Welcome to the World Little Guy!

My nephew, Parker James Tamblin, was born on November 4, at 5 in the morning to my sister Angela(in case there was confusion). He's a big guy, weighing in at 9lbs., 2oz, and measuring 21 inches! I get to meet him in person at Christmas, but have been chatting to my sister and him online in the meantime! here are some of the first pictures.

And a little one to preview:

Rugby!

That's right folks, those of you who may have thought there was not much of an athletic bone in the Halls family would be pleasantly surprised. I played Touch Rugby a couple weeks ago. Some of my friends and I were convinced by a couple of New Zealanders to join a team for a one-day tournament. Needless to say, we lost, but got a couple of t-shirts and a day of fun in the sun! our team was named The Mobsters. Here is a team photo:

I also recently celebrated my birthday with some friends. It was fun, and I am now officially a quarter of a century! Wow, I can barely believe it myself. Anyway, take a look at my recently updated Picassa web albums, complete with pictures from Rugby and my Birthday. Enjoy!

Kimchi, Kimchi, it is good for you and me...?

So today, someone mentioned that Dr. Oz(the guy from Oprah) says that Kimchi causes cancer. If you don't already know, Kimchi is pretty much the national food of Korea. It is served in almost every restaurant, and eaten at every meal, even(if not especially) at breakfast. I first tried Kimchi last year in Taiwan, and didn't really acquire a taste for it until trying it several more times upon arrival here in SK. Now, I look forward to my near daily intake of the spicy fermented cabbage and relish in it when a restaurant serves particularly tasty Kimchi. Koreans believe in the healing power of Kimchi, but in search of the truth, I decided to consult all-knowing Wikipedia:

Kimchi is very spicy and can also be exceptionally sweet. Kimchi is made of various vegetables and contains a high concentration of dietary fiber, while being low in calories. One serving also provides up to 80% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C and carotene.[8] Most types of kimchi contain onions, garlic, and peppers, all of which are salutary. The vegetables being made into kimchi also contribute to the overall nutritional value. Kimchi is rich in vitamin A, thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), calcium, and iron,[9][10] and contains a number of lactic acid bacteria, among those the typical species Lactobacillus kimchii.[11][12][13][11]
The magazine Health named kimchi in its list of top five "World's Healthiest Foods" for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possibly reducing cancer growth.[14] However, some research focused on high-sodium dietary dependence has found overconsumption of kimchi and doenjang (hangul: 된장) to be a risk factor in gastric cancer (most likely due to nitrates and salt) while unfermented alliums and unfermented seafood were found to be protective factors.[15] One oncological study found one type of kimchi to be a protective factor against gastric cancer while two other types of such high-sodium kimchi as dongchimi (hangul: 동치미) were risk factors.[16]

One study conducted by Seoul National University claimed that chickens infected with the H5N1 virus, also called avian flu, recovered after eating food containing the same bacteria found in kimchi. However, the veracity of these results has been questioned due to the very small sample size of only a handful of chickens and the fact that no subsequent research supported the claims. During the 2003 SARS outbreak in Asia, many people even believed that kimchi could protect against infection, although there was no scientific evidence to support this belief.[17][18] However, in May 2009, the Korea Food Research Institute, Korea’s state food research organization, said they had conducted a larger study on 200 chickens, which supported the theory that it boosts chickens' immunity to the virus

That's right....a possible cure for Bird Flu! Ha! Somehow I doubt it. Anyway, my conclusion is that like everything else in the world, it probably does cause cancer if its the only thing you are eating every day. I am going to keep enjoying the stuff. :)

Teaching with Grace

No, that is not a name of one of my students or a co-teacher, but in fact the old practice of having a little grace every once and awhile. Lately, I have been learning this more than ever. I recently returned from a hurried trip home and to Mexico for my best friends wedding. While it was an incredible, amazing time, I didn't really get the much needed rest vacations sometimes offer us. Instead, I came back--while missing my students--a little irritated that I had to be back at work.

The other day, I had a conversation with my students to try to figure out their "real", or western, age. I figured out that more than half of my Kindergarten students are only 4, and 80 percent of one of my elementary students are only 6. All this time, I was under the impression that they were 5 and 7. Not that its that big of a difference in the long run, but here is a video of a wee little 4 year old doing some reading. Be amazed.

Anyway, knowing how old they are and how hard they work every day, I am trying to have a little more patience and grace when they break the rules or just annoy me. I really do love the heck out of my kids, but there are those days that they just get under your skin. I just need to keep telling myself that they're just kids.

Swine Flu for reals.

What a relaxing week this has been! At school on Monday, we were sent home at 3pm because most of the schools are being closed in the area. A girl at the elementary school in my city has Swine Flu and they subsequently closed down that school for a week. Since we had some kids who have been in contact with that girl, my boss decided to shut the school on a day by day basis. So far, we didn't have any school today, we don't have any school tomorrow, and will wait for word about the rest of the week. I'm definitely enjoying the time off, but will miss the pay. It's kind of too bad it was pouring rain ALL DAY today. Oh well, no school is no school.

Baseball!

On the 4th of July, we all went to a Korean baseball game together, most of us for the first time. We got some On the Border(best semi-Mexican food I've been able to find in Korea) and headed out to watch the Doosan Bears vs. the LG Twins. All the baseball teams here are owned by major companies. Apparently the Bears are popular(at least with my students), but the Twins killed them this game. I always loved going to games growing up and then last year in Taiwan. I thought it was going to be the same as in Taiwan, but the turnout was incredible here. The olympic stadium in Seoul where the game was held was completely packed. There were people sitting in the isles and on the stairs. Nevertheless, it was a great time. Especially since you can bring your own food/drinks inside the stadium and tickets are only $6.

oops

My bad...it has been sooo long since I have updated. I've heard the complaints and the requests, and I will be back in business ASAP. I meant to do some blogging over the weekend, but a baseball game and late night out in Seoul got in the way. Don't worry everyone I am still here! About 15 days till I go home for a week.....and I am so excited. My BFF Bethany is getting married in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I'm ready for the all-inclusive resort, the beach, and having a pina colada perpetually in my hand. More later!