Watching Gossip Girl Makes Me Hate My Clothes

I'm revisiting my teenage years by re-watching Gossip Girl.

Needless to say, I hate every item of clothing I own.  Looking back on when this show was uber relevant to my silly life, I really have to give my mother credit for paying attention to the fashion trends.  My mother was a fantastic shopper... I need my mother to dress me now.  I kind of look like a hobo.. hey it's a good thing that loose fitting cotton & denim shirts are in style right now in Korea!! Still, a small part of me cringes when I think about how much more stylish my mother is.. the woman knows how to dress and I am such a raggamuff on the best of days.  I did, however, do all of my laundry today & iron my ironables! I know she would approve of that.

Maybe this weekend I'll wear a dress & paint my nails?  We'll see, that may require me to leave my apartment and this stomach upset business makes that seem a bit unlikely.

I have decided to focus my anxious energy into keeping my apartment tidy.  When I get paid, I am buying a printer so that I can print out my photographs & decorate my apartment.  My brother has been posting adorable photos of my Gerald and I am thinking he deserves his own wall of honour.  I miss my baby so much!!

I also managed to wash every dirty dish in my apartment and cleaned out my refrigerator. This is miraculous.  This is so unLauren, I am going to see how long I can keep this going for.  I'm going to try to eat in more often, now that my kitchen is spic & span.  I also have more plates & bowls at my disposal for usage.  I am thrilled that Jenny has an oven, Victoria & I are going over for a baking night to make some lasagna, as well as some cookies or brownies for dessert!  I can't wait!!

Orange class makes menopause look as mild as a hang nail.

Believe it or not, family and friends, somedays teaching kindergarten is not all fun and glitter.
Somedays there's snot, tears, poop, and endless screaming.  Today all of those things were the unfortunate products of the excessive amount of sugar my co-teacher decided to contribute to snack time.

It is a well known fact that under most stressful circumstances I can man up and hold my own.  Today, guys, I was pwned by 7 4 year olds with sticky fingers and runny noses.  IT. WAS. AWFUL.

There was so much going on that I will give you a play by play, organized by head.

Mickey:

Normally he is my little angel baby.  Mickey always uses full sentences and stays in his seat.  He raises his hand and waits quietly to be called on.  Mickey on a sugar high is a completely different bag of potatoes: he is LOUD, he is wiggly, and, quite possibly the cutest part, he kisses EVERYONE!  He is just so full of love that he has to run around and express it.  Cute, but not good for class time unfortunately :(

John:

As of late John has been the least enthusiastic student in orange class.  John does not want to be in class, John wants to play.  He's 4, I get it.. I'm not insulted.  I'd rather play with them too most days.  However, with John, this disinterest translates to angry outbursts and disruption.  Today John was all smiles, which was awesome.. but he was all -Lauren-teacher-i'm-way-too-cool-for-pants-shoes-or-my-chair!  It was just... special.  I could not keep him in one place, or his pants?  i don't know what was up with him.  Maybe he'll move to vancouver in his adult life and frequent wreck beach?  i don't even know.

Sally:

Bless her, she may have been the most chill out of everyone.  I feel so sorry for this little girl as she is the ONLY girl out of 7 children. Sometimes she shouts, but I don't think she realizes she's doing it.  For the most part she just stares at the goofy boys with her mouth open with the most adorable expression of contempt.  You know when they graduate to peach class she's going to be the boss.  Sally didn't finish her lolly, so Sally kind of just sat there with wide eyes watching the boys terrorize me.

Alliot:

Alliot is trouble.  I love Alliot, he's adorable and so so sweet.. he just has a lot of energy.  he actually handles sugar really well, but somedays his eyes glaze over and he just does the strangest things.  Today, he was perfect.  i was so surprised considering how insane the other boys were being... UP UNTIL SCIENCE CLASS.  He came up to the front of the class when I called him to help me, reached for the cup of water off my desk and dumped it over his own head. He did it so quickly I couldn't do anything to stop it.. it was a trainwreck in the blink of an eye.  like.. THANKS KID! Then ofcourse the principal walks in & gives me the stink eye.

TBC...

Bored Games

So this weekend was a well-budgeted, fairly relaxing scene.  Friday night, post private tutoring, I basically went home to my book.  I spoke with my mama on the phone and then went to sleep.

Saturday I woke up really early and attempted AGAIN to take a bus to the Israel House in Centum City where I am supposed to be helping them set up a Holocaust Education exhibit.  It is accessible by a train, a long walk and then a city bus.  The director told me to take the 181 3 stops past the KT Tower... and he assured me that they would announce that as a stop.  First of all, if they did it was in Korean. Second, '3 or 4 stops' is pretty nondescript.  I heard no announcement, and ended up in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere.  Needless to say, I was a little choked and it was very hot outside.  I was a sweaty, overwhelmed mess of a Lu.

I apologized for being a no-show for the second weekend in a row, and asked for more detailed travel directions (Hello! I'm new to this city! I'm not Korean!  I'm providing free labour!) and the response was, well, unsatisfying.  "A taxi from Centum City is 2,800 kw".  So I'm helping you, for free, undertaking a very complicated job that trained professionals (such as myself) would under normal circumstances charge a hefty fee for.  Now, I realize that I am new to the field and volunteer experience is necessary in order to contract myself out int he future.. and this space is in an arena that I have loads of experience in as a researcher and a curator.  But this is frustrating.  I should not have to pay to volunteer.. that is the first thing they teach you in volunteer resource management courses.  RED FLAGS?!  We'll see.  If they could just email me photos of some of the artefacts I could begin my work from home & have an idea of what sort of collection that I am working with... alas.. "There are too many artefacts for that".  THEN SEND SOME.

Anyways, Saturday night I napped and then went to Seomyeon to Rock & Roll Bar to meet Jenny.  Mark and his friend Brian joined us after.  We played Rumi and Poker, then Jenny and I explored Seomyeon at night.  LOUD music everywhere, with drunk koreans stumbling or napping in the streets.  This man tried to escort us into a club called BLACK FUN!  Gimme some of that!

It was another relatively early night, but I still managed to sleep until noon on Sunday.  Sunday was another fun board game night at Fully Booked full of delicious Paninis, Lattes, Trivial Pursuit, Catan, Checkers, Jenga... and ofcourse CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY!!!  That game is hilarious.

I'm really a fan of this sunday funday business, hoorah!  If more cute boys with accents decided to tag along I would not be opposed to that.

But now it's time to walk to work & teach the babies.
xo

This sums up everything I'm feeling today...

Art Class

Today in Kristi's art class with her 6 year olds, they had to draw portraits of their favourite teachers.

I GOT MY PORTRAIT DRAWN!!!  This is not MY class, this is a class that I see for one hour every Wednesday for Science & Gym!

The little girl who drew me is named Aliya, she is super cute.  She always wears the cutest dresses, and is always smiling.  Whenever I walk by this particular classroom, if the students see me, they yell HELLO LAUREN TEACHER!! LAUREN TEACHER!!!!  and I'll poke my head in and say a great big HELLO PEACH CLASS!!!!  I always give them little stickers & prizes in Science, so maybe that is why I am the favourite??

I will snap a picture of this masterpiece and post it.. she drew me with black hair, and caused a class debate over my hair colour.  They decided that my hair is "Golden".

ALL THE FEELS!!


I love children. <3

Is that too much to ask for?

Maybe do some Yoga.

In this moment, I am the happiest I have been in years.

My life is beautiful.

Escapism

The Comeback of Yoga

There was a time in my not so distant past that I felt really great about myself physically, I'm not so sure about the internal.. as that's something I have always let the externals interfere with.  I suppose letting the opinions of others weigh on how we see and decipher our own reflections is all apart of growing up.

Somedays I feel like once I stopped growing vertically, I made excuses for the fact that I began growing out horizontally.  Hormones, puberty, trauma.. blah blah blah.  Everyone constantly makes excuses for these things, and those who seek out to change the course of their bodies are seen as obsessive, vain, or weird.  I am living in quite possibly the most superficial society I have ever born witness to, a place where it's totally acceptable for people (grown ups, or even children) to call eachother ugly, or fat, or stupid.  This happens a lot back home too, but we're more prone to cry ourselves to sleep over it... or talk about our feelings to food, or the bottom of a wine bottle.  Maybe Korean's have the right away, don't like something? Change it.  It's your body.  Maybe that's easier said than done.. but starting tomorrow I'm making a few small changes that I hope bring a balance and bridge these two inner demons.

I'm joining one of the Korean teacher's yoga studios.  My dad practised yoga his entire life, he meditated over everything.  My dad was such a calming force in my life, that when he ceased to have that special power.. I felt so lost.  Being alone over here, and having the quiet time each and every morning to reflect on just how god damned lucky I am to have born who I was, and be where I am today has really made me think back to that calming effect he had on me.  I know that he would want me to figure that out for myself.

I used to love to hole up in the yoga studio of Fitness fanatx, to shut off all the lights & play music. I would just dance and dance and dance until my body was sore, but I was happy.  When I had that space, and that movement I was calm.  I knew where I was, what I could do, and who I could be.  I realize now that I have let that sense of self escape from me.. I allowed the superficial to get in, when I should not have done.  I stopped eating clean, because I allowed people's furrowed brows to make excuses for over eating, or having that extra glass of wine God himself knows I didn't need.  I drove places, instead of walking.  I let myself slide away, until the things I really.. truly cared about, where something I would look back on from under my covers at night.  I would wonder why people looked at me differently, or didn't treat me as that cute little girl anymore.  I'm not that cute little girl, there's no going back.  But there are things that I can do to make myself more at peace.  I can eat clean, I can cleanse.. I can keep this damn apartment tidy and cute, and keep my thoughts positive and look to the future.

Though I have lost bits and pieces of myself, I can certainly find new ones that fit in different places.  Regrouping, and rebuilding is a major part of this experience, and I do think that I am ready for that phase.  I can't take back a lot of the things that I have done or said in my past, but I can find a way to bring peace into my own heart.  With that, perhaps I can find a way to pave a better, more substantial future for myself in time.

I will never find in another human being the love and strength that I drew from my father, and in all honesty, there will never be another human being capable of dealing with my shenanigans in such a patient and understanding manner... but maybe I can learn to be that for myself.  I sure hope so.

I'm sure the combination of dance classes and yoga will set me on my way.  I'm also looking in to doing the Wild Rose Cleanse, but shipping's expensive and I'm not too sure about the laxative supplement.. because I work with small children for long hours and my helper teacher is almost never in the classroom.  This bladder has been on many roadtrips, but nothing as intense as teaching English in Korea.  ANYWAYS.  Yoga, yes, good.

Healthy mind, healthy body, happy Lauren.  We can hope.

To new beginnings?

Crepes, Crepes, Crepes!!

Mission accomplished, I made that tiny Korean kitchen my bitch!!

This was the end result...

The Champagne Peach Compote.. 

I picked up this massive frying pan from Costco for pancakes.. 

The end result.. awesome peachy crepes!!  OM NOM.

I encourage all expats to try this.  I fried up some bacon, made a savory crepe... cut up bananas, slathered on some nutella & sprinkled it with coconut... It's like Cafe Crepe up in hurr!!

Take that, kitchen-closet hybrid room!

After my last post I was really inspired to go about fixing that kitchen situation of mine.. and seeking out recipes of good things that I can make for myself at home really easily...

I'm going to start sharing these ideas with other expats.. just because we live far away from the comforts of our own homes doesn't mean we have to sacrifices our gastronomical happiness!

This first recipe is actually one of my favourites, my dad used to make EXCELLENT crepes for me & my brother as a special treat.  Mind you, he didn't do it often.. my mother rules all in the kitchen, and my dad always made a huge mess so it was always special when he did.  I am now getting flashbacks from when he let us make our own pizza dough.. oh god.. the flour was EVERYWHERE!

Back to the point, Crepes... they are magical!  I haven't had one since I have been to Korea... so... I snagged this recipe from one of my favourite food blogs, Dinner Vine, I will post later how they turned out... as now I have to go & pick up some fresh eggs, flour, butter, and peaches... all of which are really cheap to find as peaches are in season!

Wish me luck!

Crepes with Champagne Peaches & Yogurt

5

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yield: 4-5 small crepes

Serving Size: 1-2

French crepes are sweeter with fresh peach & Champagne compote, perfect for brunch or anytime!

What to get...

For the Crepes:
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 T butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• *extra butter for coating pan
For the Peach Compote:
• 2-3 peaches, ripe, yellow variety, sliced
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/3 cup Champagne
• 1T butter
• dash cinnamon
• dash ground cloves
• pinch salt
• Plain Greek yogurt, for topping
• Powdered sugar for topping

What to do...

Make Compote:
1. I make the crepe batter below first since it sits for 1 hour, and make compote while it sits
2. In a medium skillet on stove, melt tablespoon butter, coating pan. Arrange peach slices in an even layer and top with the brown sugar, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and then pour champagne over.
3. Heat on low, until peaches are tender to touch and juices have thickened, not stirring.
4. Set aside to cool until crepes are finished.
Make Crepes:
5. In a large mixing bowl combine: flour, sugar, salt, milk eggs and melted butter, whisking very well until combined (don't add water yet).
6. Transfer mixture into a bowl with lid and refrigerate for at least an hour (up to several).
7. When ready to make crepes, remove mixture and whisk in the 1/2 cup of water.
8. Coat a non-stick skillet (I used a 9.5 inch) with 1T of butter evenly and heat on low.
9. Pour some of crepe batter directly into center of preheated pan, enough to cover almost whole surface but before batter reaches the edges (about 1/3 cup for my size pan).
10. Let cook without disturbing until you can test edges are golden brown, ~a few mins (should lift from pan easily).
11. Once browned on first side, using a large spatula, flip crepe over & brown remaining side for a few minutes or less.
12. When done, transfer crepe to rack to cool as you cook remaining batter.
13. Plate crepes and spread half with Greek yogurt then layer of compote on top of yogurt, folding in half.
14. Top with powdered sugar and a sprinkle of regular sugar as desired.

Notes

Double this for 3+ people. (the hour prep time is due to the crepe batter having to sit idly), can make compote while batter rests. The riper peaches the better, mine were not as ripe as hoped, so add more sugar when making compote of this is the case. Substitute whipped cream or mascarpone for the Greek yogurt if you prefer. You can also sprinkle the plain yogurt with a little sugar if you like these on the sweeter side.