Jean Jackets Are Cool

Today was a busy day at work, but that's okay. I like being busy, it makes the day go by more quickly. I had three 80 minute 4th grade classes and a 40 minute daycare class. Also, my computer was removed from my classroom yesterday afternoon, so I was without a computer. I guess they're taking it away so they can convert it to English (because all the programs are in Korean...), so I can use my computer more efficiently, instead of mainly using it to check up on facebook or youtube or tumblr... I mean.. what? Who does that....

The day was so full of classes, though, that it hardly mattered that I didn't have a computer. Plus, I was able to delve deeper in the futuristic world of Panem. That's right! I'm reading The Hunger Games. I like it so far. I'm about 150 pages in to the first book, and I'm hoping to finish it by April 5th, when it will be released here in Korea.

Today is the first day I went to school without a winter coat! Hooray, spring has arrived! Later than Chicago, it seems... And what better way to celebrate Spring but with a floral dress and a denim jacket! Cole hates it, but what does he know about lookin' fly? Very little. I'll reiterate my point: jean jackets are cool.

I took these outfit pictures after work today. I forgot to put on a slip under my skirt when I left, so it kept bunching when I walked! But I couldn't go home to change once I got to school. When I got out, though, I returned home, adorned a slip (talked to Cole via skype for a bit...) and then went back outside to take advantage of the daylight (even if it was a little overcast). I decided to explore close to home, and found a small park by my school. I was visited by some students of mine who were playing at the nearby playground. First the boys came over, then a few girls. Of course they were curious what their "Teacher Anna" was doing, with her self timer camera. I explained that I had a blog, and they seemed to understand. Maybe they'll come check it out! (So let's keep it clean, Marybeth ;) ).

reverting back to my ballet poses, hahahaha.

-Anna-

dress, denim jacket, shoes: thrifted

belt: Toona (Korea)

earrings: icing

tights: Forever21

lol, another ballet pose....?

i regrettably forgot all my belts at home! i'm going to ask my mom/sister to pack them up and send them here though! but this was a good replacement. cute little bow, right?

a few 6th grade boys. aren't they cool? too cool for school...

this is something korean girls do to cover their face. sometimes they'll just do it to cover their jawline because they think their faces are too wide (which is crazy, because they're not). korean's have a very specific idea of beauty. these girls are just being shy.

On an unrelated note: I went walking to the market the other day (which, by the way, is right down the street from my apartment building. yay!) and I found this little shop, Vintage Story. Well, I had to go in, right? I've been wondering if there are any stores around here that cater to my thrifty/vintage sensibility, and I seemed to find one nearby! Now, I only stopped in for a moment, because I was meeting someone, but I went back with the few friends later in the week. It's a very small store, and there were 5 of us, not counting the 2 women who were working there, so there wasn't much room to move around. Regardless, I intend to go back and do some more rummaging. I did manage to buy some shirts at the market for pretty cheap (they have a lot of random things there...). I'll post pictures of those soon!

also... moss covered teapots?

And we'll end on this Alice in Wonderland meets Secret Garden display I walked past on my way to the market. You can't climb inside, I already checked...

BYE!

Anna

edit: i had to remove a photo with some graffiti in the background because it said something inappropriate in korean. as a teacher, i suppose i shouldn't condone that... oops. my bad!

Style Icon: Rachel Berry!

Yes, we'll admit it, Bette and I are gleeks. I'm not sure how proud of it she is, but I consider it my guilty pleasure. I feel like it shouldn't like it because of how ridiculous things are on that show, and yet... I love musicals and stupid teenage drama and Kurt and Blaine.

But this is about Miss Rachel Berry, the Barbara Streisand loving, attention mongering, Finn dating (Finn marrying..?) shining star at McKinley High School in little ole Lima, Ohio. Sure, she can be somewhat abrasive and a hog for the spotlight, but she has gotten better. When the show began, Rachel Berry was at the stop of my list of most annoying characters, just behind Terry, Will Schester's crazy ex-wife (who faked a pregnancy. WHO DOES THAT?). But she has since toned it down. That or I'm getting used to her...

However you feel about her, you can't deny the girl has style. What did she call it? Sort of a sexy school girl librarian chic? Yeah, there's something so girly and dainty about her frills and cutesy prints. And yet, the short hem lines make the cute just a little more mature. I am all about mid-thigh hems, if you couldn't already tell... Somethings are a little exaggerated, but thats TV... no... that's just Rachel Berry; she can't do anything just a little bit.

 

Rachel Berry, you keep on singing your heart out. You're fabulous and you know it. Don't settle for anything less than stardom, darling.

Anna and Marybeth

Brides and Buffets

I went to a Korean wedding this weekend. A teacher friend of Elly's was getting married, and Elly asked if I'd like to attend in lieu of her husband who had to stay home with their daughter, Dorothy. We took the subway into Seoul, but it was a long trip, plus we had to transfer subways, so we arrived kind of late! lol typical... it was pretty lax though, so we came in and sat down for the last few minutes of it. It was a very traditionally Christian wedding, but you'll notice the mothers of the bride and groom have traditional Korean dresses on. They will have this western style wedding, but will also have a traditional Korean ceremony too. I think the bride looks so beautiful! She started crying at the end there, awwww.

After the ceremony ended, everyone went downstairs for the dinner. In Korea, they don't typically have a reception with food and drinks and dancing and toasts; they just have a dinner. In fact, I didn't even see the bride and groom down there. Also, Elly told me that it's not uncommon for guests to come to the wedding, say hi to the bride and groom briefly, skip the ceremony and head right to the food. Ha! I like their style.... But to be honest, the ceremonies are never very long. Maybe a half hour? I'm sure they could wait... but oh well, no feelings are hurt, I guess.

So the food.... Oh, the food! There was so much! They had green vegetables, soups, meats, fruits, desserts, sushi, seafood; it went on and on! And as a girl who loves Asian cuisine and just food in general, I couldn't decide where to start! A lot of food in Korea is spicy, but luckily, none of the food I picked up was too bad.. I need to have a buffet like this at my wedding. Maybe not all Asian, as Marybeth and my dad probably wouldn't like that, but an endless buffet? Awesome! Oh it costs money to feed all those people? Eh.. details...

can you spot the elly?

Also, a little over a week ago, Elly treated Tom and I to dinner, which was super nice of her. We went to this restaurant, Vips in the Hyundai Department Store. Or was it UPlex? I don't know.. they're two malls right next to each other... Anyway, we ordered steaks to share and then had a buffet food to devour. I had, like, three pieces of cheesecake... drool...

So say hello to Elly and her daughter, Dorothy! Dorothy named herself after she saw the Wizard of Oz. So cute, right!?

Also meet Tom, the soldier who works at our school. He likes to practice his English with Elly and I during lunch at school. Plus he's just an all around nice guy. He helped me out with my cellphone issues! In fact, he gave me his old phone to use while I wait for my Alien Registration Card (when it arrives I can buy a new phone).

All right, bye everyone!

Anna

Spring has sprung!

 Spring is here and it wants EVERYONE to know! Ya know what? I'm good with that. haha I'm LOVING this weather and all the freshness of the grass, trees, flowers! The colors! Oh my, the colors! I love Spring and it's 70's - 80's here so it's an amazing time to enjoy it! Check out my enjoying-spring dance. :]








Party down.

~Marybeth~

Dress: Thrifted (Anna's)

Belt: Forever 21

Shoes: American Eagle

Sunglasses: Target

Necklace: Gift

This dress I found in Anna's closet. One of the many items that didn't make it to Korea with her. Her loss! And I made some adjustments to it as well. It used to have sort of puffy long sleeves and earlier today I slowly undid the thread and liked what resulted in the end! I don't think she'll be too upset. I never saw her wear it and now it's a cute spring time dress for me to enjoy! :]

I kept my make up really natural today as well. I only had on mascara and some lip gloss that gave my lips a more reddish color that I really liked. ALSO! Guess who's 2nd birthday was on Sunday??! Happy birthday, little Storm! Can't believe she's two! I told her she has to start acting her age. No more chasing the cats or barking at other dogs, but so far she hasn't listened. Just like a 14 year-old (in dogs years) would act, so I guess she is acting her age! har har har

<3<3<3<3,
Marybeth