So every time a foreigner gets sick in Korea now, the schools go CRAZY and say it is Swine Flu!

Michael had to just get tested for swine flu in Seoul ... and now my friend Jason might have to get tested too... and then might just end up in quaranteen for 10 days if he is infected... and if he is infected than I am infected! AHHHH!!!!!!

I'm actually not worried about it at all. None of us have been to Mexico. And Koreans like to be a little over-dramatic about stuff.

My open-class went really well last thursday... And I had a really nice weekend in Busan.

This week has been mondo-busy... hanging out with some new friends. We might start a band! lol

As for this weekend, I'm just goig to take it easy and enjoy it at the beach!

I found out that this summer I only have to do one week of summer English camp! Which means I get almost a whole month off!!!!!!! And ten days of that I get to spend out of Korea! How great is that!?? I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet... I might go to China and I also want to go to Jeju Island... so we will see!

love,

Vivian

Hey Guys!

Thanks SO MUCH for your support and nice words during my homesick lonely days.... I'm feeling MUCH better now....

Here is a new video post! Hope you enjoy....



love,

Vivian

SO I've been ridiculously sick the past three weeks or so... have had non-stop un-normalness in my digestion (which is all i'm going to say) and lots and lots of stomach pain. Just recently I was hit wiht another cold where headache, sinus ache, swollen glands and fever sprung... I missed two days of school and so the school wanted me to prove that I was really sick by taking me to the hospital (they want teachers to teach first, be sick second... as in, come to school sick and spread the germs to everyone!!! blahhhh)

So... i went to the hospital at 1pm yesterday with my co-teacher... and lo and behold the doctor poked me in places where I've never felt such pain in my life... Then he sent me to do an ultrasound... where the lady asks me "Do you know "Appendicitis"? And I'm like.... oh shit.

So I start balling when I find out that I have to get my appendix taken out IMMEDIATELY... i mean... do I trust these foreign doctors? I just want to go home!

By this time it's like 3:30... I go do some more tests, x rays all that stuff... go to the washroom and cry for a bit... come back... "oh you have 20 minutes before your operation"

WHAT! Like I can't even think!??

"It's an emergency!"

Wow....

SO after trying to call people and not really getting a response from anyone, i finally call my mom (it is 4 in the morning her time, 5pm here)... and she is okay with it... so I feel better. That's when my co-teacher starts to ball.... "she must be so worried about you!" My co-teacher is the sweetest woman alive.

So I get on the drugs... go through the operation, still crying for some reason. Just extra home sick I think.

Come out... do some more crying. Feel the most INTENSE PAIN of my life!

And now I'm stuck here for like 3 days... My friend Alicia came to visit last night... and today my Irish friends are supposed to come and perhaps my friend Sean... who knows who else. My phone is dead right now so there is not a lot I can do... and I have 5 minutes of computer time left before my money runs out.

Yes................................. okay I love everyone.

It's alex's birthday today (April 25) so wish him a happy one if you talk to him!

love love love

Vivian

Here is a short update from Busan:

He's with me in my apartment now! I missed him SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!

Here is my third video post from Busan S. Korea...



Enjoy!

So I posted another video on my facebook profile if you guys want to check it out... This may be a direct link:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=70232473071&saved#/video/video.php?v=70232473071&ref=mf

But of coarse it may not work either... We'll see!

Life in Korea has been treating me very well as of late... Made dinner for my co-teacher on Friday night, her and I are getting along splendidly... i really love her! I'm so lucky that I've been placed with such an excellent co-teacher.

I should be getting my Alien Registration Card soon which means that I can finally get a cell phone and do internet banking and stuff like that... I can't wait!

I'm REALLY poor right now... I have about 15$ to my name... but this is okay because I will be paid on WEDNESDAY!!!

In other news, I am going to EPIK's (English Program in Korea) second orientation on March 26 (Thursday) because I missed the first orientation... (If you all remember my super frustration about this)... That should be REALLY fun! So I'm going to be in Seoul this week from Thursday to Monday! I will be seeing Michael and getting my little dog Charlie back!!! YAYY!!!

I miss Charlie SOOOO MUCH I have NEVER been away from him like this before... But Michael has been doing me SUCH a HUGE favour by keeping him for me... I really should get him an awesome present to thank him for this.... maybe some really nice face products or something since he likes that stuff :) ... Michael is a saviour. Thank god he convinced me to come to Korea ... I am actually having the time of my life.

So this has been a wonderful first month in Korea with only ONE bad experience (which I talk about in my video post)... I've made a lot of delightful friends... Including a lovely Irish couple that I will be chillin' with later tonight (they live in the building next door to mine!).

I miss everyone though! Please stay in touch!!!!!!! I will be sending mail very shortly! Send me your address if you haven't already!

<3 loooove,

Vivian

Heyyyyy duders.... So I've posted some photos directly from Photobucket... please let me know if you can't see them and I'll try to post them another way (that isn't tooooo time consuming)...

I hope everyone is well... I really want to send some mail soon, I haven't really had a chance yet. Soon enough I will be more organized and send out little packages of loooove... :)

so yes... go see my video post on my facebook profile page if you haven't already seen it... and also let me know if you can't see the photos posted below!

LOVE YOU!


xoxoxoxoxo Vivian

( Click Here!!! )


More pictures of Busan to come!!!

bought an amazing camera... gonna post some sweet pix soon!

Here is me address:

Vivian Thomas
Busan City, Hae-woon-dae-gu, Gung I-dong
Chung-ma Maius Apartment
102 dong, 503 ho, 612 011
South Korea

Please post me your address and I'll send you something nice :)

love,

Vivy

One of my favourite things about my school is that the children clean it every morning and every afternoon...

This is good for soooo many reasons:

1) The children learn how to clean
2) It is a group activity and encourages interaction
3) COGNITIVE SKILLS!
4) Most Importantly: This creates PRIDE in their school and in their work, these children would never damage or dirty their school - they are PROUD of it!

- Sports tomorrow in the Gym with other Korean teachers
- Volleyball and/or swimming with Sora (my awesome co-teacher)
- Trip to the Busan Aquarium
- Hike up an awesome mountain and see a temple
- Visit buddhist temple or several temples and maybe do a temple-stay
- Scuba-dive!
- Surfing
- Taekwondo lessons
- Korean lessons for beginners or expats
- Visit Jeju Island
- Visit Japan

I'm learning a little bit of Korean here and there, just being around it is making me learn.

Here is what I know:

Annyong - Hello between friends
Annyong Haseyo - Hello (respectful)
Annyong hiCaseyo - goodbye
Annyong hicyeseyo - goodbye if I'm the one leaving the room
Annyong hi jumuseyo - goodnight

Comsahamida - Thank you
Comapsseumnida - (warm) thank you between friends

Aju - very

Gonbaiy! - cheers!

Yes: ne/ye
no: aniyo

it's delicious: masit-sseumnida as in "kimchi massit-sseumnida" .. "this Kimchi is delicious"! or "kimchi aju massit-sseumnida" ... this kimchi is VERY delicious!

Jot-sseumnida is: ok/good/like ... "korea jot-sseumnida" I like Korea ... "Korea aju jot-sseumnida" I really like Korea!

Nice to meet you: mannaseo bangap-sseumnida

I don't understand: mot ara du ross o yo

coooool!!!!

Korea is amazing.

I am at my elementary school right now and the English classroom is HUGE! There is even a little staged section called "Story Land" ... I absolutely LOVE it here!

Everyone is SUPER NICE. My co-teacher's name is Sora (Zora) and she is awesome!

I settled into my new apartment on Sunday... It is bigger than my apartment was in Toronto and it is all new and very clean and modern and chic! There are marble counter-tops and streamlined fridge and cupboards. The stove is gas... I even have a little bar/nook counter with stools!

My school bought me over $3000 in new stuff! Including a vacuume cleaner, a rice cooker, a toaster oven, a Flat Screen TV and Korean DVD player! They bought me dishes and utensils and towels and all sorts of stuff!!!!! I felt like it was Christmas or my birthday! I've never had such a good shopping trip! I even get a brand new double bed with brand new sheets, pillows and duvet!!!

Busan is more beautiful than you can ever imagine! And SOO WARM! It's "winter" here and I find it too hot for a coat! There are gorgeous mountains and beautiful ocean!

Charlie and I arrived safe and sound at the airport... He was making a racket because he doesn't like to be locked in a crate... it was funny because all the korean people were STARING at us. Finally we went through the security and animal place and it took about 15 minutes. Then I let him out and he stopped barking. He was a very happy doggie. He is currently with Michael in Seoul until I'm all settled here in Busan!

My first meal when I arrived was called "triangle Gimbop- or Kimbop" and it is like sushi!! Rice with meat wrapped in seaweed! mmmmmm soo gooood!!!!!! There is sooooo much sushi (gimbop) and Japanese food here it is crazy! I've been eating all kinds of seafood and delicious Korean traditional food which is also SOOO YUMMY!

I went to the fish market the other day and it was HUGE I've never seen a market so big! It blew the market in Madrid away by far! there are so many cool clothes and cool stuff and amazing food and amazing things.... Korea is the coolest. And the people here are so cute and pretty and sooo nice. But most people don't speak English or speak very little English. Except for the children - Children always say "hello How are you?" to me!!! It's hilarious! Children are the best here!

It isn't difficult to get around in Busan either. The subway is very simple and the streets are laid out very well. Most of the signs have English on them so it is easy to understand... So far I've ridden the bus and the subway. Both are good! I have to take a bus to school but it is very fast - only 25 minutes! And everything is really cheap.. super inexpensive.

I'm living in the Heaundae beach area of Busan which is notoriously the BEST area of Busan! Everyone at the Orientation was jelous that I am living here! It is beautiful and I am very very very close to the beach! I have made a couple new friends and I am very happy.

So far life is good. More than good. I have not been this happy in a long time.... I really feel I made the right decision in coming here...

more to come soon...

- Vivian

Finally!

There is so much to tell you all! I will as soon as I get the internet!!!!!!!!!

So far Korea is overwhelmingly AWESOME.

Got my VISA today.

Leave for Korea on Tuesday!

Arrive on the 26th at 3:30am...


Finally.

Indefinitely ... I may not leave until the 5th of March.

The good news is - Even if I miss the orientation, I still have a job in Korea.

So... I am not yet in KOREA! Believe it or not.

I am waiting for the Korean Consulate to tell me that my VISA is ready to be picked up. There is no expedited service and I've already missed two flights!!! Every time I re-book my flight it costs me $100 and if I have to re-book it again tomorrow that means I've already spent $300 on re-booking! :((((

My EPIK (English Program in Korea) training starts on the 20th and I am definitely going to miss the beginning, if not, the whole darn thing! ... Because of the simple reason that EPIK did not send me my necessary documents until LAST MONDAY which meant that I could not apply for the E2 visa until Tuesday! It's now been 6 business days.... and I am still waiting waiting waiting waiting.... It could take 5-10 business days (or longer, without notice!). I am more than upset. I am furious. OUTRAGED!

This is the worst situation ever. I have no control over the time it takes for them to process my visa... And I'm stuck in Welland until their website gives me a little message that says "Your VISA is now Processed"....

Things in Welland are more than bad... The atmosphere is all together depressing. Everyone is sad. Everyone has lost their jobs... there is no money... doors are closing left, right and centre. We are just waiting for the economy to make a final collapse... Welland was really hit with a bomb.

My friends have been wonderful though... and super supportive. I'm so lucky to have such great friends here and in Toronto! If I ever do go to Korea, I will miss them tremendously.

In the meantime, feel free to call me in Welland - I'm almost ALWAYS home - 905-732-5562. The only tricky thing is - If I go out, Charlie has to come with me. This is because If I lock him up by himself he wimpers, screams and cries and keeps my parents up and they really don't like that (obviously)... so I can't leave him here without me.

YIKES. I really just want to get this over with. I'm supposed to BE THERE by now!!!!!!!!!! And I'm slowly falling into more and more debt..... Living here..without work.... urggggggggg sigghhhhhhh

For anyone who wants to talk to me while I'm in Korea:


go to www.skype.com and download the free program. It works on ANY interface!

Then add me to your list. My Skype username is: Auntviv8

I am always logged on so just message me and we can chat or I can "call you" on your computer and we can talk or even see each other in real time! FOR FREE!

love,

Vivian

So last week was full of sad thoughts ... a beautiful life was taken from us and from my very good friend Matt Cote.... Ellie will be very very missed. I can hear her speaking inside my head still. I don't know if it will ever really set in.... You never really feel it until you think of them and then it's shocking... oh yeah... they're gone.

Thank you to my wonderful friends who came to visit me in Toronto two fridays ago... thanks to all the wonderful friends I've seen in between....

Saw some movies last week in Welland: He's just not that Into You and Coraline in 3D - both AWESOME.

I've been playing lots of Nintendo DS and watching tons of movies.... Spending time with friends and umm "packing" in between... I'm sort of ready to go... not quite yet. I'm a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to this stuff... I know that on the day of I will be scrambling to put together the perfect suitcase...

Wednesday I'm going to have a "pub night" with a few friends and Saturday I will have some friends over for a possible "party"... we will see!

Then SUNDAY - I'm off.

I'm sorry this post isn't very interesting... I'm just waiting in anticipation for my journey to begin!!!

love, Vivian