(These are in no particular order)

15. The bus is not a playground, so don’t let your kids act like it is one – Don’t you just hate those parents who let their kids run around like they’re in their own home or on the school’s playground? Why? It’s a MOVING vehicle!!! Come on now, somebody is going to get hurt!

14. Don’t yell ‘INDOOR VOICES’ at your kids (especially when they aren’t even being that loud) – Set an example for your child. By yelling indoor voices, you totally defeat the purpose of them using their indoor voices. If mommy can yell, so can we!

13. Don’t pay with 100 coins – Now I understand if you have a bunch of coins, I’m a student, I totally understand. But come on… Jamming up the coin taker? Pleaseee. Put them in a few at a time if you have 100 coins!

12. Don’t stare at others – This one goes for ALL the time, not just on the bus. But seriously, it is so uncomfortable when you are sitting on the bus and you can feel the person across the isle just staring you down. So you look over at them and then they look away…. two seconds later they’re at it again!!

11. You can listen to your music, but the rest of us DO NOT want to hear it – It’s been a long day at school or work, you have a headache and you’re getting on the bus to go home. You sit down and at the next stop this guy (or girl) gets on the bus and sits behind you, 3 seats back. S/he has headphones on, but might as well have speakers, because everyone on the bus can hear the words perfectly!! I don’t mind if people listen to music, I do it myself sometimes, but I don’t want to listen to YOUR music!

10. Don’t sing aloud to your music – There is a time and a place for everything. You may think a bus is a great place to display your musical talents (or lack there of) but it’s not. Just that plain and simple, if we wanted to hear you sing, we would ask you.

9. Move to the back of the bus – When the bus is getting full and you are standing up, don’t stay at the front of the bus, move to the back! The people in the back don’t bite! I was on the bus the other day (luckily I had snagged a seat) but I noticed these people who were standing right before the step up to the back of the bus and they just wouldn’t go to the VERY back. More people were getting on and it was getting extremely squished near the front. The back of the bus had all that space! Just be courteous and move back! It’s not that difficult.

8. Give up your seat for the elderly – Shouldn’t this one be obvious? Yeah, you may be tired, but when an older lady or man get on the bus everyone should start to get up to give him/her a seat. It’s just not right to have an elderly person standing. I was on a bus one day (standing) and this older man got on the bus and NO ONE got up to give him a seat at first. I was mortified. There were all these people in their 20’s sitting and no one offered him a seat.

7. Talk to your friends not at them – I don’t want to hear your conversation about the crazy party you went to last night or the hotttttt dudee you almost had and I don’t think anyone else does either, so don’t talk to your friend who is on the opposite end of the bus. Enough said.

6. Wear deodorant please – Deodorant or soap, it’s not too expensive. If you can afford to ride the bus, you can afford to cleanse. I was on the bust one day and this guy about my age got on. He was standing near the back door, and I was sitting near it. He lifted his arm to hold onto the bar and I almost puked. I think the person next to me was feeling a bit queasy too! I hope he didn’t think that raunchy smell was me!

5. When you cough, cover your mouth – We learn this in primary! Don’t spread germs, we’re already too close to each other. If you have to cough just be polite and cover your mouth!

4. If the bus is full, don’t take up two seats – It’s just that simple! Put your bag on your lap or on the floor. Not so hard to do.

3. Talking on cell phones – I could go on for a while about this one. It’s okay to talk on your cell, we all do it. But no one wants to hear your conversation about the guy you slept with last night or how you just found out you can fit your entire fist (including most of your wrist) in your mouth.

2. If there are a lot of empty seats, don’t sit by a random person - There are empty seats everywhere but you get on the bus and just have to sit by me! Why????

1. If I’m listening to music, I don’t want to talk to you – I have my earphones in for a reason. A) I want to listen to my music. B) I am tired and had a long day. C) To avoid weird people who like to make small talk with me on the bus.

If you follow these rules I think everyone would enjoy their bus ride just a little bit more! I know I would. As students we’re often forced to take the bus because no one can afford to buy their own car let alone pay for the gas to make it drive! If we just all follow these simple 15 rules then everyone will be happier!

Teaching overseas had always been a dream of mine. You may ask “why?” and I’m not even sure I could give a person an answer. It all seemed very interesting at first; a new experience, a new country, culture, and lastly, getting away from everyone you ever wanted to! While all of these are certainly what you get when you decide to up and leave – destined for a foreign country – there are many aspects that a person should consider before making the move.

Upon completion of my undergraduate degree from the University of New Brunswick, the world seemed wide-open to me with endless possibilities. I decided I would look into teaching in South Korea. The money seemed great, the cost of living was low, airfare is taken care of, benefits and no rent to pay. What more could a person want.. or need?! There was an agency in downtown Fredericton that helped me get the ball rolling. After a few months, a few fees, a few stamps and application forms I was ready to set out on an adventure of a lifetime.

I had decided to break my trip into two flights flying from Moncton to Los Angeles (spending 4 days in LA) then flying to Seoul, South Korea. Not only did I get to experience the city of LA but it was cheaper than flying directly from YQM to SEL.

Another advantage of coming to a place like Korea is that it is quite easy to travel around South-East Asia and even to Australia for a decent price. I have been fortunate to have travelled to Japan, Malaysia and Australia in the first 6 months of me being here. Other friends and people I know have gone to China, spent weeks on the beaches of Thailand, fired MK47s inVietnam, while others used their break to travel back home to Canada and the US.  My travels allowed me to meet up with an old high school friend in Japan where she was studying. I was also able to visit a former exchange student from my high school – spending 10 days in lovely Melbourne!

If you are thinking about coming to South Korea to teach, I strongly advise that you take advantage of being so close to so many countries. It’s easy and affordable.

            In first year the main hurtle was working out my trip in the time allotted. I quickly learned that the most important part about planning a trip around Christmas is knowing the time you want to travel in and checking airlines periodically for sales well in advance. This can be tricky however when you are waiting for your university to post your exam schedule so you can see when your last exam is. Unfortunately, Carleton seems to have a tendency to put out the exam schedule a little later than other universities (hint, hint Carleton!). I found that it is preferable to know these ‘minor details’ before most other people who want to take the same trip as you. Once the schedule comes out however it’s just a matter of playing the guessing game and possibly gambling with your chances of whether or not the prices of flights will go down if you wait longer…First year, there was no guessing, I saw the schedule, booked my ticket and I was out of there! So, rule number 1: Figure out your timeframe a.s.a.p. and look for flights in advance to find sales.

            Second year I think I had mastered the booking of tickets and come to accept the fact that I would have to plan ahead and book late. As far as I remember this actually worked out quite well and I had a fairly good stay at home! No new rules here, but I did master my first one! YAY ME!

            Third year another problem was added to the mix. Weather. I had booked my flight in advance and had gotten packed and ready for the trip home. However, I would learn that I could not factor in the storm that was brewing. You see, this was 2007 the year Ottawa got pounded repeatedly by snow storm after snow storm and one happened to fall on the days around my flight! It also happened that my house was on a street in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere (if this was measured by how often the street was ploughed). So, come morning I realized quickly there was no way I was getting out my door let alone making it to the airport on time. Frantic about having to change my flight in what must be one of if not THE busiest traveling times of the year a friend of mine at the time called the airport for me and was able to explain my situation. It so happened that I was not the only one rebooking a flight. This of course meant there were a lot of angry people to deal with at the airport…so, we were very nice. After the lady on the phone had hung up I checked my new booking on my email and realized she had rebooked me into a first class seat! BOOYA! So, rule number 2: Be nice if ever you have to rebook a flight, it never goes overlooked.

            My fourth and final year at Carleton I realized my trip home would be short; this was because I had to factor in another problem: work. I had found myself a job at a hotel, and of course with them being 24/7 businesses this meant that I would need to fly back to Ottawa on Boxing Day. However, this also meant that I could book a flight at a rare time and thus got a pretty good deal. Also, having known I would only be able to leave after I finished my shifts BEFORE Christmas and knowing I had to be back before my next ones started AFTER Christmas gave me a good time frame to look at early in advance. Rule number 3: Look for those silver linings!

            Finally, this year I was thankfully able to create my own schedule since I wasn’t back in school yet and had no other real commitments (YAY for the lazy life!). So, come Dec. 21^st I was homeward bound…at 6am…(hey, I said I was able to make my own schedule, I never said anything about it being good). I ended up flying out just after a storm at home and right around the time the States were getting quite the beating from a different storm. Turns out I had learned something extra at University, because for the first time, I had bested both the weather and the flight schedules.

Oh.

Yeah.