Thanksgiving

Happy Belated Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans!

I spent the weekend in Seoul with some friends. A bunch of us ate Thanksgiving dinner together at Chef Milis in Itaewon. For $36 per person, the German (or Austrian) chef and his Korean wife catered traditional Thanksgiving dinners throughout the weekend. The meal began with a beet soup followed by a plate of turkey (yes I ate it), stuffing, mashed potatoes, veggies, and a bit of cranberry sauce. For dessert, we each received a square of pumpkin cake with a side of berry-flavored cream. The dinner was alright. I don't really care for Thanksgiving food because the centerpiece is a dead bird and nothing is spicy. I did spend the whole week teaching the kids about what Americans eat for Thanksgiving, so it was nice that the week culminated in a traditional Thanksgiving meal. I really just wanted pumpkin pie.

Beet (and tomato?) Soup

Turkey with stuffing, carrots, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce

Pumpkin cake with berry cream

For my readers in America, please consider these holiday delights! I know that I'll be thinking of them until next year.

Holiday Dessert Choice:
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies from Trader Joe's. This seasonal treat is a hybrid dessert between chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin bread. Perfect for your holiday sweet tooth!

Holiday Beverage Choice:
Peppermint Latte from your favorite coffee joint. Nothing seizes the holiday season like a hot coffee with a hint of mint!

Life is much more difficult without a laptop. (I'm currently blogging from my phone. Carpel tunnel is quickly setting in.) No more "Song of the Week." No more music in general. No more back-to-back episodes of Modern Family. No more opportunities to catch up on GLEE or Gossip Girl. Waiting for a page to load on my phone is like spending an eternity watching the little circle spin. I only have about an hour to use the computer at school before, in between, and after classes so I'm usually clicking everything like mad.
Today I was invited to play volleyball again. This time the teachers reserved the gym in another school to practice among themselves. What is with Koreans and volleyball? I spent the day thinking of ways to get out of playing, but couldn't think of a valid excuse. Everyone but me got the memo to bring an extra set of clothes, so my attire actually limited my range of motion. My boots were slippery on the hard wood floors, and my jeans were bound to fall off. I confined myself to one corner of the court like a gymnast preparing to tumble during her floor routine. During the break, a teacher offered to practice with me. My arms felt sore after half a dozen hits. I shook off my right hand, made a pained face, and left to eat tangerines with everyone else. I still don't understand how EVERYONE likes to play volleyball. The other elementary schools make their TaLK scholars play too. What's going on?