Im So Hood

"Yeah I wear my pants below my waist....If you get closer to my house than you know what Im talking about"...I dont know how many of you know that song but, I promise it's my theme for Korea. Ps. That picture is my hood girl Seandriqua (alter ego) look from back in the day.SO, I figured I'd update you on hood item number 24: Drying clothes. So as you may have seen from the video in my previous entry, my wash machine is in the bathroom.and I have no shower stall or actual sink, only space and a drain. So basically I can brush my teeth, wash a load, and take a shower at the same time. Multitasking, mulitasking.Koreans don't play that slacker one at a time bulls***!!! Anyways, I dont have a dryer though. Just a drying rack that is up on the roof in the dark corner behind the spooky door which I dare not go to. There are these tacky hooks in my wall though... coat hooks. Why are they sporatically placed on the wall in my living room?I dont know. I stopped asking questions after the third day. My only answer is that it is Korean. Enough said. So I took the liberty of using my wall as a drying rack, which by the way, works exceptionally well. Ondol heating (home heating through a water system in your floor) is very good at drying out everything in your home including your lips.Cocoa butter is a must.
Here is a photo below.

Ok problem number two: my students think im so fat that I'm pregnant. Which I am not by the way. The pregnant teacher who they are mixing me up with is anorexic as bleep bleep bleep, so I see why they are confused. Her baby is going to be born with washboard abs!! Im getting to the plump side by American standards but I'm morbid by Korean standards and I wear a juniors 9. Whats up with that. I had to vent. Its all good now. Chao! or actually Anyong hi kaseyo!

Its a beautiful day in the neighborHOOD

An old school Korean House though you wont see these unless you ride about 3 hours out on a back road.
SO let me post what the alleys that lead to my house look like. I live in the slums of Korea but, I'm over it because about 5 alley turns, 2 stray dogs, and an ajumma (old behind Korean ladies who are usually hacking sars) down I'm right around the corner from the high life. The apartments next door to me are about 1 million US dollars because this is the nice side of town and I'm not being sarcastic. In a crowded city like this you can't have your cake and eat it too...(theres just not enough, be happy if you see it). So here's some videos. Oh and loweron this page... remember how I mentioned that Korean are special... well um I think their confused. The straight ment act like fagots with man bags( I mean full on pocket book), cutesy cartoon shirts that are smedium as hell, and holding hands and sitting on the laps of their bff.Its everywhere really. I tried to take some pictures inconspicously, so work with me here. You see him all bood the hell up? huh? you do, yeah thats his homeboy. No homo. and though blurry, peep his skinny jeans, noxema night cream skin, and pocket book. Hes actually very masculine compared to what I've been seeing. I'll try again for picks tommorrow.

Various Videos

That's so Korean!!! or things that make you go Hum...

This photo explains the reason I am here.It is also a "That's so Korean" pic.
You must come to Korea and you will understand. I have only been here two weeks and I realize they have their own little special way of doing things.Some things you may see and think thats so Korean.I've posted some things that make me think that's so Korean, and a few snapshots of the neighborhood. Here goes...


My bomb dinner for 5 dollars!! This pic isn't even showing the fish I had. It's probably because they were murdering it while I was taking this photo. They snatch it out the fish tank and give it too you moments later. Sorry, Its a Kris eat fish world out there.


traditional and still very common Korean restaurant dining room. I order my own food here in butchered Korean and recieved a chopstick lesson by the owner. I must have been messing up the art of it. He fed me the first two bites against my will.lol.im serious.It was good!






I saw this in the store and pointed out to my white coworker that a black woman was on this korean box. She laughed but I was for real excited, so I took a picture of it.Is she on the coffee box b/c she is black though? Probably, black lady for black coffee. It makes sense in Korea.

The pictures I promised plus latest update!

So where do I begin actually. Lets go back to like day 4. SO all last week I watched the leaving teacher in class and that for real, was it. Its funny because it's like a tv show or something that keeps going on even when the same person can't play the role. So exit Jade, insert me, the new Jade. New face, same cast, same show keeps moving. I've taken on her classes, her home, with the same furniture and it's funny that we are similiar in appearance.I'll probably cross some of the same friends because the expat community is larger than I thought by a long shot but, still pretty small. Anyway, I watched a class and went home everyday last week, went to the PC bang to check my mail, or waited in my apartment until I nearly starved to death before I would venture out to eat. Lucky me, I was able to meet up with this really cool Korean and Japanese girl from Blackplanet.com . We went to Itaewon which is the foreigner district,( basically little America) and partied at this bar that played really good music. I hung out with her for sushi at lunch later in the week too. Oh and my coworker showed me how to get to E-Mart!!!It's like Wally world but better!!. Better you ask? certaintly not?! Oh yes my friends a super "Wally world" in English in a foreign land is most definetly better and they really have everything! Um yeah so... another great thing about Korea is that I'm a baller on my American chump change. A full dinner with main meal, soup, and salad is like 5 dollars and slammin too. I love asian food, not like bootleg 5 dollar chinese food at home but, Korean food truly makes me happy. Lastly, well actually close to lastly, I went out last night to a spoken word here, hung out with these 2 korean guys at a bar and got to visit Hongdae which was like ATL in Korea. Black folks everywhere. I was lovin it like Mcdonalds, and I love Mickey D's. So for a cap, I moved into my rickety behind raggedy behind apartment today, and you'd have to be me to be excited about it. I don't know, maybe because I haven't had my own in two years, or maybe cuz I've lived in worse and paid for it, or maybe cuz I see it's potential but, I like the dump. It's cozy and it will be home for the next year. So below, I have taken video which by the way does not play sound, of my apartment and uploaded pictures that I've taken around the way.


Im trying to paint a picture here. Giving you a play by play like your on the trip with me. it works better if you make the pictures and videos large. Here is boarding for Seoul. I managed to get the picture with all 5 foreigners on board.lol




IDK WTF this says but this was one of the TVs in the back of the seat. This is Asiana and not seoul plane right?lol. get it tvs in the ride, soul plane seoul plane? whatever! These Tvs play music, good up to date movies, give announcements and play games!!!


I think they're saying your ass is grass if we crash.


my meal on Asiana. They hook it up! feed you good. 3 times in 1 day!


did I mention... complete with tadpoles with eyes and a foreign coke!






Begginning my life anew as an immigrant.


I turned in my 300 american dollars for 320,000 won. Dun Dun Dun we gettin A-rab money! or um Korean actually. Balling! Ill be a millionaire come this first pay day!


They say Asia is the safest places to live but um... this is Gangsta!


Some neighborhood shots. It's a developing country. It looks a little third world in some parts but believe it or not this is the nice side of town!








my boss was nice enough to take me out to eat the first few nights. On my own below, is what I ate. Im telling you being illiterate is tough!!

Life at the corner of a PC Bang

So I have arrived in Korea and I have so much to tell you, but I'd agree it'd be better to show you. I am currently around the corner from my temporary but, nice apartment in a basement with a PC Bang, which means public computer lab at a dollar an hour. For starters, the cashier couldn't speak English and I couldn't speak Korean, so we had fun exchanging smiles and hand mimes. I understand finally what it is to be a foreigner. These things don't bother me yet because I am new but, Im sure in time they will fester. Like today I didn't eat until my boss came to rescue me. Every restaurant had the menu in korean minus pictures, and I was to afraid to butcher the language and order. Maybe i'll try tommorrow. So instead I opted for worldwide potato chips and minute maid for breakfast, which I have a picture of. I'll just post a mass of pictures at a later date, maybe within this blog maybe not. So let's backtrack for a minute. I arrived in Incheon at midnight 6 hours after my original expected arrival. Of course my boss did not know when to expect me so he was not there. Luckily, God blessed me with alot of patience and I had alot I needed to do to be settled. So after fumbling with my bags to find my converter to charge my computer so that I could get his number, I freshened up,and then went on to struggle with the pay phone. I learned from the picture on the phone that you need to press 001 plus 1 and then the number. The phone kept hangin up every 20 words so I hung up with mom and told her I would call her back. On the flight I ate some 빔 비 법 bimbibap and tadpole looking fish. I was already eating it before I realized it had eyes!!! Anyways Shouts out to ASIANA Airlines. They're the best ever!!! They provide you with a pillow, sleeping mask, blanket, slippers, toothbrush, movies, games and 3 meals! Plus, did I mention, great customer service!!! I was relaxed the entire way over. Plus, I had a helpful row mate who had flown on Asiana many times and he was like 411. He kept me up to date on how things were run and what to expect. Once again many pictures of all this to be updated later. I used to hate when I read a blog annd they said that but, now I see why. Asia is suprisingly alot like America on the main streets, but one turn left in your like oh wow Korea!!?!! narrow cobblestone, or maybe just broken streets, street vendors, skooters, and no foreigners. 12 million people live in this city alone! It doesn't appear that way at all however. The money goes along way here too. For two people to eat out, it's like 10 dollars with tip included at a sit down restaurant. I love it here but, I can tell already a year may be longer than I thought. I guess none of it felt real until yesterday and it still doesn't. In certain areas it feels like I just went to a different part of Georgia. Anyways, I'll get you all those picks shortly. Anyong hi kaseyo 언 용 히 거 새 요 !!!

Blast off

So let me be quick as I rush to write this moments before take off. Im sitting in LAX, Las Angeles airport on the ground, in a corner, with a dress, scarf, and a winter coat. I have taken pictures and videos of my window seat view on the way here. Things started off ok until, dun dun dun... the plane ran out of gas and we had to make an emergency landing in Las Vegas. After an eternity, we pulled off only to arrive an hour after my flights expected departure. Oh, and did I mention the first flight was 8 hours and the next flight is 12!!!!!!!!! 20 hours on a plane.My calculations were off. Anyway, I had to wait in customer service for another hour, for them to tell me I may have to wait 8 hours to catch the next flight which appeared to be full anyway but, one thing I've learned is a prayer, no matter how small works and so after a speedy frustrated one, the agent told me my flight was delayed 4 hours and I'd still be able to make it. I never thought Id be thrilled about a delay but, It gave me the time I needed to transfer money, charge my computer and try to figure out wifi and international calls. So much already. I will do a real post once I get settled.
me lookin hit wit my boo and ma