Liebster Award

A while back I was nominated by Foreigner Joy for this pretty, pink, liebster award. This means I have to answer her questions and come up with 11 of my own for 4 other nominees.

1. Do you ever put on mismatching socks?
Everyday of my life! I have an inability to match any socks that I own or keep them in pairs for longer than 1 wash.

2. Why did you eat that?
You know I was just wondering that myself! I've been doing really well at watching what I eat, eating more consciously and then I devoured a bag of sour gummy worms. Oh the shame.

3. Are you materialistic or not?
Mmmm...I think I'd like to believe I'm not, but I suppose to a degree there are material things I certainly place value in. Would I be happier without them? Possibly. Can I live without expensive Jiu Jitsu Gis? Yes. Do I want to? Absolutely not :) 

4. What's your fondest memory as a child?
Dancing in the living room to Michael Jackson with my brother and my dad, while my mom laughed and clapped. I don't think I've ever smiled more and I can't remember a time when we felt more put together as a family.

5. Who calls you the most?
My boyfriend. No one else really calls. I sort of have a texting affair with everyone else! Haha

6. Where could you go, if you could go there?
At the moment my top choices are: Uruguay, Brazil, Costa Rica and Malta.

7. Anime or KDrama?
Ugh...I hate K-Drama...so I suppose anime.

8. Best movie snack?
Sugar Daddies! Hands down!

9. Gloves or mittens?
Oh good God, gloves! See what I did there with alliteration? Mittens remind me of having one massive finger.

10. Where have you been that filled you with inspiration and a new passion for life?
So many places! But I would definitely say most recently- Cebu in the Philippines. I visited after the Typhoon and met some of the most amazing, resilient, beautiful people. I had an opportunity to participate in a rugby benefit that raised a lot of money towards the recovery effort and it felt amazing!  

11. Honestly, what were you thinking? Is this back to the gummy worm question! I don't really know what I was thinking but I'm working on not beating myself up about it.

Right...my turn to nominate 4 females with bad-ass blogs. I nominate:
Tina- Run Whoo
Daisy-Little Fish in A Big Pond
Arielle-Soju4Two
Mia-Black English Teacher Abroad

 Your questions are as follows. 
1. What is the best thing about your job?
2. What is the worst?
3. Where have you traveled in the last year?
4. Cupcakes or Cookies?
5.What is your guilty pleasure?
6. Have you ever eaten anything you've dropped off of the ground once it passed the 5 second rule?
7. What is your greatest victory?
8. Describe yourself in 3 words?
9. Twerking...what do you think of it? Cultural? Commercial?
10.What has living abroad taught you about yourself?
11. What's next for you?

Cultural Difference or Just Plain Wrong?

Websites like Taboo Korea discuss many of these topics.

Living in Korea, often I will realize I approach things from a Western perspective. In some instances this amounts to cultural insensitivity, in others, I know the events taking place are absolutely morally repugnant, regardless of cultural differences. Since I have made many posts  about the best things in Korea, I think it's time for a nice little rant about the things we sometimes pass off as "cultural differences" regardless of how bigoted, biased or barbaric they might seem. A good friend of mine put it in a way that I think everyone can understand.

 He said "Any aspects of any culture across the globe that directly or indirectly cause harm or put people down should not be respected in my opinion. It's time we put ALL people (and animals') welfare first. Fuck it if it's offensive to go against some of those cultural norms."


1. Corporal Punishment. When I first came to Korea I saw kids holding planks, doing wall sits and push ups. In my mind it was pretty innocent until I started seeing the extremes. In 2010 corporal punishment was banned in Korean schools. This lead to major backlash and protests from teachers who swore it was good for building character and an essential part of growing up in Korea. I cannot get behind this. Recently I have witnessed a teacher who punished students quite a bit: first it started as hand smacks, being forced to hold objects and quickly escalated to strikes, blows, hair pulling and scratching. This is NEVER acceptable. In what world do we think it's okay to teach people that bad behavior should be curbed by being beat? Many Westerners are keen to say "well this is just part of Korea" yet they admit if they saw the same treatment at home, they would be outraged and immediately report it.

2. Shame/Rape/Abuse. I have encountered women and children (both Western and Korean) who have been the victims of sexual, physical and mental abuse, but will not report it because they genuinely believe it will be shameful to Korean culture. This is not to say these things don't happen at home, of course they do, but the minor "punishments" for rape and abuse aren't too motivating for the victims to report. It seems as if their best interests are not taken to heart. Although the law states greater sentences, the average is 2-3 years or 10 for foreigners, if the rapist is even sentenced at all. In Korea, rape is often seen as a slap on the wrist with many cases being thrown out before even approaching trial or being "settled out of court."  In 2013, the definition of rape was changed for the first time to include men and children. Meaning it didn't become a gender neutral law until very recently,when the laws became slightly more strict. Does this mean men deserved more protection than their female counterparts? Or that there was little help for male/child victims before this law? Often I hear my Korean friends attribute rape to foreign men and soldiers, while ignoring the mass amount of Korean on Westerner rapes. Usually when these women make a report, they are told "oh, well you were drinking" "many western women have a reputation" or "we are simply too busy and there are many cases like this." I have been with friends who reported assault only to be told their Korean was not good enough and maybe their rapist simply misunderstood their intentions or the way they dressed. Many of these cases lead to the creation of organizations like Seoul Survivor Services, which provides English language medical, legal and counselling resources for survivors of sexual assault in Seoul. The cases and issues are outlined in the piece, Raped in a Foreign Land.


3. Acceptance of racism and extreme nationalism. This has been a huge one for me. All too often we are okay saying  "Korea is so young, so small so...blah blah blah, they don't understand." This is ridiculous and makes the assumption that all Koreans carry these prejudices (which they don't) or are too "sheltered" to make their own judgement. Black face is widely used, many students refer to minorities with brown skin as "dirty" and  people are entirely too comfortable saying that Koreans are the only pure race. If you've ever heard the term, "One Blood, One People" you may have overlooked the implications of such a statement and assumed it was merely being patriotic rather than both xenophobic and nationalistic. The obsession with pure blood is one of the worst afflictions in Korea.The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is concerned about Korea and  "the emphasis placed on the ethnic homogeneity that might represent an obstacle to the promotion of understanding, tolerance and friendship among the different ethnic and national groups living on its territory." This attitude causes cultural pride to the point of arrogance and makes it much easier to assume a superiority complex as opposed to promoting racial/cultural harmony

What about you? Have you observed anything that you believe is too easily passed off as a cultural difference? Send me a message or comment below!

F**K Yeah, Korea

Living in Korea for almost 2 years, I now tend to take a lot of things for granted. This week I thought it would be a good idea to give thanks with a weekly series called F**K yeah Korea.

1. Pancake Original Story
261-6 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea

So this place was totally superior to any Western Brunch place I've encountered in Itaewon. It's Korean owned and yummy. The menu was simple, easy to order and delicious! Some of the best pancakes I've had in South Korea, other than Upper Deck in Noksapyeong, which is just magical! Original Pancake story is a tiny, comfy wooden restaurant with a relaxed environment, huges meals and very kind staff.  On the right is my meal which include two massive buttermilk pancakes,1 large meat patty, 2 sausages, sage and rosemary potatoes and two eggs overhard was about 14,000 won ($13.50 USD). My boyfriend opted for  thick, soft French toast (which I gladly helped him eat). The menu ranges from 5,000 won to 15,000 and really is super reasonably priced for the quality and quantity. It would be quite hard to eat here with a large group and probably caters better to 3 or 4.

So thank you Pancake Original Story...you make me wanna say: F**K yeah, Korea!

Maggie Moo Does Jiu Jitsu: Competition Time

With my training Partner, Natlie (Left) and Professor Kris Kim (Center)

So as promised I signed up for my first competition under United Forces BJJ on March 8th. I consider it a late birthday gift to myself.

I didn't really know what to expect going into it. All I know is that I was a mess leading up to it. I was nervous, my stomach hurt and just the mention of someone saying "hey when is your first competition" made me feel queasy. I have been an athlete for as long as I can remember, actively involved in team sports (rugby, basketball, relay track). Anyone who says the transition from team to individual sports is easy, clearly hasn't tried Jiu Jitsu.

The morning of the competition I anxiously peeled myself out of bed, tried to eat some bananas, listen to some reggae and get a pep talk from my boyfriend on the hour long ride to our venue. When we arrived I put on my Gi, went to get weighed in and found out no one had entered in my weight class (woot, one gold fatty medal for me) and that I would be competing in absolute (open weight).

My first absolute match was a blur. The second I hit the mat I felt like I was in a tunnel. I rushed in for the take down, knee on belly, worked my way to mount and started chipping away at her shoulders. My range of sight was so small and I was more exhausted than I have ever felt in my life. 1 minute honestly felt like I had been rolling for an hour. When the ref called us to our feet and my arm was raised for the win, I was just grateful to be finished.

My next match was more controlled and a lot more fun, as I got to try things I had learned in training. Including one hysterical attempt at an arm bar that I later decided to abort in favor of an Americana. This is the point where I realized how important it is to have a corner or a coach there to help you. It began to feel less like an individual sport and more like I was part of a larger team, the same way I feel when I'm playing rugby. My training partner and good friend, Jes, was amazing in helping me out along the way and making sure I could hear her and that I knew what to do. My rugby team showed up to support, my training partner Natalie was yelling from the side and my boyfriend was right along with Jes, guiding me through the match. Having that support really does make a massive difference.

(Jes, Center)

 I won the second match and advanced to take on my team mate, Natalie, immediately afterwards. I was absolutely exhausted and she was quite kind to me, giving me time to catch my breath before jumping my guard! It's always difficult to compete against a team mate and was a bit hard to take seriously but we had an awesome time and I lost on points as she advanced to the finals, where she dominated and was promoted to blue belt on the podium. It was pretty special to be able to compete against the woman who got me into Jiu Jitsu in the first place and has helped  (along with my coach Kris Kim) to make me feel so passionate about the sport.

                 

The most well deserved promotion ever!

   

Telling my team mate I could see her cleavage Haha!

I didn't expect to win my matches, let alone come in third place overall. Not too shabby for a first tournament!

My amazing team mates!

All in All, it was an awesome experience. I'm down ten pounds and really looking forward to competing in a new weight class for my next tournament :)

First Day Back: GIF Style

Walking in the teachers room in my new "skinny" dress....

My co-teacher and I running past "teacher x" to be reunited!....

My "sincere" reaction when my principal said I looked great after losing weight

When the beautiful math teacher pulls an all nighter and comes in looking like a frickin' model!

When my co-teacher told me her diet consisted of coffee and  ONE piece of fruit daily...

 When we sat down in our morning staff meeting surrounded by food but couldn't eat because the staff started arguing about some non-issue.....

Finding out I don't have to teach after pulling an all nighter because I was told last minute I would...

How I feel when I meet new students who didn't know they had a foreign teacher

How my new first years look at orientation when their parents leave

Looking forward to an interesting semester!

Lessons I Would Teach My Daughter

Working in Korea has given me the opportunity to get to know my students quite well and to see them grow up in front of my eyes. Particularly, the young women who I teach and mentor. I hear their fears, their concerns, their failures and their triumphs and we share all of these things on a daily basis. I care for these girls as if they are my own, which got me thinking. Our conversations are not always simple. Sometimes we discuss K-Pop, but quite often the conversation drifts to peer pressure, feminism, sex, sexuality, plastic surgery and all types of ideals I never knew I would be discussing as an English teacher. So many of the values/things I know to be true, came from my own mother and her patience, kindness and desire to make me, not a perfect human being, but the best human being I could be. It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized how much she shaped my view of myself and the world. My co-teacher asked me one day "If I had a daughter what would I want her to know by the time she was a woman" so I started a list. Thanks mom for the inspiration!

1. Don't feel obligated to be "feminine," but don't be afraid to embrace your femininity (whatever that means to you)

2. Support other women! Being female can feel like a competition, but life is so much easier/more pleasant when women really look out for each other.

3. Pay for yourself sometimes. Don't always expect your date to do so.You want to be equals, try to do things fairly.

4. Favor humanism over feminism or any other ism that says one group is inherently inferior or superior.

5. Spend some time being single and really getting to know yourself. Take yourself on dates.

6. Surround yourself with people who make you feel good about who you are and do things that make you feel beautiful, powerful and intelligent on a regular basis.

7. If you have to work hard to keep the man/woman you are with, you are probably not with the right one.

8. Know how to defend yourself. Not because it is your fault if you are attacked, but because it is a basic right every human has and everyone deserves to feel safe.

9. Make-Up (less is more). That being said, don't feel bad about wearing it.

10. Nothing wrong with pampering yourself every once and a while.

11. No shame in being strong.

12. Your body is your business and others opinions of it, have nothing to do with you. Nor does their opinion matter.

13. Your worth as a human being is not determined by the way you look or what is between your legs, but rather how you treat yourself and others.

14. Just because you are female, doesn't mean you have the right to hit men or anyone for that matter.

15. Heels can be your best friend or your worst enemy...but if you can't walk in them...that's a no go, sister!

16. You have just as much right to be a sexual human being as men do.

17. That being said, respect yourself sexually and demand that same respect from the people you are intimate with.

18. Try a team sport...even if you aren't crazy about it, it will teach you so much about yourself, your loyalties and how to work together.

19. Your highest aspiration in life doesn't have to be a relationship or marriage. There's nothing wrong with these things and whoever you end up with should be your equal and compliment you just as well as you do them, but it is important to have all types of dreams.

20. Love yourself fiercely, more than you think you deserve and more than you know how!

My amazing mother <3

Maggie Moo Does...Jiu Jitsu?

On September 5th, 2013 I made one of the best decisions I have ever made. I decided to try Jiu Jitsu. I know! I can hardly believe it myself. My whole life I have been surrounded by people who say "I can't believe you don't do any martial arts" or "you should try Jiu Jitsu," my father included. It wasn't until a team mate of mine (who had been pestering me for months to try it) used a little reverse psychology and told me "yeah you might not be right for it anyway." And there I was.

My first class was terrifying and exciting, a bit like rolling with my brother as a kid, but less swearing, more focused and restrained and no crying this time. I felt so out of my element. I was used to rugby where I knew exactly what to do. I understood my body and how it worked. I could crash, pass, kick and catch like it was second nature but being aware of all of my limbs and what they were doing as well as my training partner was quite the challenge. "You mean I have to know what my upper half and lower half are doing at the same time?" The struggle was real. Quite early on I was injured and questioned whether I even wanted to continue. Playing rugby, I am no stranger to injuries, but the idea of participating in a sport where people actively try to submit you, causing enough pain to injure you was really nerve wrecking for me. My father promptly reminded me that he hadn't raised a quitter and the higher belts around me, who had been in these same situations before encouraged me to continue. I am so glad that I did.

My first class: The struggle was real....

Just recently I discovered my first (for lack of a better term) asshole on the mat. A person who was way more concerned about looking cool and not being embarrassed by a girl than actually progressing as an athlete. I was able to keep calm and put myself in a place where I didn't feel that I was in any type of danger. This was a huge deal for me. It made me realize that the majority of people I train with are just so ridiculously positive, supportive and genuinely concerned about me, not only as a training partner, but as a person. I never thought I would have the same level of trust or enjoyment with another team, that I experience with my own rugby team. It's refreshing.

Jiu Jitsu has definitely given me much more in the short time I have been training than I ever imagined:

1. Solid training partners and supportive folks who help me progress on my journey.

2. Excellent instructors, particularly, Kris Kim, who is a talented as he is kind and patient.

3. More faith in myself

4. A sense of accomplishment when I finally stick a move I have been working on for weeks.

5. A challenge of trying a sport I am not inherently good at. Rugby has always come rather easy to me and regardless I worked my butt off, but Jiu Jitsu isn't natural for me in the slightest. It takes me longer to learn moves, I forget easily and often can't remember everything I've just learned...which leads me to..

6. Patience with myself.

7. Excellent training for the off season.

8. A constant desire to be better.

9. Proving to myself that I am capable of doing the things that terrify me.

10. Confidence that I can keep myself safe and the feeling that I am in control.

Just recently I took my first Jiu- Jitsu- Cation to Guam where I was able to train at 3 different gyms. In each gym, I discovered the spirit of Jiu Jitsu was so much greater than many other sports I've been involved in. I was never made to feel like an outsider or as if there was an "us" and "them." I was welcomed with open arms and had some of the most successful training sessions to date!

Training with Stephen Roberto at Purebred. Too bad I clearly missed the "Belt Tying" tutorial! Haha

Spike 22 Outdoor Gym

Training at Figo in Guam

In February I will be heading to Madison & Dubai to train and I genuinely cannot wait. I think I may have found something I love just as much as rugby and more importantly, something that constantly challenges me to be the best version of myself that I can possibly be. Interested in BJJ in Seoul? Here are a few links!

Korea Jiu Jitsu Facebook Group
Kris Kim BJJ