little alters everywhere

1. this little pink bear was given to me by kwang bok, a lovely korean boy i date briefly.
2. bracelet, gift from a former student, Saint.
3. when you pull the tab and let go, the string draws up and the little boys legs kick. given to me by kevin.
4. a keychain given to me by Handsome Alex Oh, it's a korean mask.
5. a happy bunny air freshener that says, "Hey, you made me throw up a little." Catherine from red envelope gave it to me. lots of good giggles between her and i.
6. this empty beer bottle... i dont remember... from a night with a boy, im sure, but i now cant remember who or when.
7. this flower given to me by kwang bok. he would say i sounded so cute and sexy when i'd speak korean^^
8. this is a mirror i bought during my trip to ghana in the year... uhm... 2004? i was in the bus, some guy at the window kept trying to sell stuff to me, i kept saying no, but he was so persistant. i finally said, "ok, i do need a mirror." so he found this and sold it to me. the picture is a sign for a hair salon in west africa, i saw many like it during my trip, tho this one in particular i found on a google image search.
12. is not numbered here, but just want to say that this picture was taken in the kitchen of my apartment in songpa, seoul, near jamsil station in south korea.
9. my friend jane (from cdi pyeongchon) brought me this back from her trip to south america.
10. this postcard is from cdi, my first efl job in korea.
11. this is one of 5 clocks i had in my apartment. i was late for work all the time, so i hung a clock on each wall so i'd always be mindful off the time.

gift from danica

my lovely friend danica brought this back for me from her trip to thailand. god, i love this sister so much, she has been an incredible friend to me. i had a hard break up with a an old boyfriend and while i was working out what to do with the relationship, she would listen patiently, never judging me, never speaking badly about him, just listened. when i needed advice, she would always give honest, rational feedback. when i'd say something ridiculous, she'd say "eat my butt" and took it just as well when i'd tell her to eat mine. she's the woman i want to be, i really look up to her. she's overall awesome. we all should have such wonderful girlfriends. she's since left korea and im still here, but we're fb friends but damn i really miss her.

someone wrote (and then deleted) on bssk, "so many women in this group! poor guys." Nall, LUCKY MEN! kkkk And a related story: once i met a brotha, and tried to talk to him and asked him if he had fb (b/c i was going to tell him about bssk as i do with all fam i meet in korea). he never stopped his stride while walking, was only half listening to me and said, "i have a girlfriend," and kept it moving.

0:15-0:18, 0:50-0:52, and 1:17

this always always always makes me smile.

jalissa

this sister was in korea for just a semester, and i only got to meet her/hang out with her during her last week here. when she left, she sent me this email, which i thought was so sweet^^
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December 21, 2009 at 5:07pm
i just wanted to say thank you. you've been hospitable since day i meet you. i wish we could have meet ealrier on so at the end everything is not so rushed or crammed. wish you all the best and i realy hope all 3 of us meet again somewhere hehe if ever in ny,nj,phily area please facebook me, i would be so glad to bump into you again:) i leave tomorrow and i am actually pretty excited even now i want to just be in the air sleeping hehe hopefully i will see you around ......:)

my deo for the b.o.

my parents send me so much deoderant and dental floss in my care packages...

when i first moved to soko 2.5 years ago, my godmother bought me a ton of deodorant. i had read on forums how difficult it was to find here; there's something about the korean diet, they don't really smell/have body odor. I can only use lady speed stick, anything else and i am musty! and since ive been here, my father periodically sends me boxes with stuff like magazines, snacks, etc. He always sends deodorant, too. i told him to stop for a while, b/c really i have plenty.

scrapbooking 2

1. this is a rosary chain/necklace from kwang bok, sweet wonderful k boy i dated.
2. i bought this at a vodoo kitch shop while i was in new orleans with terry and nikki.... wait, no i didnt! i bought this from some shop in san diego! mamma... something... i bought a ton of stuff to decorate the office for African Student Union. I left most things, but kept this.
3.why did i number this candle? it's nothing special, i bought it at a local shop.
4. i dont know why i bought these stupid wooden coasters.
5. my homegirl kanisha brought me back this lovely woven sculpture back from her trip to ethiopia. it's 3 elephants around a tree.
6.why did i number this tea pot? who knows. i like best to drink black tea with loads of milk and sugar, as i did on my trip to london many many years ago.