Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

- the Hyatt Hotel, decorated trees-
Hey guys,

yes, I'm still alive. This month I was really lazy, sorry. I always want to write at home instead of at work, because I would like to add some of my pictures, but I am hardly at home. This week I stayed in Incheon over night two times, because I had to give English lessons, an hour each on Tuesday and Wednesday. It's pretty stressful. Right after work I rush to the metro, jump in and go on a one and a half hour trip to Incheon. Catch a cab there and drive to Mrs. Choi's house, where I teach 12-14 year old kids, each class about seven of them... very stressful. I know now, why I never wanted to become a teacher. You would think that Korean kids are really nice and cute. Well, I think at this age, all children around the world are obnoxious. Especially when they already have class the whole day, they think with a young foreign teacher they don't have to concentrate or listen any more, only play games and have fun. Well, but I like them, they are all nice, just a little bit stressful. So after class I stay in Incheon and go to work from there in the morning. Which means again stress. Catch the bus, catch the metro and hopefully a seat (don't like to stand in a really crowded metro for one hour) and finally run to work. Well, I try to see it optimistically... sport in the morning is certainly healthy. :-)

Enough complaining. I am exaggerating anyway.
Last week I had vaccation, which actually might be one of the reasons why I haven't written for so long. Starring at the computer the whole time at work, I was happy not having to look at it at home. During my vaccation we first visited Jang-hee's parents in Ilsan, where we had to stay over night again... we should have stayed even another night, but I rejected. This was already my third stay over night at his parents' house, which is a real honor for me, since you would probably not see that in another family. On Sunday we went to a hill outside of Ilsan with the parents and the sister and took a walk in the park there, looking at a museum and small temples. Since it was really cold, nobody was in the mood for a picnic in the car, as Jang-hee's mom had planned it. He says she is a country girl, which is why she likes those sort of things. She is a country girl, just like me, with the exception that the city where she comes from is probably 100 times bigger than mine. They even call Busan (about 4,5 mio. people) country... hello?! In Germany we don't even have a city that big. Berlin is only about 3,5 mio.
Well, after Ilsan we went to Seoul again, stayed there over night and went to Incheon where we stayed from Monday until Friday.
Oh, and I got a great Christmas present from Jang-hee. A couple-ring for both of us. It's really pretty. We chose it together. In Germany or Europe we only usually have two events where both get a ring, engagement and wedding. Well, in Korea there are three. I like that. :-) We already bought them on Tuesday. Afterwards I had to give my first two lessons. The rest of the week we just stayed at home, slept a lot, ate good food and watched movies at home and in the movie theatre (King Kong - don't really recommend it, well, maybe because it's not really my idea of a good movie).

For the Christmas weekend we went home to Seoul. On Saturday the 24th I went to church, a German church service. It was held for the protestant and katholic German community in Seoul. Somehow it was good, but also not really what I am used to from my times in Germany. So even after the church service, I still didn't really get into the mood for Christmas. At home four of Jang-hee's friends and Britta (another intern at the chamber) came and we ate German noodle salad, I had made, normal salad, Britta had made, a Korean dish with shells, which was really delicious and cake. We ate all that together, which was a weird mix in my opinion. The cake culture here in Korea is rather different. We ate the cake together with the other food, with chop sticks and spoons, without putting pieces on a plate. Everybody just ate right from the big cake. In Korea you always eat from the same plates. I don't mind that.
After eating, conversations, which were a mixture of Korean, German and English, we went down to Itaewon to go to a club, but stayed there only a little bit. Afterwards we wanted to go to the Hyatt, but the entrance fee that evening for the club there was 50,000 won (45 Euros), so we just went home. By then only Jang-hee, his friend Indong and I were left, so we played cards until three. It's a traditional Korean card game, called Go-Stop. Jang-hee and Jae-woo had taught me how to play it and I really like it. Well, seems like it, because I totally won! We played for money, so I made some extra 2,000 won, not much, but anyway. I think Jang-hee regretted, that he had taught me so well. :-)
Next day everybody helped cleaning up, which was really nice. I hardly had to do anything. The apartment was cleaner than before the party.
In the afternoon everybody was gone and I enjoyed my last free day with Jang-hee. In the evening we went to Myong-dong, a big shopping area close to city hall. I bought myself a nice bag and we just strolled throught the streets, full of people.

Well, now I am back in my normal work life. Unfortunately there is not much to do this week, so today time goes by rather slowly. Fortunately tomorrow we will stop working earlier, I think because most of the big bosses are on vaccation, there is not much work and because on Saturday is new year's eve. But before we will go to lunch together, everybody who is at work right now. Can't wait.

I guess this is more or less what happened during last and this week.
Pictures will be added as soon as I am at home and have time to do so.

Wish you all a delayed Merry Christmas, moreover a good start into the new year and health and luck for 2006!!