It's gettin' kind of hectic

Doing the CELTA intensive course while trying to pack up my apartment and move stuff to storage has turned out to be unexpectedly crazy.  The course is serious business.  And I'm not trying to fail because that would be a waste of $2300.  There may be no more updates on the blog until the course ends.  I'm also realizing that I'm a bigger pack rat than I suspected.  I must reduce my belongings so that subsequent moves won't be such a headache.  

써니 Sunny (2011) & 말아톤 Marathon (2005)

The Korean Cultural Center in DC has two film screenings every month.  This month's offering is Sunny, a film about a group of high school friends in the 1980s and their reunion 25 years later.  It was quite good.  Those girls were a rough bunch.  I'd watch it again.  Here's the trailer:

 

Earlier this year they screened Marathon, which I also enjoyed.  It's based on the true story of an autistic marathon runner.  Most definitely plan to re-watch it when I have time.   The acting was superb.  I've had a few students on the autism spectrum in my classroom for the past three years, and the depiction was quite accurate.  It also gave me a bit of insight into how Korean society deals with people with disabilities. 

Also,  Jo Seung-woo, the main actor, holds a special place in my heart because, although I had been watching world cinema for a long time, his film 춘향뎐 Chunhyang (2000) was the first Korean film I really took notice of.  I watched it at Cinestudio with my friend Daniel.  When we left the theater he said "¡Que impresionante!"  Impressive indeed.  

    

Jo Seung-woo also starred in 도마뱀 Love Phobia (2006) which is another film I liked a lot.  I recommend it if you like a bit of magic realism.

WARNING:  Do not read the plot summaries on Wikipedia because they are full of spoilers.

I'm a Baking Fool

I've been reading several blogs and have joined a few Facebook groups of Westerners living Korea.  When it comes to posts from people like me, who plan to go, but are not there yet, I've noticed a few recurring themes.  Black women fret over whether they'll be able to find hair salons.  White women obsess about whether they'll be perceived as fat compared to local women.  Black men worry about the racism they might face.  And one of my friends, who's moving there this year, is concerned that there won't be any other Latinos around, or anywhere to dance salsa, merengue, bachata, etc.

Me?  I'm freaking out about baking.  You see, I enjoy baking and most Korean apartments don't come equipped with ovens.  So I've been on a baking frenzy since last autumn.  In the past, I would bake once a month and only during the cooler months.  Now I bake on a weekly basis despite the rising temperatures.   Muffins, olive bread, pizza, cheesy bread sticks, ginger bread cookies, whole wheat bread, bruschetta,  raisin bread, rolls, the list goes on... 

Yeah, I know I didn't mention white men.  I usually skip over what they have to say on forums. 

One of these went to my friend Ruth, who just had a baby.  Since she's breast feeding, baby Nicholas will be (indirectly) tasting my bread too!  She eats it with Nutella. 

 

First time making these super-easy rolls.  So pretty I didn't want to eat them. 

I normally use pasta sauce (store-bought or homemade), canned black olives and cheap mozzarella, but lately I've been using freshly diced tomatoes, kalamata olives and real mozzarella.  What a difference!

It's Starting to Feel Real

This week I sent the company that manages my apartment building my notice to vacate.  When I clicked on the Send button I felt a bit of anxiety.  There's no turning back now.  Exciting and frightening.  Eek!