important fire drill instructions: RUN LIKE HELL
Mood:  on fire
today, 6 block we had "fire prevention class." a fire drill. all my classmates asked if we had that in the usa. suuuure, like every month. but our firedrill is pretty unimpressive compared to theirs. they have one once a year, and its more like a skit or something. we just get hurded outside, regardless of the weather, wait for a few minutes and go back inside. but here!

first they made all their announcements and then the siren rang. all the girls startes screaming and running for the stairs. nothing like our "please stay calm and composed as you exit the building" type crap. it was fun. ^^. there were fire trucks waiting outside, and attached to one of the walls was a smoking, something. very advanced firedrills, ok? we all gathered by the wall along the entrance and waited. when everyone was outside some of the teachers rushed back in with stretchers for someone who was "injured". haha it was all too funny. since the school hallways is covered in windows we see the teachers run up 2 flights of stairs and book it into one of the classroom, then emerge with our wounded comrad. *round of appluase please* yay for your hero teachers who risk their lives daily for our benefit. heh heh heh. the ambulance (with green flashing lights...odd to see for me) came speeding up and took the injured student. 2 firefighters went up the the 4th floor and started hosing down the roof where there was another stratigically placed smoking thingy. they bravely extinguished a flaming box set in the middle of the yard too, with their handy fire extinguishers. i didn't have my camera, cuz i was unaware they had a fire drill today. but i took some pics with ara's cell phone and she'll email those to me some time hopefully. it was too much fun for a fire drill, really.


now, last weekend. i didn't hreally have anything planned. on saturday ji-na went to school, but came back for lunch with some friends and we went out to eat a a tak-kalbi restaurant. (chicken kalbi) its sooo good!! we met some other friends there, and more and more st. paul students kept coming in. it was like a reunion. ^^ tak- kalbi is pretty expensive though, so its probably nt going to be an every weekend thing. after lunch ji-na had to head back to school until 7 or so. i spent my day sleeping, and writing emails and stuff. haven't heard from dany or emilio since 2 weekends ago. i relaly wish we all went to the same school. its so boring here most of the time, especially with eveyrone studying 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. if there was another exchange student here, like if they had sent rose here too, i could have someone to hang out with after school. they are all studying and i jsut go home and do nothing. it might be better if i just stayed in class with them, since there's nothing else i can do. take walkes, but alone, its not fun. i really need to make friends from the other highschools where they get out of school at 5. then i could meet up wth them after school! I spend quality time with my host mom, and she's one cool gal, but its difficult to really visit with her, like...with nothing else going on.

ok, on sunday: talked to some friends in the usa on aol for a little bit. so nice. theres no one herei can really have a conversation with.mostly i jsut watch and listen. im learning the korean culture, and understanding it, but im still not really involved in it. im much more a part than i was when i first got here, but i could never "become korean" like they told me to do at the rotary meetings. its difficult to explain, so i wont.

at 12:30 i met yea-lim, i-sul, han-a, and jessica ..cant remember her korean name. oops. we went to eat at a steak restuarant in down town nonsan. very fun, a lot of walking. there's a lotteria (the korean version of a mcdonalds, i think its cleaner, maybe more expensive) near the steak restaurant so we walked there afterwards and yea-lim bought everyone ice creams. this time of year the cherry blossoms are so so beautiful, probaby like they are in dc, don't know cuz I'VE NEVER BEEN THERE. they have a cherry blossom festival that makes the belfast fair look like massive. but the street was lined with cherry trees all in full bloom, and it was GORGEOUS!! i wish i had taken my camera, cuz my host mom wouldnt take me yesterday and i'm doubtful she will today either. i could walk there, but its quite a hike and walking alone in korea, if your a foreigner is an experience all on its own. still makes me uncomfortable all the stares, so i'd rather walk with a friend. all the friends are in school, so it doesnt happen. :( but my host mom did take me out yesterday to a middle school a block from my house where they had cherry blossoms in bloom. i got a few pictures, and not many of me. my host mom took 2 pictures, and askes "ok done?" suuuuuure.
whoops i'm getting ahead of myself. back to the cherry blossom festival with yea-lim.there were some tents to sell things. my friends got me a key chain, really nice, with the face of a protector god of buddha. very korean. ^^ they are so nice....gotta love them. walking back we met some foreigners. maybe middle eastern, indian or something. i try not to stare at other foriegners, cuz i know how akward the koreans make me feel when they do. but there were about 7 of them in a group and they all stared and waved and said hi when we walked by. see, even foreigners stare at foreigners. we all walked back to teh school, because the 4 other girls all live in the dorms, and i walked home. all that walking drained me, so i went home and slept the rest of the day.

last week. i'm going backwards, so you gotta pay attention. ok last week: we had volley ball on friday, yay! i had on the 2 bracelets yea-min and ye-il got me in india, and one of them totally shattered during gym class. it was so sad, but i still have one and a wooden elephant they got me too. i saved some of the pieces and am going to put them in my art journal r something. i do feel bad about it, and i'll be more careful with my otehr one. now i only wear my copper bracelet to school, since its harder to break.

um, so thats all for now.
will report back later, and put my exciting fire drill pictures up as soon as i get them from ara.

-rori-