WON 60 bucks for singing "You Are My Sunshine."

I just got home from the Christmas party. It's only 1:30 AM but considering I arrived at the party around 6PM, it's been a long night (7 1/2 hours!)

Koreans sure know how to throw a party. We sat at silk wedding chairs. There was enough food for like a thousand people! And the drinking was ridiculous. The head of the hogwon (4 campuses and probably millions of dollars) kept filling our glasses with everything imaginable: whisky, soju, beer, as he made toasts! He acted like he was my best friend.

There were about 200 people at the gathering. Koreans are fond of karaoke. They call it "noraebang." I thought I'd be meeting foreign teachers from the other campuses, but there was only one overly friendly black guy and two old Canadian men, married to Koreans.

I got called up to the front of the hall, in front of 200 people! The guy hired to be the entertainer chose me to sing a song. My light hair must have been a bulls-eye target. Oh great! "What do you want to sing?" he asked. The first thing that came to mind? "You are my Sunshine!" I gave a horrendous performance and forgot the words, but laughed at myself.

I got called up a couple more times to dance with Korean teachers. For my humility, I won a prize. The school gave me a photo album and an envelope with $60,000 in it (more than $65. Canadian!) I'd say it was worth it!

Afterwards, the head honcho, my boss, Jacques, Ludwig and a bunch of others went to a noraebang club. In a more intimate setting, singing was fun. I belted songs like "I WILL SURVIVE" by Gloria Gaynor. Dried octopus was passed around the red-lit norebang room.

While getting fresh air outside, Yuno: a new friend whose classroom is next to mine, told me I have to experience the communal bath. Women bathe with women and men with men. This is very common in Korea. He said it's the ultimate Korean experience. I told him I was too modest to disrobe in front of other girls. He laughed at me and said I had to learn Korean culture.

In the end, I ended up at a small, traditional Korean restaurant with a few of the teachers. I felt burnt out and, knowing I had the ball game tomorrow, I called it a night before they put their order in.

I felt emotional walking home... maybe just a little overwhelmed, missing The Hora Homey and others back home. It was a big day between the amusement park and Christmas party.