Spreading the Word: New Daegu Magazine, Valentine's Day Treat & New Website Look Coming SOOOON!

Hey all...

Wow, a year ago was my last post. Can you believe it? I'm SOOO in need of updating. Pfft!

Ayden bear is nearly 16 months (and working on getting his last 4 Canine's--ahem, that means he's acting like 3, so you can imagine!), I'm teaching now at Yeungjin College Kindergarten (and L-O-V-E it!), I've been frantically getting all my ducks in a row to get going on my Master's....and in the meantime, realized I need to not only update this website, but give it a new look. So where does that leave me? Right in the middle of "shit to do" and "don't know where to start," alley. Yep! So here goes, I'm starting somewhere with the first set of footprints on this long haul...


Top of my list, the new Daegu magazine called "Daegu Pockets" which promises to be filled with loads of information, bilingual in Korean and English. What a neato thing, eh? It's about time! Foreigners realizing their presence here in Daegu, for all the world to see. Check it out!

Second, the Alliance Francaise de Daegu (which I'm geekily apart of) here at Kyungpook National University will have a little "Gouter Saint Valentin" for all you French speakers. Starting at 330pm, there will be refreshments and cake for those who come to sing or recite a poem about love. C'est merveilleux! So come out and support the French Alliance of Daegu, and practice your French, meanwhile :)

Last, but certainly not least.. I'll be updating this website with a new look here shortly. I've played around with some varieties, pictures, new gadgets, but alas.. this website was last updated when I was a single, free-wheelin' chic, scootin' on my buddy's hot-rod (my Daelim is still kicking, though barely!) and well---I no longer fit that profile (tragic..) Now I visit the local Korean public bath for kicks, and hang out with the family at HomePlus and eMart on Saturday nights instead of partying all night at the local club. What a life change, yo.

Okay, enough for now. Time to head out and get some exercise I promised myself at the beginning of the year (not to mention, W160,000 less in my pocket for 3 months!)

Ciao, et a la prochaine! See ya next time :)

~ Chelsea

Our little Bubbly Butt!

Finally a moment to sit and relax with my cappuccino mix!

After I dropped Ayden off at the daycare, I sped home to clean up the house and do some laundry before I was off to work. Our little guy was just drifting off to sleep, as he usually does when we take him in the car. It's hard dropping him off to be cared for, when of course, I'd rather keep him to myself all day long. On the positive side, I get a few hours to do stuff I normally can't do when I'm taking care of Ayden.

Workwise, I don't have quite the inspiration that I used to have at FLI, especially knowing that I'll most likely be transferring to either the kindergarten or the college side after my contract is up. I just don't want to deal with ever-fluctuating schedules, last minute changes and of course, ENGLISH CAMP! Ugh.. I told Ahsan that I'm through with English camps. No more. Done! Now I'll be looking forward to summer and winter vacation, free time and travel---no longer burdened by a discombobulated camp season!

I've been taking so many videos of Ayden, I feel a bit overwhelmed by what I have and how much I want to upload for the family to see. So I just put it off another day, especially since Ayden has gotten so busy-body; he's very fussy, he always wants to sit upright, and when I leave him for a second to roll on his own, he gets very vocal and lets me know he doesn't like it! I feel a bit drained for energy, but definitely a lot better considering that I had spent the latter part of February and now March being sick--combo between a mild cold and allergies. Not fun stuff!

Here's a few of my favorite pictures of Mr. Ayden, taken between February and March. These are the "firsts" that I'm most proud of!

Ayden's first roll-over on his own!

The first quirky little home family picture (Ayden has a new sleep outfit!) We actually took a family photo in December, so this is the official second family photo. Aren't we just cute?

First family trip to the zoo!

First trip to Homeplus with the carseat
(my hands were getting tired holding Ayden all the time!)

A not a first, but one of many beautiful pictures of our boy sleeping: actually we went "walking at the park" for the first time, and as expected, Ayden slept the whole time!!

Ahsan and I have coined another lovely nickname for him. So instead of "pumpkin noodle" it's now become "bubbly butt" (which is quite funny because Ahsan's family name is "Butt"--and I've long since told him he needs to spell it like "Baht" or "Bauht"--considering the English spelling, of course. I personally don't want to be called Mrs. Butt: so, thankfully, Ahsan's family gave him his mother's last name, Manzoor, which is a thousand times better!)

So here's to our little Bubbly Butt, Ayden. We love you! Momma and daddy are so proud.

By the way, I posted NEW VIDEOS of Ayden at my YouTube site. Ayden is just too adorable!

Ayden is getting SO big...

Our little punchkin (fusion of "munchkin" and "pumpkin", cute huh?) is growing like a weed. Literally. I was browsing through some videos~just a few of the zillion I have taken~and realized just how behind I am at updating everyone.

This particular video was taken when Ayden was 3 months old~ January 11th. So for the next few posts, I will refer to pictures and videos uploaded on both Flikr and YouTube sites, seeing as I have so so many pictures and videos now...honestly, our little boy keeps me oh-so-busy, I barely have time to shower and think about what's going on tomorrow, let alone update my blog and various communication devices! lol.

Motherhood has definitely blossomed for me. I feel like I finally understand what my mother went through, taking care of my brother and I~ particularly how she may have felt being a single mom, managing her work schedule, taking us to/fro school, coordinating when we went to see our dad, and just dealing with the ins and outs of daily life. That's exactly what I'm going through... and my husband just loves that I manage to not only work, but keep the house clean, take care of our little guy (to and fro daycare, too!), and somehow get a little sleep all within a 24 hour period. Quite a transition from my life just a year ago!

It's surely not a walk in the park.. but I love our little punchkin more and more each day.

Well, looks like I have 30 minutes of--OMG--free time before I pick up our little bun from daycare. And yes, I will eventually talk about daycare here in Korea, because it's long overdue. Gawd, where the hell have the past few months gone? Little Ayden is ALREADY rolling on his front, he always wanting to be upright, and he's now babbling up a storm. Isn't this little guy precious?



I don't mind not sleeping, but I need my freetime to exercise my stress off! So.. I'm off to get my heart pumping...

Until next time!

The new E2 Visa Hoopla...

Ok. I've been sucked into the "you have to know about.." category because I'm a fellow EFL Teacher here in Korea. And, though I've stayed away from talking much about EFL related stuff (well, I've had a kid, for one--and he surely keeps me busy) I decided it was time to contribute.

Everyone is talking about it. You can read it daily in various blogs. There's tid-bits of gossip you hear at work, or on the street; and up to this point, it has sounded like nothing but hearsay. The new E2 Visa laws have caused a lot of commotion in the ESL/EFL community.

The Korea Immigration website posted about this topic, but I think if any native English speaker were looking to get the right information--and the necessary documents to get their E2 Visa accordingly (especially newcomers who plan to come and teach in Korea)--a huge question mark pops up.

Who has the low-down on what's really going on?

For the past month while on maternity leave, I had been helping out a Korean friend who works as a recruiter, finding teachers to work for hagwons in Daegu. She didn't even know about these new requirements that supposedly took effect as of January 1st, 2008. One thing I DO know, however, is that schools will no longer be able to find teachers quick. And if you want to tack on a part-time job working for another school (at your own risk, of course), these new E2 laws won't apply to you. You'll have a whole new set of issues to deal with yourself.

EFL Geek has posted on this, and I found the site to be the most informative. The widely read Marmott's Hole also posted an interesting take of the E2 situation through an article written for the Korea times. I also ran across EFL-Law.com has some particularly important links to consider, too.

So what's the deal? Does anyone have a definitive answers?!?

Well, I fell upon the G4F of Korea website, dedicated to bridging the gap between Korea's foreign population and the government. TONS of valuable information to be had, so check it out; however, as of yet, I haven't found any new information regarding the new E2 visa requirements. In the meantime, I'll be surfing the web for more info on this matter...

Triple M: Make More Milk...huh?

My last post for 2007. What should I write about? I've posted only a handful this year, and I want to make this last post of the year a good one.

Okay, I thought this would be special: December 31st, and being 12noon, I've got just 12 more hours to remember 2007. Not that I want to remember ALL of it--the year, I mean. Honestly, it's truly been one HELL of a year: 12 months of highs and lows that have both drowned me, and resuscitated me--during the same boat trip, too. I won't bore you with the details, but for those of you who know me, you know that there are many things about 2007 that I DON'T want to remember. And...with that said,

On the upside, I wanted to share with you my most precious gift of 2007.

No, it wasn't finding out I was pregnant on February 14th, and telling my family during my trip home shortly after. It wasn't the unwedding party we had with both my family and Ahsan's at Ali Baba's on May 20th (our original wedding day, but that never took place). And no, it wasn't the actual day Ahsan and I made a split decision to tie the knot by paperwork on July 9th, in the best interest of our baby, who was then yet to be born.

The most precious gift was given to me on October 11th, at 4:15am, after 9 hours of pushing from head to toe, and even begging the doc to cut me open (C-style, that is..) Voila: baby Ayden was born.

I remember in a flash moment, both lips and fingers were covered in blood from kissing this screaming, naked thing, moving on my chest--thanks to the nurses--still attached by umbellical chord and the placenta, which was still deflated inside my womb. Ahsan, behind me, smiling and having to hold my head up (my body was so flacid and weak from going med-free, au naturel..) And there was my mom, in awe (or stunned, if I remember her face correctly), managing to capture this precious picture with unbelievable steadiness.


This was my most precious gift: life. A life given to me--whether by mistake or intention, I am certainly blessed, and if only words could express how wonderful it is to see a little piece of yourself looking back, and smiling at you, everyday. For this, I would go through labor 9,999 more times.

So I was watching Oprah the other day (syndicated reruns, how nice) and fell upon them talking about The Secret, which sort of hooked me from the beginning. You have to check it out, because it turned my negative thinking into a new attitude, and a kind of positive enlightenment suddenly took over. Check it out and you'll know what I mean.

I started to think about what I was grateful for, what God has given me, and that I need to forgive in order to move on. And believe me, I never thought I could forgive those things, events, or people that I was focusing on, nearly killing myself over, agonizing because my life wasn't going as planned, because I didn't have control or because I felt I was just stringing along and observing life's events instead of participating in them. It is amazing when you realize that you do have control, and you can make changes. So I've decided to start the new year on the right foot, and that means, with a new motto and new thinking.

Perhaps you can call me an idealist.

The other night, I was up late, trying to get Ayden to sleep: 2am rolled around and he didn't want to do with any sleeping, at all! It wasn't working--rocking him, singing to him, or putting him in the swing/slider. I just realized that I was all out of breast milk, and I needed to pump more--quickly. Well, the little tyke wanted ,우유 (milk) pronto, and I couldn't express fast enough. So in a fury, I got up to make him formula, nearly tripping over Ahsan who was fast asleep on our heated floor--and then it dawned on me. I've got to make more milk! And not just in the literal sense. Sure, I need to up the pumping to have more supply at hand, but then I got to thinking about what that Oprah segment was all about--creating what we want out of life. I'm a glutton for self-help, I suppose. So I went on a rampage and realized in my thinking, that make more milk is precisely creating what I want out of life. And what I really wanted was to create more, do more, feel more, act more, be more.

Milk is to a baby as ... what? You wanted me to finish the analogy for you? It's exactly what you want it to be. And that's the secret I found out.

Make more milk. I wonder if I should start a new line of journals called that? Journaling is your ticket to psychological freedom. lol. That would be a winner indeed!

So for the time being, I'll start the year 2008 with a smile for myself, a positive attitude for Ahsan, and my darling Ayden on my hip (and breast pump machine in tow so I can make more milk!)

Happy New Year everyone!!

~ Chelsea, Ahsan and baby Ayden

Christmas NOT...

Bah-humbug! I have to say, Christmas was anything but ordinary this year. Newly married, new baby, but same country as last year, and a complete let down. Of all my 29 years of Christmases past, this has got to be the most uneventful, and the most disappointing--except for spending precious time with Ayden, I can honestly say I don't want to repeat this Christmas. How tragic! I was peeved because Ahsan told me just Christmas eve that he had to work on Christmas day, and I had the morning planned to cook breakfast, open presents, and enjoy Christmas together. Okay, so I shouldn't be so dissapointed because Ahsan is Muslim, and he doesn't celebrate Christmas.. but holy cow, if I knew he had to work, I would have made plans for Christmas instead of chilling at home with the baby, waiting for snow to fall! Last year was a blast~and we DID celebrate it (although Ahsan didn't know about giving gifts and at the last minute went out to buy me one!) It was great because we had spent the day in our pj's, making Christmas food with a house full of foreigners, who all gathered together to create a little piece of home in Korea. Perhaps that is why I wanted to go home for a bit during the holidays--to cheer up my spirit from this crazy 2007 year, and start the next on the right foot.

I did however visit my buds Ron and Susan at their pad for awhile, with baby Ayden in tow and a little cranky attitude to serve up. They offered fresh coffee and a chocolate pretzel. Yum! Oh, and Susan's sis, Marinel, and her boyfriend Greg were there hanging out. I don't get to see them often, and they left FLI just right when I came on. Bummer! In any event, I got to hang out with them, and I took a video of our little dude with Ron and Susan. Check it out~

Christmas eve was a blast, on the upside. Just like a scene from an old 40's black and white flick, we all mistakingly believed we were heading over to our doctor's house for the eve celebrations. Boy, how wrong we were! Ahsan and I chaotically loaded the car up with a few gifts that I bought, grabbed the baby and the Christmas cake, and headed over to meet our friends, Sae-bin, and her mother, who were supposed to take us to the doctor's house. The doctor, being, the gal who looked over Ayden when he had a 2 week long Bronchiolitis stint during his second month; Sae-bin also works for her at their clinic in Palgon mountain. What a good nurse she is! Anyhoo, when we arrived at Sae-bin's house, both she and her mom were roaring to go. "Why are you coming here? We're supposed to meet the doctor at YOUR house. She's on her way NOW!" saying in half English, half Korean.

WHAT?!

Supposedly, we had made plans only a few days prior, for the doctor and her family to come to OUR house for Christmas eve. HUH? Sae-bin and I thought we were going to THEIR house for the festivities. What a blunder! The doctor said 'Next year, come to our house for dinner,' and I said, 'Sometime, we'll invite you over for Pakistan food.' Ahh, the confusion begins; that's why it's so important to understand what was said, in Korean or in English! Neither of us understood what the other person had said! lol. So we frantically made our way back home, Sae-bin and her mom in tow, back to our house to clean up and start chow (oh, God, we were SO hungry too.. and we were SOO looking forward to good Korean food, then-thinking we were eating at the doc's house.) We arrived just when the doctor emerged from her car. Quick, Sae-bin. Stall the folks so we can make a dash to clean up and cook! And was there cleaning to be had. I was just lucky I had already done a half-ass clean up just the day prior.

Needless to say, the evening went well. Sae-bin let the doctor know about our mix up, and we all rolled with laughter. 'Twas quite the funny situation!

A snapshot of the evening. We managed to cook some lamb and rice, with fruits and yogurt.. without having gone shopping too!


I'm thrilled for the New Year. I wonder how it'll go. Surprisingly, I'm positive and enthusiastic about it.. really hoping to finish this year with a BANG! Until next time...

Thanks Julian..

A few weeks ago, I went into work to join our teachers for a photo op.

One of our teachers, Julian, is pretty handy with taking photos. I joined the crew, wandering with Julian like a little sheep, looking for the best light for him to capture us in.

These are but a few of the photos that Julian forwarded to me... some head shots, unbelievably professional. I must say, I'm jealous of his Nikon SLR. But oh, it's only $1200. Sigh.

By the way, isn't Ayden adorable? He was 7 weeks old in this picture (taken November 29th). So kissable..

I'm so lucky he caught me on a good hair day. Cheese for the camera. Pure cheese.