I'M HOME!!!!!

Final hours

My plane leaves in less than 35 hours, I still have a full day of teaching ahead of me and a dinner with my fabulous Korean friends. This has been an AMAZING, INCREDIBLE year and I have totally loved it, although right now my feet are itchy as hell and I just want to board that plane! The new adventure is about to begin, first stop after Korea is Kuala Lumpur, then back to fabulous blighty, home of burgundy passports and my amazing family and friends. The next week is all change, as I get my haircut, enroll in Uni, finish the pre-course coursework/reading and hang out with my bestest friends. I am so excited/nervous/anxious i feel like i may vomit. The tension was relieved when, despite having to post yet ANOTHER box home, i managed to get my suitcase to 18 kilos!

for those that care twitter.com/jescalouis

I plan to 'tweet' my way home.... for the entire journey of approximately 45 hours door to door.

Why I want to stay in Korea

Single figures

I have five days left at work, seven days left in Korea and nine days until I'm home.

For some reason, I have a feeling that those final five aren't going to run as smoothly as I'd hoped.

Oh well, on a positive note, I have booked my haircut, and a doctors appointment AND two dinner dates with some fabulous people.

War Museum

Last Saturday I headed to the War Memorial Museum of Korea, in Seoul (Samgakchi). I had been meaning to visit for a while, and with Korea still technically at war, I thought it was intrigued to have a look at their 'take' on War History.

Despite trying my best to be interested in guns, missiles and the strategy, I totally failed, and focussed on the things I usually like looking at..

Name-tags, possibly the most beautiful name tags in the world?

Used as military underlay, I could definitely wear it as a dress...

Sunday goings on

Well, contrary to the post title, I'm not really going anywhere, instead i'm just hanging in my apartment and indulging myself in the fact I don't really have to do anything, if I don't want to. So far, i've watched a bizarre film called 'Russian Doll' with Hugo weaving, 'F@llow me' on OnStyle, a program I am relatively obsessed with despite the fact it's Korean, and I have no idea what's actually going on! I'm now into my third hour of ANTM re-runs, and the most productive thing I have done is wander downtown for further indulgence (buy nice food). I came back with, amongst other things a 'Pink cloud' from Tous Le Jours, a french korean cake shop, which was so beautiful and so tasty i totally forgot to take a photo, which just gives me an excuse to buy another one before I leave.... Today is clearly one of those days where i'm saying 'F*uck food intolerance's, it's so pretty!'........

PGCE Pending

Today I got sent an email asking me to fill in some online forms ahead of my PGCE enrollment on September 9th, they also included my student number, email address, passwords and the details off my first course seminar. I know only have a mere 13 days left in Korea, it's mental, and i'm really excited about heading back to Uni. I have, however, SOOO much to do in the days between arriving back home and heading back to London it's crazy, especially when all i'm going to want to do is recover from the previous 369 days by sleeping in my own bed.

Dr Fish

Dr Fish is a process in which you stick your tootsies into a bath full of fish and they eat away the dead skin. I have been meaning to have this experience for a while, but finding the time to get to Gangnam from Munsan has always been a bit of an issue, it's just so out the way. Anyhow, a few weeks ago I decided that this Saturday the 21st of August would be the day. It's also the designated day to do everything in Seoul I will kick myself if I don't do (War museum, Leeum Art museum, Jongymo Shrine) all bits that i've planned to do but never actually made it. The process is apparently painless but rather ticklish, it's also really cheap, around 2000 won for 15 minutes ish, (about £1).

However, thanks to last weekends jaunt to Sokcho, where i decided to wear my flipflops on the Sunday, get them sodding wet by walking in the sea, cover them in sand and then walk around in them for a further 8 plus hours a now have a feck off blister on my right foot and can't go. I'm not happy. Apparently your feet have to be free from any 'mank' such as cuts or scabs or weak skin etc because the fish are stupid and will just eat it off you, so then it gets even worse.

I'm praying that the stupid blistererous monster will heal itself so I can just wake up early and go next weekend, before I go to Dragon Hill, if not the Dragon Hill ladies are sure to just bash off the dead skin anyway, and then I wont need Dr Fish...

Still, the whole thing sucks.

two and a half weeks...

Things I will miss...

1. The people - From my Munsan wonderland homegirls Jenny & Mary, to those Geumcheon rivals (Shauna I mean you!) , to the genuinely fabulous 'waeguk's' I have met along the way...

To the Korean staff I work with in particularly Jenny Teacher!

And my AMAZING students

in particular the following - the kid who i still plan to hide in my suitcase - His name is U Shin/Peter. I can not express how much I adore him. I need to get more photos and video before I leave. I'm sure it wont be that hard. HE ROCKS

2. The food. What's a meal without Kimchi?? That's almost a joke, it's the seafood, the amazing seafood, the raw fish, the recently discovered Squid Sundae, Koreans and their way with fish will always have a place in my heart, or should that be stomach. Korean cakes. Because they are amazing, Korean pizza. Because it is also amazing. GALBI!!!!

3. The clothes - Hongdae, Dongdaemun, Meyong-dong, La festa, Western Dome and all that is in between, especially the place in Munsan, the one with the plastic swing doors, near the sex shop. Topshop is just NOT the same.

4. Peter - I LOVE HIM. truly

5. Downloading movies - because in Korea, it's okay.

6. NOREABANG

7. Bars that open all night, and bars like MAX PAPER, in Hongdae - which when you turn up worse for wear at 4am, give you a blanket and let you go to sleep (until they wake you up with very loud Argentian Tango music)

8. Not quite knowing what your going to get when you place a food order

9. Mountain Dew - because in Korea, it's everywhere!

10. Having my own apartment.

Things I wont miss...

1. Squat toilets

2. Taking your shoes off, i understand the hygiene issue, (not compared with the state of the toilets) however I always have that 'Carrie Bradshaw at a babyshower Sex and the City Moment'... you know what I mean

3. Ajumma RAGE

4. Being called russian

5. Having to wear far too many clothes in extreme heat and humidity because of etiquette

6. Being followed around shops whenever you enter - I NEED MY SPACE

7. PRESSURE - On the kids.

8. Not quite knowing what your going to get when you place a food order

9. That it's okay to wack kids with sticks. It's not.

10. Having my own apartment

Things I CAN NOT WAIT ANY LONGER FOR....

1. My mum

2. Family & Friends

3. Proper Wine, in particular Rose

4. Food - Pitta, hummus, avocado, Indian food, moroccan food, dairy milk, beetroot, herring roll mops

5. Blonde hair dye & Batiste dry shampoo

6. LONDON

7. WEST SUSSEX

8. Swimming Pools.

9. Lack of unbearable humidity

10. Understand what the feck is going on...

Child's I

The Child' s i foundation is a charity my friend Claire 'introduced ' me to, a british born Ugandan based charity that has set up a home for abandoned babies for more detailed information check out their

website - http://www.childsifoundation.org/

facebook - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=100198310303&ref=ts

twitter - https://twitter.com/childsi

The reason I am mentioning this charity, is because a time comes around when one feels its time to get more involved in charitable work, whether it be age, or being in Korea, I made a step a few weeks back to 'mentally' get involved more, in anyway I could.

Child's i seemed an obvious choice, due to my awareness and the involvement of my friend Claire, who was not only involved on a base level but was also part of the team when they initially went out to Uganda last December to start with the set-up of the project, she is somewhat of a film making genius and created some beautiful short docs documenting the 'start'...

You can have a look here - http://claireratty.wordpress.com/

It was this story that came to light last week that made me make the step up...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0izq1pN6Z3E

That made me write this rather pathetic post, basically stating how awesome and amazing this charity is, and how everyone should be aware of the work they are doing.

Also to say a good luck and all the best to Lucy Buck, who set up the charity who is doing a fecking amazing job!