindergarten, Psychology, and grade 4 teacher. I get around :).<br />
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The weather has really cooled off in the last week. It's gorgeous weather. Unfortunately it's also telling me that I need to get the right type of shoes so that my toes don't fall off. Stacy is in hog heaven! I thought it was a bit too cool last night in the apartment so we turned on the heater for the first time. Our floors have "ondol", which is a floor heating system which uses heated water that flows through pipes in the floor. Amazingly it actually heats the entire apartment. It was really nice to walk on the heated floors. This is something I may miss if we ever move back to the states, or anywhere else for that matter!<br />
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Who knows what the weekend has in store for us. Well actually I know that this weekend we will go grocery shopping and I will go girl clothes shopping without Stacy and Ethan. We might even plan a trip to a palace...<br />
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I missed talking to my family last weekend so I am extremely excited about getting to talk to them this evening! I have really been missing them. Hearing their voices is actually very comforting.<br />
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OH YES! BIG NEWS! I'M GOING TO JAPAN IN OCTOBER! It's been confirmed. October 20-23 the 8th grade class at KIS will be going to Japan and I was selected as a chaperone. Sad that Stacy won't get to go but looking at the bright side, I will get to experience it a bit so that when we take a family vacation there it won't be so foreign. And I'll be with a bunch of students so it's not going to be a carefree trip but its FREE!StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-5337636864343854732010-09-26T06:41:00.000-07:002010-09-26T06:44:22.563-07:00Reflecting on the last 2 months...As Stacy and I were preparing dinner this evening, I stood at the stove looking out my kitchen window breathing in the fresh air from the mountain in my backyard. It was a refreshing view as the sun was setting giving one last glow to the green mountain and the air was cooling. Thinking to myself "I live in Korea. I am cooking dinner with my husband just like we used to back in Texas. I feel content. I can hear Ethan playing in his room through the open window near the kitchen. This is what life is. Living."<br />
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It is almost surreal at times to think we live in a country on the other side of the world. Among a group of people completely alien both in language and tradition. We are embracing the language and the culture the best we can. Time flies and creeps by simultaneously.<br />
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Back in Texas, we used to watch the movie Mama Mia! while we cooked and ate dinner dreaming of moving over seas. Of course, our dream was somewhere in Europe or on a Greek Island not Asia. Tonight we listened to the soundtrack of the movie which brought back those dreams we envisioned back in Richwood. For now we are in Korea, a beautiful country with kind people but when its time we will move on to see all the wonders of the world. God moved us here. When things go smoothly, you know He has a hand in them.<br />
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We have had to change the way we live. Stacy, Ethan and I have all had to move outside of our comfort zones. Luckily, we are all strong individuals. We are so thankful we have such an independent and energetic child who is curious about all things. He attracts more attention than anyone I have seen here. Because of Ethan, our experiences here have been richer.StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-68339344850069494572010-09-26T06:13:00.000-07:002010-09-26T06:13:55.019-07:00Chusok Break Comes to an End...What a week! Monday Itaewon; Tuesday rain in Seoul; Wednesday- PERFECT!; Thursday too crowded; Friday rest; Saturday a birthday party; furniture delivery and grocery shopping; and today - preparing for another long stretch of school.<br />
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We didn't get near as much done as we wanted to but it was nice not having a schedule. Although we didn't have any big plans, we will get to hear about and see pictures of our colleagues' trips to China, Mongolia, Nepal, and Russia. I'm sure next year we will plan something too.<br />
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So, I don't remember if I mentioned Ethan's hanbok in detail but I will talk more about it now. It is a traditional Korean outfit that used to be worn all the time but now it is reserved for special occasions. The colors and details signify your status or at least it used to. Now that they can be purchased anywhere and made in mass quantities, the significance has faded. Ethan picked it out. The color pink is a gender neutral color in Korea. When we were looking for a hanbok for Ethan, the department store clerk kept showing Ethan ones that had pink. He kept saying, "that's a girl color." Society final influenced him because just 2 years ago, pink was his favorite color. The one he chose consisted of a crimson red vest with an ivory under shirt and dark blue pants. Anyhow, he loved the attention he received as he walked through the streets of Seoul during Chuseok in his hanbok. There were more girls than boys wearing a hanbok. We were happy to see that Ethan wasn't the only one. The weather was perfectly cool and breezy for him too because his hanbok was long sleeved and the pants were thick so he didn't sweat. <br />
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It has been a somewhat relaxing week for us and we are ready to begin the next stretch of school.StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-90604457581020408652010-09-22T10:07:00.000-07:002010-09-26T06:39:07.926-07:00Chusok BreakWe are super exhausted and tomorrow is Thursday. Here is the breakdown of how we have spent our week so far:<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Friday, Saturday & Sunday</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwbFF3ONVz4wQtQsUfpB6VKFNUbQhnzOaAb7SVZGNQhx9Lu5vuPSwJPHTA4LyrD6HzKFRWv3tx4TtoE7nPzwT5vCRN0Z4caECAJPzzk0qDqZkZRvn8YbdkTTZE6nrKsHQGgy76CHzmeE/s1600/DSCN7085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwbFF3ONVz4wQtQsUfpB6VKFNUbQhnzOaAb7SVZGNQhx9Lu5vuPSwJPHTA4LyrD6HzKFRWv3tx4TtoE7nPzwT5vCRN0Z4caECAJPzzk0qDqZkZRvn8YbdkTTZE6nrKsHQGgy76CHzmeE/s200/DSCN7085.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">We took it easy. I honestly can't remember what we did other than shop. <br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Friday night we went to Traveler's Bar and Grill for a farewell gathering for one of the most important people at KIS. He was important because he was the first face we saw when we landed in Korea and he was one of the key players in making our transition seamless. Keith Ki-Won Choi is leaving KIS to do I don't know what. He will be sorely missed but, we wish him luck.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Saturday, we went to E-mart to buy some groceries and other necessities! At E-mart I made a friend with Mr. O, the 64 year old English translator. He was a sweet man who was trying to be as helpful as possible. He talked my ear off while we shopped and I now know that he has a sister in New York and a son in Arizona. Amazing what you can learn in a few short conversations. Stacy was slightly annoyed because it was late and this poor guy wanted to chat (practice his English). </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Sunday we went to another E-mart location searching for furniture. Here, we purchased some furniture for the apartment. The manager spoke some English and helped us with our order form. I haven't had to write our address in so long that I forgot it. I also forgot the paper the school gave us with our address written in Korean. I thought, "I'll call some friends and ask them to look up our address." They didn't answer. I'm searching through my wallet for something that has it when my visa falls out. I picked it up and was looking at it when Stacy and I noticed-- IT HAS OUR ADDRESS IN KOREAN! Thank you God for that little accident. :)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">On to shopping for clothes. Since the weather is beginning to change, we knew Ethan needed some new winter clothes. Assuming clothes would be cheap here, we only brought summer clothes for Ethan. Bad idea. Never assume. Shopping for clothes at E-mart was not easy. I swear everything looked really girly, even what I thought were boy clothes. The whole skinny jean is in for both boys and girls and Ethan doesn't like them. Stacy and I found some long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts but no pants. We gave up and moved on to Lotte. It's easier to shop there because the attendants can look at him and know exactly what size he needs. We went to the Levi's section but Ethan thought the decoration on the jeans back pockets were hearts (they weren't). He said no to all 3 pairs he tried on and the ones the attendants showed him. They are very attentive. One section over we found a place called AskEnquired. We found a winter jacket that is "pimpin", some jeans, sweat pants, and sweatshirt, all purchased for the plump figure of 269,000 won. After feeling the pain of spending that much money on 4 items, we went home to shop online at Children's Place where we selected 18 items for $175 and $5 shipping. Decision made: take the other clothes back!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Monday</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Stacy, not having been to Itaewon yet, decided we should make it a relaxing visit. The subway seemed like a good idea because we haven't really used it for long trips. It took 3 transfers and over an hour to get there. We did a lot of walking but didn't really enjoy it because Ethan wasn't minding too well. We walked up to the mosque near the top of the hill. It had great views of the area but I felt very uncomfortable considering we were there during prayer time, near the men's entrance and I was wearing shorts. I was given a skirt to wear to cover my legs. Stacy thought I looked silly in it. What a husband.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">We walked around a bit more but didn't really get to look around the areas I was interested in. We'll have to go back another time when we get a babysitter for Ethan. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">We ate lunch at Pancho's. Not the Pancho's we all know (buffet style where you raise the flag). This was a well decorated restaurant with an air of authenticity but the food was terrible. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Tuesday</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">We planned a visit to Gwanghwamun and invited the Katz family to join us. Instead of the subway, we took the bus which took like 30 minutes. Much more time efficient. :) It was a rainy day off and on for the first part of our trip. We went to the Seoul Museum of History which we thoroughly enjoyed minus the temperature inside (oven-like temps). We had originally planned to see the palaces nearby but the rain hindered that plan. Stopped off at the gift shop before leaving the museum to find something to eat. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">When you are with another family and looking for something to eat, it can be difficult to agree on a place when one side is picky (mine). We split up and said good-bye. Normally there are places to eat everywhere but, on this rainy day I think we walked 3 blocks before we found one. It was an Italian eatery on the 2nd floor. The 2 things I wanted were cool air and good food. After peeking at the menu and drying off for a bit we decided it wasn't going to work. We braved the rain again to end up at Mr. Pizza which Ethan was cool with. I think from the moment we split with the Katz's, it rained like "cats and dogs". </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">It rained the whole rest of the day into the night...I mean RAINED. Check out the video that Steve Katz took while we were out.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXIdXOY2JCE">The Day it Rained in Seoul (click here)</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Wednesday</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Today was officially Chusok! We started the day late but enjoyed it regardless. Ethan wore his hanbok. Stacy and I dressed up because you are supposed to.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">We all rode the bus again into Seoul and went to Seoul Museum of History where they were having Chusok performances. There were so many places we wanted to go to but they are so spread out and it was so late in the afternoon by the time we arrived that chose to enjoy one place today. There were SO MANY people out in Seoul. There was a festival going on downtown that we passed by. The palaces were holding special performances. It was very refreshing witnessing Koreans and their culture. They didn't look down on us either for having Ethan wear a hanbok even though he wasn't Korean. They actually complimented us/him many different ways.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The Museum sponsored performances that were delightful to watch. We enjoyed one of the smaller palaces called Gyeonghuigung Palace. The stark contrast of European palaces and Korean palaces was completely eye opening. Having visited castles in England which are full of all kinds of ornate furniture, the Korean palaces seem bare and spacious. Beautifully decorated on the outside. Ethan loved exploring the palace and the museum. He lead us around asking for us to read everything. He was a great model in his outfit not only for me but for other visitors. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Afterwards, we visited a tent that had an ink imprinting wooden tablet that you could try. Ethan made his own with some mommy supervision. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">We ended up at Outback Steakhouse for an expensive dinner. Stacy enjoyed some ribs. The menu was slightly different. Fried rice was one of the sides. Our dinner was served with kimchi, pickles, and radishes. I had forgotten what a good glass of ice cold tea tasted like and it was quite funny how odd it tasted to my tongue. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">On the bus home, we met 2 American missionaries that we chatted with. It was good conversation and now we have new "friends" to call if we ever need help.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;">Random Tid-bit</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">I had been eyeing this very beautiful vanity at a furniture store down the street. The first time we saw it we were told it cost 250,000 won. We went back to inquire again Sunday and were sent to another furniture store back towards our apartment who actually owns the piece. The owner of the store was very friendly and kind. She introduced herself to us as Catherina. She is from Vancouver but lives here most of the year as she owns this business. She absolutely loved Ethan. She spoke very good English and showed us around her store. Anytime Stacy asked how much something cost, she would say "oh, it is very expensive" and then she would tell him the price. Half way through the store we all realize that she is leaving off a zero, so my vanity which was $250 was really $2,500. WHOA! She's right, very expensive. We ended up exchanging phone numbers and she invited me for a cup of coffee some day soon at her home. She wanted someone to visit with as she is very lonely.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">Oh, and we ride the city buses so much that the drivers know us. They wave at us as we are walking down the street. They wait an extra minute if they see us coming. Just the other day we were on the bus and weren't paying attention when the bus driver stopped and told us (in Korean) this is our stop. HA! Glad he was paying attention. :)</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">We have been making Korean acquaintances everywhere it seems like but, it just goes to show you how great Koreans are. From the lady stranger who gave me a ride back to school the first week to Mr. O at E-mart, they all want to help and make our stay in Korea wonderful because that's how they envision it should be. </span> </span> </span> </span></span></span>StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-23174375433138365712010-09-22T08:11:00.003-07:002010-09-22T08:11:59.887-07:00Candy maker<a href="http://irishmexicansinsouthkorea.shutterfly.com/pictures/1104?eid=115"><img width="200px" src="http://cdnimages.sorensonmedia.com/2171ff52-4736-4ee2-838a-50a8c053988b/6b5549bdz0b55Q4bf3a892fp046c022cca73/file-1.jpg" /></a><p><a href="http://irishmexicansinsouthkorea.shutterfly.com/pictures/1104?eid=115">Click here to view this video</a><img width="1" height="1" border="0" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=video&c2=blogger" /></p>StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-49824975054955083292010-09-22T08:11:00.001-07:002010-09-22T08:11:32.674-07:00Jogyesa Prayer Time<a href="http://irishmexicansinsouthkorea.shutterfly.com/pictures/1106?eid=115"><img width="200px" src="http://cdnimages.sorensonmedia.com/2171ff52-4736-4ee2-838a-50a8c053988b/e783642eU04bet4b83w8759xdf9548694d8a/file-1.jpg" /></a><p><a href="http://irishmexicansinsouthkorea.shutterfly.com/pictures/1106?eid=115">Click here to view this video</a><img width="1" height="1" border="0" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=video&c2=blogger" /></p>StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-90893815508914820102010-09-22T08:10:00.001-07:002010-09-22T08:10:40.625-07:00Monk Chant<a href="http://irishmexicansinsouthkorea.shutterfly.com/pictures/1107?eid=115"><img width="200px" src="http://cdnimages.sorensonmedia.com/2171ff52-4736-4ee2-838a-50a8c053988b/2078781dF45c6C4818M917fW68edfa97546b/file-1.jpg" /></a><p><a href="http://irishmexicansinsouthkorea.shutterfly.com/pictures/1107?eid=115">Click here to view this video</a><img width="1" height="1" border="0" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=video&c2=blogger" /></p>StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-14981152456635814932010-09-20T08:42:00.000-07:002010-09-20T08:42:19.637-07:00Free giftsWe have done a lot of shopping since arriving and it seems like we always get a free gift of some sort. Just this week I bought a mop with its own bucket that has a spinning center to wring it out. They gave me an extra mop head!! Then I moved on to buy detergent. An emart employee ran over and helped us pick out a brand and then gave us a package of liquid softener FREE! Moving on to search for clothing for Ethan, we found a hanbok (Chusok traditional dress) and they gave us the hat and pins for free. Once we paid, we were directed to the customer service counter where we gave them our receipt and in return we were given a FREE package of pancake mix (a Korean version).<br />
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Yesterday we went shopping at Lotte department store in search of more clothes for Ethan. We found some insanely expensive clothes for him and purchased them. Ethan received a hooded British blanket FREE, I guess for spending so much.<br />
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Sometimes it's great to be a foreigner. :)StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-32196445952052608432010-09-12T21:55:00.000-07:002010-09-12T22:46:24.337-07:00Random thoughts<i>Students lacking life experiences</i><br />
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Stacy gave a quiz in his Statistics class the other day. Since it is an American based curriculum, the wording is geared towards all things American. In the middle of the quiz, a student raises his hand.<br />
Student: "Mr. Fitz, what is a bolt?"<br />
Stacy: "You are in the middle of a quiz, I can't take time to explain what a bolt is."<br />
Student: "I can not accurately answer the question if I don't understand the question."<br />
Stacy: "Question #? is now a bonus question."<br />
Students: "That's not fair."<br />
Stacy: "I can't help it if you don't have life experiences. There are bolts in Korea, I've seen them."<br />
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<i>Stacy is a doting father</i><br />
One morning, I walked Ethan to the kindergarten playground across from the cafeteria. One of Ethan's classmates is in there already while his mother watches. She looks at me and says good morning. She is Korean and I met her initially at Open House.<br />
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Mother: "I met Ethan's father yesterday"<br />
Me: "Oh, that's great! Where?"<br />
Mother: "Afterschool swimming lessons. He is such a good and involved father."<br />
Me: "Yes, Ethan is blessed with a good father and I am happy to have such a helpful husband."<br />
Mother: "He is such a doting father. He was helping dress Ethan after the lessons. He is so good it makes me feel like a bad mother."<br />
Me: "Yes well, I feel even worse because I couldn't be there."<br />
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If she feels like a bad mother, I must be horrible. She likely does not work and spends every minute of her day doing something with or for her only son. Myself on the other hand, have so much to do that Stacy and I have to schedule who is going to do what with Ethan. I went to the bank that day and I'm sure Stacy was the only dad there with the other Korean moms.<br />
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<i>Eating out</i><br />
It's terrible. Now that we have the bus schedule for the 80 and 80-1 we wait less for the bus and consequently feel it is easier to go out to eat. Last week, we ate out 4 or 5 times. We went to Dos Tacos, Butterfinger Pancakes, The Frypan and the Attic. I'm sure there was another that I am missing. Oh, yeah, The Wood Fire Grill. Unfortunately our tummies are happy because of this but our wallets are sad because of this. The Fitzgerald's would all agree that food is definitely comforting. We have vowed to do a better job of eating at home. I really can't decide if I want to stick to that or not. Wednesday is payday...you know what that means!<br />
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You might be wondering about the restaurants so let me tell you what we have eaten so far. Dos Tacos is the place to get burritos. Butterfinger Pancakes is the place to get all things breakfast. At The Frypan we order a chicken tender/boneless drumstick set which came with a salad big enough for all 3 of us and the chicken (at least 20 pieces) sat atop a bed of home-made potato chips. This was less than 30,000 won and you get a discount if you order take out instead of dining in. The word "set" is like our word "combo" in the states. Order the set and you get the side and a drink.<br />
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The Wood Fire Grill serves pizza and pasta. Surprisingly, it was very tasty! Corn is a big ingredient in pizza. It is actually Ethan's fav....corn and bacon.<br />
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<i>Taekwondo</i><br />
Considering this is the home of Taekwondo, it is only natural that Ethan, Stacy and I should take lessons while we are here. Currently, Ethan will take them because he is dying to do it. Maybe Stacy and I will later. With help, we have found a place where he can go 3 times a week and it only costs 120,000 won a month. I think that is fairly cheap.<br />
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<i>Sweets</i><br />
If you are looking for something to cure your sweet tooth in Korea, you may have to look harder to find something that is actually sweet. Most dessert items are mildly sweet which has left me wanted more. Luckily, our school cafeteria makes some of the best chocolate chip cookies and they are a dollar. We get one almost everyday. It's a nice end of the day snack.<br />
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<i>Ethan</i><br />
I wonder if it is Ethan or just the way Korean's react to younger children. I can't say that I see it that often with other children. Anytime we go anywhere, Ethan seems to charm the people at the grocery store or candy store into giving him something. They talk to him and treat him so well. It is quite something when a store clerk finds us in the store just to give Ethan something.<br />
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<i>Subbing at KIS </i><br />
If you have to sacrifice a conference period to cover a fellow teacher you receive 25,000 won for each block that you cover. Definitely a motivator.StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-28224707193598232412010-09-12T17:28:00.000-07:002010-09-12T17:28:57.244-07:00Birthday partySunday was an eventful day. We were invited to a friend's son's birthday party which was going to take place at a bowling alley in Bojeong. We had a late start since Stacy woke at 5am to watch the Sooners play. So he woke me up at 8:30 so he could go back to bed. He slept until noon. I was a good wife and didn't bother him. I cooked breakfast for Ethan and myself, Skyped with Stephanie and called my mom. Stacy ate leftover breakfast and then we all started getting ready for the party.<br />
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We were told to arrive around 2pm because that is the least busy time. We made it to the main road at 2 and met the Taylor's who were also running a bit late. We all worked on flagging down taxis who were obviously blowing us off. When we finally got one to stop, Susan and I piled in with the kids and let Stacy and Todd catch another cab. I don't know if it's a good idea to sit in the front seat of a taxi when the trip long. I swear we could have wrecked at least 3 times but miraculously we didn't. I wonder what their drivers ed is like. Maybe the U.S. should make teens wait until their 18 like they do here. Anyhow, we made it to the bowling alley at 2:43. Late as always but the party was just getting started.<br />
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We bowled for maybe an hour and then made our way over to the smallest Baskin Robbin's in the area. Mind you, there were at least 11 kids and 8 adults who crammed into this BR to continue the party. When we walked in, the employees were wide eyed. Steve and Miriam bought a delicious ice cream cake that fed all of us. We sang the birthday song in English, Spanish and Polish. Then we did presents and pictures. We caused quite a spectacle considering the store had glass windows and people on the street were peering in to see what all the fuss was about.<br />
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After the hooplah, we left on our own because we were going to catch a bus. When we didn't find the buses we wanted we chose to walk down to Shinsegae mall that was nearby. I took lots of pictures of this area. We found the bus stop that the 390 stops at and caught the bus home.<br />
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The 390 drops us off on the main road near our home which means we have to walk about 4 blocks, maybe 5 to get home. Some of our KIS friends were playing at the neighborhood playground. I had picked up some groceries at the store down the street so Stacy took the groceries home while I stayed with Ethan and visited with Jenn. We stayed maybe 30 minutes. I told Ethan it was time to go. As he was walking next to me he thought it would be a good idea to hop on the exercise equipment one last time. BAD IDEA! It moved and hit him square in the shin. The way he dropped to the ground grabbing his leg, I thought he broke something. Everyone at the playground was grabbing at him and checking him. He wailed so hard that it scared me. When we finally concluded that he had not broken anything, I picked him up and walked him home. He instantly bruised. I felt so sorry for him but there is always a lesson to be taught. Here was the lesson: if we are leaving, is it a good decision to go back and play or should you follow mom/dad? Ethan: I should follow you and not jump on the walking thing. I have a feeling he'll remember this lesson for a while.<br />
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We got home and I had to carry this boy who weighs like 50 pounds up 3 flights of stairs. I realized I need to get in better shape. LOL! We put some frozen fruit on it (its all we had) to keep the swelling down. Some friends from the neighborhood came to check on Ethan and let us know that they would be willing to drive us to the doctor if the need arises.<br />
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Ethan has not gotten hurt so badly in a really long time. We have been really lucky.<br />
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After a long day, we fell into our routine of cooking dinner, doing some laundry, cleaning up, ironing clothes for the week, washing dishes, and the like. I told Stacy that we should shoot for a job in a place where we could have a maid and a cook and a gardner. He laughed and blew me off. :)<br />
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I think my next blog will be random things that have been coming up.StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1343659001436566924.post-4377537621787559932010-09-03T19:35:00.000-07:002010-09-03T20:03:46.704-07:00JUMP! & A temple excursionFriday night we surprised Ethan with a theater show called Jump!<br />
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There were 72 of us on the bus to a place near Insadong. We all dispersed to find a place to eat and then explored. We went with the Fellers to Burger King and then they showed us around the area. We visited a Buddhist temple and arrived just in time to hear the monk bang the gong. Prayer time. It was a great experience.<br />
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We explored an area that I don't know the name of but there were so many shops and eateries. We watched a guy make candy and then bought some.<br />
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The show started at 8pm and it was the best money that we have spent so far. We sat in row E which was very close. Half the audience were KIS staff. Ethan laughed so hard that everyone near us heard him. It was like a Korean soap opera comedy. I wish I could have taken pictures but I didn't want to get kicked out.<br />
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After the show, we went to the lobby to meet the performers and have them sign Ethan's poster. They were awesome!StacyKristyEthanFitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18380970589849513801noreply@blogger.com1