#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 100 - 100 Days of Happiness

It's 7:56pm and I'm finally on the bus going home. The workaholism won today :-P. 

Kind of amazing that today is the last day about blogging about the things that make me happy. You can all sigh with relief - to be honest I've found this kind of boring. Isn't that a terrible thing to say? That I'm bored of telling people that I'm happy. But it is kind of boring to talk about because it is the small and routine things in life that make me happy. 

Actually that's not exactly true. It is a decision and an attitude that makes me find happiness in everything. The small and routine things bring me happiness everyday. The big and adventuresome things bring me happiness too - but they don't happen every day. Would be cool if they did, but also rather tiring. I'm happy with my adventures being less regular. 

Today quite appropriately was full of small and routine happinesses. 

1. My amusement at the escalation of political 'vote for me tactics' offered up at the train station as I went to work. This morning the red and blue chanting bowing ladies were joined by orange and purple chanting bowing ladies, there were also white ones, but I think they are really blues in disguise. And they have now crossed to my side of the road - in fact there was a set at the end of my ally this morning. And two trucks with speakers and photos. When I came home this evening one of the trucks was playing the tune "If your happy and you know it clap your hands." I didn't understand any of the words - but I'm guessing it was something along the lines of "I'm great and I know it, vote for me."

2. The pleasure of finding a seat on the train - that happens every morning because I travel in the opposite direction to most people and so my trains are almost always empty-ish. 

3. Teaching my lovely kids - I love my job. This is what my kids wrote on my board today. 

Cat T. stands for Cat Teacher. They also offered to find me a husband, but since their first suggestion was the naughtiest boys father I think I won't hold my breath.  (He didn't seem too happy about that idea either.)

4. Watching my mint not only survive but thrive. I suspect it has it's own guardian angel - or at least mine is caring for the plant as well as for me, because my nurturing skills definitely have nothing to do with it's growth. 

5. Chatting with my upstairs neighbour :-) and making a plan to have lunch next week on our day off - we get a day off work so that everybody can go and vote. Well everybody except me. 

6. Instant messaging with my friends and hearing about their happinesses. 

7. Knowing that God is good!

8. Etc, etc, etc ...

And so ends the 100 Days of Happiness Challenge. 

And I had another happy day ^^

Now I shall have to think of something else to blog about. Possibly 100 days of STUDY.  I got an assignment to finish ASAP. 

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 99 - So Close To The End ...

Only one more day of Happiness to report on. Here is a round up of today's Happinesses. 

1. Homemade hit potato chips for breakfast - with lemon juice and salt - which is fast becoming my favourite way to eat potatoes. 

2. The sense of accomplishment that came from successfully purchasing and installing a new connection between my washing machine and tap - this occurred after I cleaned up the kitchen from the water sprayed everywhere when the part failed and kind of exploded. Good thing my apartment is so tiny that the dash to turn off the tap is only something like five steps. 

3. Seeing one of my Korean friends at lunchtime - one of those unexpected pleasures that life brings. Had wanted to see her but had not thought I had time today, then plans changed and suddenly I had time for a visit - too short, but still good. 

4. Sitting and chatting with foreign friends in the late afternoon. One of those winding chats that go everywhere and cover all sorts of randomnesses. 

5. Playing Monopoly Deal with the hospitalised friend - I won the first game, he won the second and Dorothy lost both :-)

6. Discovering our friend had brought a picture if his favourite lady - who is currently overseas - to the hospital with him. Some people are just too romantic. 

7. Having a lovely wonderful chat with one of my favourite foreigners on the train coming home from visitation ^^

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 98 - Flexiblity

One theory I have about happiness is that flexibility is an essential aspect of staying happy. 

Life happens and if you are able to bend and go with the flow with out being disjointed you will be much happier. I figure just accept and enjoy the moments life brings and try not to mourn about the moments you feel life has deprived you of - because mourning takes up time that would be better used enjoying the good things/times :-) and there are always good things/times if we are looking for them. 

On Sabbath - yesterday - I was planning to join a couple of friends for dinner, but that plan was cancelled due to circumstances and so instead of a nice restaurant dinner I found myself almost an hour out of Seoul with different friends, eating kimbap from a foil wrapper, and commiserating with a friend who is in hospital with pneumonia. He is getting better. 

We tried to talk him in to coming out of hospital with us and wandering around the town in his hospital pj's, jandals and IV pole. This is something I have often seen Koreans doing, and as they say "When in Korea, do as the Koreans do."

We final convinced him to come, but then the nurse nixed our plan. Apparently one of the drugs on the IV pole requires that he stays in the hospital. 

Here is a picture of him just outside the front door waving goodbye as we went in search of dinner ...

Hence we ended up with foil wrapped kimbap for dinner that we brought back to the hospital to eat with our convalescent friend. 

Not the plan I started the day with, but still a happy thing. 

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 97 - Ruth

Friday - the best Fridays are the ones where my friends join me for a bible Study. 

This week three of my friends came. We've started a study of the book of Ruth.  I had a different plan, but it changed :-) 

We had delicious snacks, homemade hummus amongst other things,  good conversation and we got to read one of the best stories in the Bible. 

Definitely a Happy Day. 

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 96 - Art Excursion

So I'm in catch up mode again ^^. Thursday's happy thing, my grade at school did not have Normal Day on Thursday. They had an art competition. 

What this means is that we all toddled down to the river behind the school, each student with a black art folio in hand. When we arrived at the river the students proceeded to unpack. Most if them had small ground sheets so that they did not have to sit on the ground, but I also saw quite large boards that came out of the folio to be used for pressing on while drawing, cell phones and iPads or cameras to take pictures of the scene, bottles of frozen water, hats, and in one case a table ... These kids take their competions very seriously. Some of them told me they had been down at the river the night before practicing drawing their picture. 

We stayed at the river for two hours and then the kids packed all their stuff - including the table - back into their folios, and we headed back to school. 

At a school the kids spent the rest of the day painting what they had drawn - and I got to spend the day getting ahead with my paperwork. Always a good thing :-)

Between the Happys: Running the Guantlet.

I know it's very bad of me to be amused by another countries political campaigns but I have to confess that I am exceedingly amused. 

I've found out that the election coming up is for Seoul Mayor which is one of the top spots on the country seeing as about half the population of Korea live in Seoul. 

I surmise that my area is a hotly contested seat as people have been campaigning here for almost two months and the election is still around three weeks away. There was a cessation of 'hostilities' for a few weeks after the sinking of the ferry. But this week they were back in full force. 

This morning things ramped up another notch. There was a truck next to the subway entrance with signs, speakers pictures, etc. In the ally leading to the subway entrance there were rows of bowing ladies,  groups of three, all dressed in matching clothes, some rows in red, some in blue - the colours of the two main parties - and a few in white. They were also at the top of the stairs down into the subway, and at the landing where you transfer from the stairs to the escalator. Tomorrow I'm fully expecting them to be at the bottom of the esculator too.  

Generally a row of blue would be angled to be almost facing a row of red. One row will bow and chant something which I assume translates to "Vote for us, we're great." And then the opposing row would immediately reply with their own bow and chant. I should mention that when a row bows they all bow together. 

Sprinkled amongst the rows of bowing ladies are the candidates and their main men also dressed in red or blue and wearing sashes proclaiming their pertinent statistics. They also bow and hand out business cards. 

Now as the resident foreigner in the area I'm highly recognisable, but what surprises me is that instead of ignoring me since I can't vote they all make an extra extra effort. The rows of bowing chanting ladies bow and chant, the besashed candidates attempt to shake my hand or wave and show off their English prowess by greeting me in English and everybody tries to give me their card. And I nod and smile and shake and try to avoid taking and get into the station as fast as I can. 

Only three more weeks. 

And we get a holiday for the actual Election Day :-D

PS No picture with this one because I'm not quite brave enough to stop and take one ...

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 95 - Oreo Moons

Today I was teaching the phases of the moon. I got the kids to make diagrams showing the different phases in relation to the sun. We used Oreos as the building materials. I've never seen the kids so involved or working so fast. Of course the promise that they could eat their Oreo at the end may have had something to do with it. 

Here are some of the results:

This next group had some Oreo casualties ... victims to poor planning - they ended up with a large number of New Moons, ie one side with no icing. That happened because every kid decided - without consulting the other members of the group - that they would be the one to make the New Moon and hence licked the biscuit clean ...

And finally the instant my commendation was achieved ...

Going for the kill!

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 94 - Promises

One thing that makes me inordinately happy are the promises God has made me in the Bible. So many amazing promises for all situations, and I've learned to trust His word. He's never let me down and I know He never will. 

My two current favourite promises focus on the phrase "... is able to..." 

Hebrews 7:25 

Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 

And

Jude 1:24-25

Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy, to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen.

The bit that gets me in both of these texts is "is able to" Jesus is able to save me to the uttermost and He is able to guard me from stumbling and keep me pure. That is a great comfort. And if He can do it got me He can definitely do it for you. 

God Bless one and all ^^

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 93 - Blasts from the Past

My happy thing today was one of my old students from LAC days contacting me on Facebook. I haven't heard from him in forever. Was such a nice surprise. But I have no pictures ... However here is a picture of LAC well the cafeteria, the gym, a tree or three, and the shade area anyway. 

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 92 - Happy

1. Talking to my Mum in the phone. 

2. Chatting with friends on Facebook. 

3. Using ingredients and implements my friends gave me when they left Korea to bake biscuits (cookies for the Americans).

 

Very very tasty - lemon and almond flavoured. My school lunches are sorted. :-)

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 91 - Sabbath

Sitting on the lawn in front of church singing hymns with my friends. I love hymns. And I love my friends. 

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 90 - Open Day

Friday: we had open day at school for the foreign teachers. That means that all day the classes were open for anyone who wanted to come and watch us teach. In reality that means parents - and as it turns out other teachers. (Afterwards one of the Korean teachers from another grade told me she had come and watched my lesson and really enjoyed it - which is a good thing ^^)

Was very daunting teaching in front of the mothers. I tried to pretend it was like teaching in front of the ERO inspectors in NZ. (ERO = Education Review Offoce, they come and evaluate every school in the country every three to five years.) But, the problem is that for ERO inspectors watching a class is just a job. For Mothers it's personal - that's my kid your teaching. 

My Happy thing from the day was that the Mothers were happy with my teaching. They fill in an evaluation sheet as they watch you. They can evaluate you as poor, average, good, great or excellent. The worst score I got was a straight row of goods. And I got lots of straight rows of excellents. 

Here for the picture part of the post is one of the forms - the Mother wrote a comment in Korean. I'm told it's good ^^

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 89 - Warmth

Today my happy thing is this ...

... My hot water heater. It keeps the water hot. I love long hot showers. This morning I woke up to a flashing orange light, icy cold water and a very fast sponge bath. This evening my upstairs neighbour and I went exploring. We found the boiler for my apartment and refilled the tank. Now the flashing orange light is gone, and I have nice warm water again.  In winter this magic divice of scientific technology also makes my floor it warm like a huge electric blanket - only made of hot water pipes and concrete , instead of fabric and electric wireing ...

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 88 - Neighbours

Not counting the people who live in my building (who are lovely) I have come to know four other people who live in my lane. 

Two of them are the husband and wife who run the corner shop, they are always very helpful when I go in with my tiny Korean and my pictures of what I want to buy. 

The third is the old man who lives across the alley from me. He steals my rubbish. He is apparently a strong supporter if recycling and while I do divide my rubbish (trash for Americans) he roots through it and takes all the bits he wants. I think he probably sells it to a recycling centre. 

Finally there is an old lady who lives on the first floor (the next one up from ground level) in a building at the other end of my lane. I see her shaking the blankets out her window most mornings as I'm going to work. In the last couple of weeks she has started smiling and waving to me as I go past. So of course I smile and wave back. Today she was waiting when I came. She leaned out and dropped a small bag if candy down to me. That was unexpected. But nice. :-)

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 87 - Students

My students always make me happy. ^^

This is a story from Monday, but they made me happy today too - they just didn't produce any cute stories. 

I was introducing the word hemisphere to one of my classes and made a point of telling them that it is really two words squashed together, hemi which means half and sphere which is a ball. Therefore hemisphere is half a ball. 

Later in the lesson I gave them all a handout and told them to fold it in half and glue it into their books. One of the girls looks up and says, "You mean make it a hemi-square?"

Too clever for words. 

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 86 - Showing Off Seoul

After school I hurried to meet my NZ friends. On the way I discovered one to those staircase pianos ib a train station. So that was the first place we went. 

Here are three pictures from the evening.  

Showing off my adopted home makes me happy. ^^

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 85 Part B - I Love My accent!!!!

Been out to the airport this afternoon to meet friends from NZ. They are on their way to Israel and have a two day stop over here in Korea. 

They arrived complete with Pois. Here is a picture of Rebekah with her Pois and Loren photo bombing in the background. 

And here are us all on the shuttle bus on the way to the hotel. 

Love love love hearing my accent in someone else's mouth!!!!!

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 85 - Mint

A few weeks back I was walking with a friend and came apon a pot filled with mint that was growing with gay abandon. I pinched a sprig, took it home and put it in water. It grew roots :-) Today I planted it into it's own pot. 

I'm working on the assumption that I can't kill mint. This assumption is based on the fact that back in a past life - I.E. Back when I lived in my house on walkers rd - I had a mint patch by the back door that I would periodically run over with the lawnmower to stop it from taking over the back lawn. Based on my past treatment of mint I think I should be able to keep this lot alive - maybe. Visions of minted pea soup provide good motivation. 

Couldn't find a blue pot, but then I thought the red, white and green looked rather Christmassy ... :-D

This is today's A posting. I have an even better B posting coming before I go to bed. 

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 84 - Much Randomness

Today I heard two friends preach, one preached his first sermon ever, the other preached his first sermon at my church. I was blessed by both. 

A little kid at church came running up to me and a friend "look, I've got an ant swimming pool"

All the ants were doing backstroke - aka drowned. 

Lunchtime, I was looking around the room where we were having lunch, and trying to think how many different languages were being used in just that one room ... My guess is 8 or 9...

Finally I had dinner with some of my lovely friends, one new, two old. 

Another Happy Day. 

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 83 - Cleaning

Friday, I think the best bit of Friday is the happy feeling when my house is all clean and ready for Sabbath. 

Having friends over for Opening Sabbath Bible Study is also pretty good ^*

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 82 - Thursday

Happiness is:

Eating Weetbix with marmite for breakfast. 

Talking to my students about random things. 

Chatting with my coworkers. 

Getting off the bus a couple of stops early to walk home through the park.

Going to bed early!!!!! 

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 81 - Wednesday

Just one of those generally happy days :-) but I did finish another project. 

I made my discipline system pretty. ^^

When a student does something bad aka  annoys me, then I put a small grumpy cat picture on their face. And if they do something good aka make me happy, then I put a small happy cat picture on their face. Not their actual faces. 

Their seating plan faces ...

Cats translate into stamps gained or lost in their stamp books. And when enough stamps have been accumulated they can be traded in for candy. 

I was happy to finish beautifying my system. 

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 80 - Tuesday

I got to spend Tuesday with my favourite Korean (and yes I know you're reading this ^^) 

She is one of those friends I can talk about absolutely anything with. They are the best kind. 

This time we went to the Dongdaemun Design Park and saw lots if interesting things. So I took lots of photos. Here are some of them. 

These chairs are made from coloured paper. 

This chair looks like over sized rubber grass. 

Fancy a chair that moves like a spinning top??

A keyboard that plays the notes with a meow sound?? I have a video, will load it to YouTube and link across. 

Feeling homesick? If your from London, Paris, New York or Prague you can buy a can of air from home to alleviate the symptoms. 

Here are the claims for the can if London air. 

It was another Happy Day. 

Between The Happys: Student Story

For you to understand this story first I have to give you a little background about Korean culture. The last two days have been closed for school. Yesterday (Tuesday) was Buddha's Birthday, which is the equivalent of Christmas and Monday was a public holiday called Children's Day.

On Children's Day children make a formal bow to their parents and then their parents give them money and gifts. Aunts, uncles and grandparents give them money and gifts too. Today I had my students telling me how much money they were given and what other gifts they got.

So now my story...

It's the last class of the day, I've dismissed the students and my quietest, shyest student - who also happens to have the worst English - stays behind. She is busy looking over her shoulder to check that the other students have all left before she talks to me. Once she is assured that she is alone she says the best sentence she's ever said to me, "Teacher, one more stamp, please." I was slightly surprised. We give the students stamps for good behaviour. I was surprised that she had the audacity to ask for an extra one, she's so shy. (Other students ask regularly and I always say no!) I asked her, "Why should I give you one more stamp?" She smiled angelically and answered, "Children's Day!"

I didn't give her the stamp - but I did laugh out loud, and I am considering finding her after school and giving her the stamp, just because.

Here is some more information about Children's Day if you're interested.

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 79 - A Holiday For Some Reason ...

Today is another holiday day. But I forgot the reason why. However whatever the reason I enjoyed it immensely. Spent the day with my family here in Korea. We argued, talked, argued, ate pizza, studied the Bible, argued, cooked, argued ... Are you seeing a pattern here? But for all the arguing we still all love each other. 

Her is a picture of four of us going home on the bus. 

I used photoshop and strategic cropping to make us look more beautiful. ^^

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 78 - Sunday

Today - finally caught up again - today I tried out a new hair dresser. Not only did I get a great cut but I also got an even better head massage. I'd go back for the head massage even if the cut was terrible. ... Ok not really, I'm too vain to go somewhere that gives me a terrible cut. 

Also had a lovely day with my two friends - we had a sleepover last night. :-)

#100HappyDays Challenge: Day 77 - Sabbath

Sabbath is a Happy Day, Happy Day, Happy Day ... It's a song I learned as a kid and it's still true. 

Spent this Sabbath with friends both new and old :-). Here are a selection of photos from our adventures. 

And finally an origami crane house I saw ... How weird is that???