As a teacher, I genuinely care for my students and want them to do well and succeed. Sometimes I have horrible classes and it drains me and makes me wonder why I am doing this but then something like the following happens:
We were playing a game similar to hangman, I put a phrase up. It was "Kara is a mean teacher." The class got "Ka-a -- a -ea- -ea-her" They knew most of the words but not "mean". The dialogue between the group was as follows:
Kara is a teal teacher?
Kara is a real teacher?
Kara is a head teacher?
Kara is a mean teacher?
NOOOO. It is not that. No! (there was much objection from almost the entire class)
They ended up guessing "Kara is a real teacher" and it was wrong. The next group guessed it correct but saying they didn't think it was that. When I wrote it on the board, the class was like "TEACHER!! NO! LIES!!" It really hit me that these kids don't think I am mean, even if I have some mean policies in my class. Made me feel good.
Additionally and off topic, this class also told me that I don't need to diet and that I am beautiful as I am and that diets are dumb and I should eat lunch with them today because it was a good lunch. Got to love kids who are supportive. I am truly happy, even if I have bad or off days.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Start of the semester and...
It never fails. Every time I come back from vacation, I get sick. Never fails. Seems like it always happens. Normally it is just a small cold, like it is this time, but I have been really sick before. Something about being around all these germ infested teenagers and having a weak immune system. I would have hoped that after two years here, I would be used to the germs but does not seem to be the case. If only. Until that point, I will suffer through and take some medicine.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Dieting in South Korea
I have been on this journey of fitness and health for a while now. I went on a diet in May and have been on one ever sense. Though there have been some slip ups during that time. About 6 weeks ago, I started working out on the regular. I go to the gym 4 days a week, and weight train with cardio exercises. Trying to accelerate my progress. Which is what I want to talk about. How it is expensive and difficult it is to be on a diet in Korea.
First, diet foods. I am counting calories but also trying to eat more fresh ingredients. My normal day looks like this:
Breakfast:
Whole Wheat Toast (1 slice)
Fried Egg
Cheese
Snack:
Piece of Fruit
Lunch:
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Carrots
Two Boiled Egg Whites
Dinner:
Tuna or Chicken
Rice
Now, sometimes dinner is changed but the contents are similar. A carbohydrate, protein and some vegetable. As you can tell I eat a lot of eggs, vegetables, and tuna. Eggs aren't really that expensive here. Pretty reasonable for Korea actually and my school sells them, so they are organic and free range. Which I love knowing. However, that is the only thing that is not expensive. I pay so much for the fresh fruit and vegetables I get. For instance, a bag of peaches can cost about $10, and only last me for one week. I could get a lot more for the price in America. Or apples. Or really any fruit. Fruit, even locally grown, is crazy expensive here and a luxury but one that I pay for. Additionally, I pick the cheap vegetables. Cucumbers, carrots, and tomatoes are comparable to the US in price but there are so many things that are not. Potatoes are really expensive here. As are asparagus. Really most vegetables aside from cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, radish (Korean), or romaine lettuce are really crazy in price. Don't even get me started on how hard it is to find certain types of food. The cheese I buy is packed with protein (which is good for muscle growth) but costs $5 for a small amount. Meat is crazy here. A can of tuna can cost $3 for 100g (a small can). My grocery bill is small because it is just me but I am still spending about $30 to eat about 1,200 to 1,400 calories a day. It is crazy to me. Eating out would be cheaper in some cases.
Secondly, the gym. Memberships are comparable to the US. I pay about $50 a month to be part of my gym (which is a discount I got for paying for 3 months up front and in cash). The huge difference is the equipment and such. It took me forever to find a gym that had the workout equipment that I wanted for lifting. Most of the ones I visited would have a huge section for cardio workouts but a small tiny forgotten section for weights. The gym I go to is tiny (we are talking the size of Mom and Dads dining/living room) but they had a good setup when it came to weights. They didn't have everything that I wanted but they had enough. However, the cardio options in Yeoju suck!!! All they have are treadmills and maybe 4 stationary bikes, if you are lucky. The treadmills do not offer inclines and really are only there for walking. I had to deal with it because I really wanted the weights. The cardio makes it difficult to change up your routine, which is vital when it comes to cardio and weight loss. You need to change it up with inclines and speeds as you progress and I can't do that. Now, I have heard of wonderful gyms that are similar to back home but they are in larger cities and they cost a lot of money. Something I do not have. So, I am stuck compromising.
All of this being said and complained about, I am okay with it. I think I would have to compromise on things in the US too. I also think that this weight loss journey would be a lot harder at home too because I would have access to everything that I love. (i.e. mom's cooking) I have lost about 7 kg (14ish pounds) so far and still working on it. I am dedicated and hopefully soon I will see results.
First, diet foods. I am counting calories but also trying to eat more fresh ingredients. My normal day looks like this:
Breakfast:
Whole Wheat Toast (1 slice)
Fried Egg
Cheese
Snack:
Piece of Fruit
Lunch:
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Carrots
Two Boiled Egg Whites
Dinner:
Tuna or Chicken
Rice
Now, sometimes dinner is changed but the contents are similar. A carbohydrate, protein and some vegetable. As you can tell I eat a lot of eggs, vegetables, and tuna. Eggs aren't really that expensive here. Pretty reasonable for Korea actually and my school sells them, so they are organic and free range. Which I love knowing. However, that is the only thing that is not expensive. I pay so much for the fresh fruit and vegetables I get. For instance, a bag of peaches can cost about $10, and only last me for one week. I could get a lot more for the price in America. Or apples. Or really any fruit. Fruit, even locally grown, is crazy expensive here and a luxury but one that I pay for. Additionally, I pick the cheap vegetables. Cucumbers, carrots, and tomatoes are comparable to the US in price but there are so many things that are not. Potatoes are really expensive here. As are asparagus. Really most vegetables aside from cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, radish (Korean), or romaine lettuce are really crazy in price. Don't even get me started on how hard it is to find certain types of food. The cheese I buy is packed with protein (which is good for muscle growth) but costs $5 for a small amount. Meat is crazy here. A can of tuna can cost $3 for 100g (a small can). My grocery bill is small because it is just me but I am still spending about $30 to eat about 1,200 to 1,400 calories a day. It is crazy to me. Eating out would be cheaper in some cases.
Secondly, the gym. Memberships are comparable to the US. I pay about $50 a month to be part of my gym (which is a discount I got for paying for 3 months up front and in cash). The huge difference is the equipment and such. It took me forever to find a gym that had the workout equipment that I wanted for lifting. Most of the ones I visited would have a huge section for cardio workouts but a small tiny forgotten section for weights. The gym I go to is tiny (we are talking the size of Mom and Dads dining/living room) but they had a good setup when it came to weights. They didn't have everything that I wanted but they had enough. However, the cardio options in Yeoju suck!!! All they have are treadmills and maybe 4 stationary bikes, if you are lucky. The treadmills do not offer inclines and really are only there for walking. I had to deal with it because I really wanted the weights. The cardio makes it difficult to change up your routine, which is vital when it comes to cardio and weight loss. You need to change it up with inclines and speeds as you progress and I can't do that. Now, I have heard of wonderful gyms that are similar to back home but they are in larger cities and they cost a lot of money. Something I do not have. So, I am stuck compromising.
All of this being said and complained about, I am okay with it. I think I would have to compromise on things in the US too. I also think that this weight loss journey would be a lot harder at home too because I would have access to everything that I love. (i.e. mom's cooking) I have lost about 7 kg (14ish pounds) so far and still working on it. I am dedicated and hopefully soon I will see results.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Long Hiatus...
Sorry for the long break from posting. It has been really crazy for me for the past few months. I have had very little down time to post on here. Things have happened, obviously, but I haven't been able to update this blog because of obligations. Which I will now explain.
First, my schedule for the year increased from 18 classes to 23 classes in a week. That did not allow me much time to sit on the computer and write a blog. I could not write during the school day because I would often have to plan lessons or fix papers or do something for my classes. On top of that, I had many days where I only had an hour break the entire day. It was rough but do-able. It just did not allow me much time to update.
Outside of school things have been busy as well. Most of you remember that I went on a diet back in March or so. I had only been watching my food intake for a few months but was only seeing small results. About 1 kg a week but nothing drastic when it came to the look of my body. I was not happy with the results, so I decided to join a gym. Starting at the end of June, I started working out after work 4 days a week, for about 2 hours each time. This has helped me lose inches around most places and tighten up my body. I haven't really lost any weight but I am building muscle and such. Because of this I don't have much time during the week to update my blog. A normal day for me is work, gym, dinner, relaxing (with a book or watching tv), and then sleep by 10:30. I honestly have very little time, which is fine. I like it this way. Schedules are nice.
As for the weekends. I have not talked about this on here but most of you are probably aware that JiHoon and I broke up when he was in Germany for his training. It was for a lot of reasons but basically he caved to his mother and gave up on our relationship and started to treat me in a bad way, which caused me to give up on our relationship. When we broke up it was mutual and I was honestly ready for it. And at this point it is what it is and I am fine with it. That being said, I am SINGLE! Being single, I have been going on a lot of dates, which usually occur in Seoul on Saturdays or Fridays. So I am not home on those nights/days. Sundays are my cleaning and laundry days. So my weekends have been very busy. Like the rest of my life.
Now, that being said, I have plenty of things to post. I will try to update the blog every week or every other week. I think it will be do-able and I will try hard. I realize that some of you were concerned but I am doing well even if I am busy! :D
First, my schedule for the year increased from 18 classes to 23 classes in a week. That did not allow me much time to sit on the computer and write a blog. I could not write during the school day because I would often have to plan lessons or fix papers or do something for my classes. On top of that, I had many days where I only had an hour break the entire day. It was rough but do-able. It just did not allow me much time to update.
Outside of school things have been busy as well. Most of you remember that I went on a diet back in March or so. I had only been watching my food intake for a few months but was only seeing small results. About 1 kg a week but nothing drastic when it came to the look of my body. I was not happy with the results, so I decided to join a gym. Starting at the end of June, I started working out after work 4 days a week, for about 2 hours each time. This has helped me lose inches around most places and tighten up my body. I haven't really lost any weight but I am building muscle and such. Because of this I don't have much time during the week to update my blog. A normal day for me is work, gym, dinner, relaxing (with a book or watching tv), and then sleep by 10:30. I honestly have very little time, which is fine. I like it this way. Schedules are nice.
As for the weekends. I have not talked about this on here but most of you are probably aware that JiHoon and I broke up when he was in Germany for his training. It was for a lot of reasons but basically he caved to his mother and gave up on our relationship and started to treat me in a bad way, which caused me to give up on our relationship. When we broke up it was mutual and I was honestly ready for it. And at this point it is what it is and I am fine with it. That being said, I am SINGLE! Being single, I have been going on a lot of dates, which usually occur in Seoul on Saturdays or Fridays. So I am not home on those nights/days. Sundays are my cleaning and laundry days. So my weekends have been very busy. Like the rest of my life.
Now, that being said, I have plenty of things to post. I will try to update the blog every week or every other week. I think it will be do-able and I will try hard. I realize that some of you were concerned but I am doing well even if I am busy! :D
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