What's the deal with the Rs?

In the blog for our school, one of the parents, in reference to their child's pronunciation, submitted a comment asking if my name is Alien.

--
Aaron

Meeting Ex-Pats

We have not yet met any ex-pats in Mokpo. A few have been spotted perusing sidewalks and occupying themselves with foodstuffs a few aisles over at the grocery. However, our tentative hand waves, smiles, and other welcoming gestures, in attempt to bond over our shared foreignness, have been reciprocated with about as much enthusiasm as one would greet an approaching hoodlum in a vacant subway station.

Hope still exists, though, in the obvious form of a Facebook group. The leaders of the group assemble a get-together each month for the purpose of welcoming new ex-pats. The August get-together is scheduled for tomorrow at one of the local ex-pat bars, suitably named Moe's Bar after the bar of the same name in The Simpsons. It is my understanding that a yellow picture of Homer decorates the front window.

Perhaps tomorrow we'll have a few new friends. Maybe even a few new enemies, depending on the affordability of soju at Moe's.

I leave you with my initial interaction with the "Mokpo, South Korea" Facebook group:

Anyang!

hello all!  we're alive & kicking here in mokpo, south korea, where the temperature hovers between a cool 70 and a balmy 80 degrees (take that, texas!).  first blog posts are kinda lame, so i'll let you guys off easy with a photo montage. <3

i'll never forget that first sip of korean beer...oh (s)hite!

all of our bags...wheeled suitcases probably would have been the smarter choice. 

5 year old class, i.e. adorable hellions (koreans are considered 1 year old at birth, so these guys are actually only 4).  they call us "jessica teacher"/"aaron teacher," which is beyond cute.

traditional korean food is served everyday for lunch...not your average cafeteria fare.

"english village" classroom

grocery store stocked with fake produce 

fire station/hospital 

office, with "amy teacher"  

our school, framed by green hills & cloudy skies 

view from our school

garden in front of the school...lots of peppers & these mystery plants, all grown by a the director's grandmother, who appears to be at least 80.

on the bus

our current apartment building, aptly named "shine ville"

the bathroom doubles as a shower!  it's actually kind of awesome.

our tiny studio apartment!  complete with hot pink bed set...aaron's secret fantasy!

more pictures can be seen on our flickr account (link on the right side of the blog)!  and don't forget to feed the fish!