Rudest person award...

Usually I can be forgiving of people who are somewhat rude, but people who are over the top really know how to push my buttons. I work with one such person. Thankfully we aren't on the same teaching team because if we were I might have to strangle her. It all started this past summer when I stayed in Korea for the break and helped a couple friends out by taking care of their pets. One night around 8:30 or 9-ish I get a phone call and this woman is on the phone. She asks me to look after her small pets for the summer. I ask when she is leaving and she says that her family is leaving the next day and they just don't have anyone else to ask. I feel inconvenienced but bad for her situation. So I do it... Later I find out that she never even asked anyone else, once she knew that I was going to be here for the summer, it was as good as settled in her brain. So, I learned my lesson and moved on, not the end of the world. You just have to cut inconsiderate people as losses at that time.
But, oh.... it gets better folks. Earlier in the school year she asked if I was doing anything for the Chusok break (Korean thanksgiving, we get a week off this year) and I said that I was going to Thailand. She perked up at this and said that her daughter was going to visit her natural father in Thailand at that time too. I just smiled and said that was great and how nice that she and her hubby were able to take a holiday just the two of them. That was the last I heard of it until last night(bear in mind that I leave tomorrow morning for Thailand). This woman called one of my travel partners and basically told her that she wanted us to escort her daughter on the plane. She didn't ask either of us if we were comfortable with that or offer compensation for being responsible for her 12-year-old. She just assumed that once we heard her sob story of not checking into the ticket her daughter would be using (a return ticket from before that was not listed as an unaccompanied minor) that we would jump for joy to help her. What teacher do you know who would jump for joy to accompany a minor on their first holiday of the year that was taking them to Thailand? What person do you know who would jump for joy to do that for a person who has already proven herself to be rude and selfish? Well, I don't know any. So we told her that we weren't comfortable being responsible for her daughter and sorry. Well, this woman had already changed her daughter's flight to match ours and had told her ex-hubby and kid that we were doing this (did I miss something? Were we even asked? Did we ever say yes?!). In fact, the last thing we had heard was that she would discuss it with her current hubby and the ex to see what they could do on their own. Then we get an email at 1:30 this afternoon at school that she would meet us at the Thai Air ticketing counter with her daughter the next morning!! What the .....?!?! I was and am still infuriated. I tried to think if I knew of another parent that would act this way or do this, I even asked some friends that are parents and they think it is the rudest thing to do... so what do you think? Does she deserve the award?

Two more sleeps...

For some reason, this year, the holidays don't seem to come fast enough. Maybe it is because I stayed in Korea or maybe it is because my students are really, really hard this year. But whatever the reason, the holidays that we get in the international schools feel few and far between... I know that they aren't, but I feel like they are. But regardless, on Saturday I will be boarding a plane and heading out for a spa in Thailand for a week... aw... yea!!! I was supposed to do a cleansing fast when I got there, but I think I am too tired and I haven't had time to do the pre-fast so.. .I think the order of the day is sleep, sunshine, massages and swimming. I know, I know... you are reading this and some not-so-nice words are going through your mind... sorry! If I could take you with me, I would!!!

Okay... I need to crash. I promised to meet people at 5:30 am to workout... I know, I know... now you are reading it and laughing at my stupidity in giving up sleep a full hour before I have to... *^^*

Lesson Learned

SO this morning, I get up at the crack of dawn to get ready for the Terry Fox Run here in Seoul. Yup, that's right... there is a Terry Fox run here and it is HUGE!! All the money goes to local cancer research and thousands of people come out. It's really great and it is the second year I have done it in Korea. And this time I was ready to run, so I was all excited about the run. I got up, got ready and then debated on taking and small bad or not for my phone and Ipod. I decided against it because it would be annoying. Instead, I took a light hooded jacket with pockets. Well, it got warm and the jacket ended up tied to my waist by the time I was ready to start. I actually ran almost to the half point when my breath and shinsplints got to be too much. So I slowed down and grabbed for my very expensive, very new cell phone to check the time. WHat!? No phone!?!? Crap! Fortunately, one of the new teachers was with me and we went back to look, so we walked all the way back to the start and didn't find it, so we walked all the way to the half way point and back again. Then I borrowed someone's phone and called my phone. Someone picked it up on the run and turned it in to a photographer who held it for me until I got there. Blessings!! I was so thankful... but the lesson, you ask? Take the bag, dummy, take the bag!!

Aw... Yea!!!

So, I have lived in Korea for almost 7 full years now and I have coached volleyball for about 5 of those years. And year after year I have never managed to beat one certain school and they are the ONE I want to beat more than the others... There are other schools that I haven't beaten (mostly base schools because put a team of westerners against a team of Asians... who do you think will have more atheleticism and height?!) but that school... SFS.... ooOOooo how I have wanted to beat them. So we played them last week and lost the first set. It was close, but a loss nonetheless, so I got ready to just get all my girls some court time, especially when it looked like we were going to lose the second set. But then my girls came from behind to take the win... and then another set and then another!!! Yes, that's right... my fantasy win happened!!! We see them for two more games in the season so I am hoping to be consistent. But in the mean-time... WOOHOO!!!

Random Weirdos

Okay... so I belong to a couple of websites for meeting people. Lots of times, it is just interesting people who want to be friends and sometimes there are the freaks. I have managed to avoid most of those and never meet them in person. But I did start emailing some guy and we had one or two conversations and it just wasn't working. We rubbed each other the wrong way. No big deal. So then I get a mass email from a former student and it sends out to your list when you open it. He was still on my list and sends me some nasty reply about how I don't know how to have relationships of substance since I sent out a forward. SO I sent a reply to him asking why he was so rude. He proceeds to tell me that I am the rude one and so on and so on... random weirdness...

I am terrible...

I know most of you knew that already, but today I realised it. Today, my new school (SIS) went to my old school to play volleyball. I used to coach at the old school before they had their new beautiful facilities and it was great... but we never won games and it was hard on the girls and on me. So, I took my girls from the new school and I made them promise that we wouldn't lose. Isn't that bad? But I couldn't stand the thought of losing to my old school in their new facilities... So, I worked the girls hard and we won!! Our varsity teams lost, but we won... GO JV! But isn't it terrible to want to win out of spite?! Oh well, I guess the truth of my nature shines through!

But I will say this, the new facilities for ICS are WONDERFUL!!! They finally have the campus they deserve and I am happy for them. Those kids and teachers are like family to me and I couldn't be happier for them. It was weird to see the little kids that I used to teach in 4th grade or higher. Even some alumni were there. So, Sanders, if you read this... all our darlings say hi. They are just so cute even though they are growing! And J9... our old JV girls who are still there doing varsity say hey... so does Crystal. And... if Beth ever reads this Sharon and Hannah from the old Varsity team send their love...

Whew! All those little shout outs tired me out! ha ha ha. Okay... gotta grab some grub!

Ciao