Super Week

Granted, the Steelers just won their sixth Super Bowl, and once again I was out of town when it happened. But the NFL championship isn't the only reason this week will be good.

It's good because our winter extra classes are over, meaning I have two less classes every day. I only had four today. It was awesome. Between the drag of the winter cold and the overwhelming amount of work, I was really dragging. Just knowing I have less classes this week is a huge boost to the system.

Anyway, I'll catch you up a bit n my last couple weeks, in no particular order.

First, the MP3 player is just a mess. The company told Vicky last week that they would refund my money. But today, they told her they didn't feel it is their responsibility, and the responsibility belongs to the place I bought it.

I heard Vicky on the phone with them later on today, and she was saying they don't want to refund my money. She didn't explain to me fully, but this seems to have turned into a fight between the company and the store, with neither wanting to budge.

Looks like I will come out the loser. I can tell you this: If I don't get this resolved soon, I'm considering calling the U.S. Embassy. I realize there's risk in buying a product anywhere, but I think some help from an official source will get them moving faster. I have a receipt and the product was officially inspected to be broken upon purchase. It's just frustrating.

Vicky and I saw 'Valkyrie' last week. I am, of course, biased. But I think it was a great movie. A fact-based story about a group of guys trying to kill Hitler has to excited even the biggest Tom Cruise detractor. It was an interesting take on a historical account.

Over the weekend, Vicky and I met with her cousin and cousin's boyfriend in Itaewon. Itaewon is where the US military base is located. It doesn't get the best reviews from Koreans or Westerners, unless the Westerners are just here to go nuts and party.

The reason is that many of the American soldiers can be real jerks. They're one of the main reasons Westerners get a bad name in Korea. Itaewon during the day is okay, albeit rather dirty and crowded. But at night it is an unsavory place, with drunks and prostitutes roaming the streets. One of my friends got beaten up by some American soldiers because they wanted his watch.

We only were there during the day, so we didn't have many concerns. We went to a Mexican restaurant called 'Amigos', and I had Mexican food for the first time in five months. It's hard to describe how much I missed it. While Korean food is tolerable, with some of it being pretty good, I would never choose any of it over the melting pit of food that inhabits America.

After the meal, the four of us headed to Bupyeong for some drinking. The day was really fun because Vicky's cousin and boyfriend speak very little English. I was in a position where I pretty much had to speak Korean to communicate. I know Vicky can translate, but it has to be annoying if she does it all the time.

Either way, I think I did reasonably well. We spoke a little English during the day/night, but it was about 80 percent Korean. We talked about a lot of simple things while getting to know each other, but it was a nice feeling to put it to use.

Vicky's cousin even said one time that she was confused by what I was saying because I was switching back and forth between English and Korean so well. So that was a nice compliment.

On Sunday, I went to CostCo with Vicky, her mom and dad. It was pretty much just like an American CostCo, except you can buy bulk Korean food as well as alcohol. As much as was there that I would've liked, I settled on two purchases: A case of Miller Lite for the equivalent of about $23.00, and the Heinz picnic pack, which included two ketchups, a mustard and a relish.

Call me predictable, but I just needed some comfort items.

I wouldn't call my feelings here full-on homesickness, but lately has been harder. I miss my family and friends a lot. I know people are busy and going through a lot back home, and I wish I could be around to be a part of it, both good and bad.

The worst part about having a new adventure seems to be that I'm forced to miss out on the old routine.

While work is going reasonably well for me, it isn't for the company. Apparently due to some students quitting, they bosses have asked one of the teachers to end her contract a month early. It's a pretty ridiculous move, and one she doesn't have to take. But Koreans are more worried about pride than American are, so she is embarrassed by the bosses' request and may end her time.

It sucks, because already one teacher quit due to pregnancy, and this one is another good friend. It seems the core that I started with is slowly unraveling. I knew it would happen. It's just a bummer.

I know my job is safe, but it's a pretty shifty situation by the company. I haven't trusted them since day 1, and now the other teachers are beginning to understand my feelings.

Well, Pittsburgh fans, enjoy the NFL championship!

Itaewon/costco pics