My Name is Toni Marshall and i'm a.....

Well the one thing I'm not is a smoker!  It's been five months smoke free.  You might want to take a moment to give me a round of applause!!  Being a non smoker is great and being a non smoker in Korea is even better but I have to say I've been tempted more than once whilst out here.  A lot of people smoke in South Korea and I often can smell smoke from my flat and even when I walk outside.  The last place I expected to smell cigarette smoke however was on ME!

Welcome to a world where the smoking ban is a mere memory....

To the left is the bar and to the right is the dance floor.  It's very dark here and the music is very loud; you'll recognise a track or two and things aren't too different from home...except... Ouch!  I can't believe that!  Did you see that guy?  I don't know which guy.  The guy who just dropped his cigarette on my foot!  To all those who said smoking should be brought back to pubs and clubs, I have a message for you:  you're wrong!  Once upon time I used to moan about going outside in the wet and the cold to spark one up but after waking up with a hangover and smelling the cigarette smoke clinging to my hair I can well and truly say the UK has the right idea!

Whilst I may have said goodbye to the demon weed, my addiction has been replaced by another, and I didn't see this one coming.  I'd like to introduce you to Kimchi, the Korean national dish.  Korean food deserves an entire blog on of it's own but for now I'll just wet your appetite.  So, what is Kimchi?

Kimchi (kim-chee)

noun 

A Korean dish made of cabbage that is salted, seasoned, and stored in sealed containers to undergo lactic acid fermentation.

That's right I'm going all gaa-gaa about rotting cabbage.  Sexy.

I can honestly say the first time I tried it I choked on it I thought it was so bad, it is afterall very very spicy cabbage!  And from then on it was just a social thing…  Go on have a bit of Kimchi!  And then before I knew it my chopsticks were poised for the minute the waitress placed that spicy goodness on the table.  I'm not the only one mad on the stuff either.  Ask my class if they'd rather have a visit from Santa Claus or a bowl full of Kimchi, I'm not convinced Santa would win.  If you ever come to Korea beware the Kimchi, it's very moreish.  My name is Toni Marshall and I am addicted to Kimchi!

Until next time!

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When is a brick just a brick?

First week teaching this week. I see six or so different classes a day and each class varies in age and ability. Remembering names can be hard!! Luckily for me though the children at the school have all adopted an English name. There are many Sophias, Tonys and Erics and a couple with much more distinctive names.....

Toni: Hello my name is Toni. What is your name?

Child : Bin.

Toni: Ben?

Child : No, Bin.

Toni: Ben?

Child : No, Bin. B. I. N.

Toni: Oh Bin. Well hello Bin. And who are you?

Child: He's Daddy.

I have to admit the children with the more memorable names are far easier to remember and they know they have unusual names and you can almost see it coming as they hesitate to tell you their names. Teaching is OK and the day normally passes quite quickly. I work in two school so it is great to see two differing environments and how they are managed differently.

The Medical

One of the requirements of my visa is that i undertake a medical. This involves a hearing, dental, and eye test as well as giving a sample of blood and urine. I was also required to give a chest x-ray. As you can imagine a medical is a joyful occasion. Not. All seemed to be going well until my chest X-ray. The Dr positioned me into the x-ray position and i stood there for a minute or two. The Dr then gestured at me to get out of the position i was stood in, and another Dr joined him. They stared at the machine and started having a rather heated discussion. Now, as an ex smoker i was a little worried. Well, very worried and was wondering why the hell i hadn't learnt the phrase - "Dr, what's wrong?" before leaving the country. The two Drs continued staring at the machine talking heatedly. Then the Dr on the left switched the machine off....and then on again.... repositioned me and took an X-ray. Glad to see some things are the same the world round....

Brick.

When i was having a good look around my flat i noticed something...well...peculiar. Next to my television was a brick. Well, a brick wrapped in toilet paper. Just a bog standard brick wrapped in toilet tissue. I wondered to myself what could this mean? Was it something spiritual perhaps? Something to ward of bad spirits? Perhaps it had a practical use that my western eyes were oblivious to. I had to find out. As soon as i saw my co-worker i questioned him about the origins of the brick? He looked at me blankly.

Turns out, sometimes a brick is just a brick.....

Until next time!!