Just Another Weekend?

Derek was on vacation this entire week, and I did 17 shows in 7 days this week (3 on Sat/Sun, 2 on Wed/Thurs, 1 on Fri, then 3 Sat/Sun), all the while having to go over choreography (which should be a curse word) and lyrics for my show opening March 5th. All this caused me to get sick (runny nose, sore throat, body aches) as well.

I was very glad to reach the weekend.

I made pancakes (or as they're called in Korea, hot cakes) this past week. They turned out pretty well. The first 2 I made weren't as perfect as this one:

Yesterday was the 6th snowfall I've seen since being here. We got about 5 inches of the lightest, softest, fluffiest snow I've ever seen. It started at around 1 p.m., and continued all night.

You may recall a previous blog (dated December 15, titled What A Day) that entailed a trip to a local orphanage/group home about 35 minutes from English Village. I had intended to go back once a month with a group of my coworkers, but we didn't get it planned for January. But several people, including myself, kept asking "When are we going back?!" and so another trip was planned. We went last night.

Thirteen of us split 3 cabs to Geumchon Station (about 15 minutes away) where we caught the 13 bus to the orphanage.

1st Trip to the Orphanage/Group Home (notice the construction on the left side of the picture)--
2nd Trip to the Orphanage/Group Home (notice the completed building on the left)--
We arrived at the orphanage at about 6:20, as the kids were finishing dinner. Our plan was simply to hang out with the kids and play games with them. We had ordered pizza for them as well...I guess just as a snack.

The first game we played was Duck, Duck, Goose. I'm not sure if the kids have ever played the game before; but even if they did, I'm sure it was called something else. However, they caught on quickly.

Kids watching Duck, Duck, Goose--One of the teachers that came with us, Ulrich (from South Africa) had a great idea for a game. He said he previously played it in Taiwan, where he used to teach. It's some Sumo-like game. The kids wear boards on their back (in this case, it was the top to the pizza boxes) with a number on it. They stomp their feet like the Sumo wrestlers do, then they have to hop on one foot while trying to see the number on their opponents boxtop. It made for some very hilarious scenes.

A kid preparing to play the Sumo game--I think he won (the kid on the floor is fine)--Kids watching the Sumo game--Tonya and I being crazy (I have no idea what we were doing)--
We played Red Light, Green Light with the kids, and although they didn't really get the concept of Red vs. Green; we simply did the Super Mario Brothers ghost thing--when we turn our backs to the kids, they move forward; when we turn to face them, they have to freeze. If they are caught moving, they are out. The winner is the person who reaches the front without ever being caught moving. It was a really fun game.

You can some kids in motion while others are freezing--Click the link below for a 30-second video of the game:
Red Light, Green Light

After we were finished playing games, we sat down in groups of 8 to eat pizza. I was force fed a piece by one of the girls in our group. You see, the pizza was ultimately for them--not us--AND the pizza had corn, onions, olives, and who knows what else on it. But I ate it...and only gagged one time.

These are pictures from my pizza group--She's the one who force fed me a piece of pizza--The kids LOVE pictures. Not just you taking pictures of them (and they all want to see their pictures after you take them), but the kids can't get enough of taking our cameras and taking pictures of everything. My camera was out of my hand 1/3 of the time.

Here's some pictures of some of the guys I hung out with--
We got ready to leave around 9 p.m. The kids have to sleep and all.

Right before we left, we took a group picture (I'd adopt them all if I could)--
Then I took some pictures with some of the people that couldn't stop clinging to me--
She's one of the girls who I sang with last time; and she's the one who fed me the pizza--
This is my friend, the girl previously known as "The Girl in Pink" (I'd adopt her if I could)--When we got outside, it was still snowing. As we were figuring out how to get home (cab, bus, van), I snapped a few shots on the side of the building. The street lamp was the only illumination.

The street lamp--I can't believe how amazing snowflakes are! They really are unique. I did some blue-ification of this picture.
I didn't do anything to this picture--this is exactly how it turned out. I love it--
We have made plans to return each month to be with the kids. They enjoy it so much...but probably not as much as we do. I know for me personally, this is most rewarding thing I could ever do in my life. My trip to Baton Rouge in 2006 started a certain mindset about working with youth, specifically "less fortunate" youth.

It's weird that I had to come all the way to Korea to visit my first orphanage/group home. I just never even thought of it while I was in America. I definitely intend to do get involved in something like this when I return to the motherland.