End of March Summary

Hi Folks, I'm very sorry I haven't updated in such a long time. Shame on me.

Here's some quick summaries of what's been going down in the Gwang:

- I've been having really good days at work. It's honestly a little overwhelming to be teaching so many students (the record is 29 in one class, so far), especially because they're all at such different levels of English and maturity, but in the end, things get done and I think the students learn. I will always hear the annoying "jemioppsoyo" (boring) from my students, but then a little later I'll get a compliment that will make my heart melt (for example, the other day 2 students out of the blue came up to me and told me they like my class). Before this semester started I had come up with a general flow and pattern for the weeks. Tuesday is story day (and usually I give them a word search related to some phonics exercises we do), Wednesday is art (read: poster making) day, and Friday is either review or game day. Last week I figured out that I could get some one-on-one time with each student during the poster making activity that we do on Wednesday, which is a great opportunity to get some really good teaching in. Plus it helps me bond with the students, assess their levels and difficulties, and give them individual praise and attention.

- I seriously love this apartment. It's so nice and spacious, and the location is great. It takes me less than 5 minutes to catch the bus. Plus, lately the movie channels on TV have been showing good movies like The Hunger Games, Mirror Mirror, and Mission Impossible. I enjoy being able to cook for myself and take care of myself like so.

- Recently I had the great privilege of meeting up with someone very special to me for a special weekend trip. I can't say much more than that because I'm not sure if the location I went to is allowed in my contract (don't worry, it's not seedy or anything). The point is, I had a great weekend and made some wonderful memories with someone very dear to me.

- If you're the praying type, pray for the following two items: a) that my school will be generous and let me have an extra Friday off in July so that I can go home at the end of July and not have to pay $500 extra for a weekend ticket, and b) that the cheap tickets will still be available by the time I make my request for vacation time to my school (I have an appointment with the principal on Wednesday)

- I went to Costco last weekend when I visited Josh up in Seoul. He was having some problems with his foot, so I went to help him, but by the time I got there his foot was much better. In addition to experiencing Costco in Korea, we also visited Lotte World in Seoul, which is an indoor/outdoor theme park (somewhat similar to West Edmonton Mall's theme park). We also went to see the movie Oz, the Great and Powerful.

The Frogs Are Waking Up

Today it was particularly beautiful after lunch, and as I was walking with Hyeong Ah, my English teacher, I told her how in North America we consider the robin to be an indicator of Spring's arrival. I asked her if there was a similar such custom in Korea, and she said in Korea, there is a saying about how the frogs will wake up when Spring comes. Interesting!

On a less happy note, today is a homesick day. I haven't had one of these in awhile, but I guess it should be expected in an emotional cycle. Perhaps on a related note, I keep having dreams about Japan and Tokyo Disneyland/Sea--pretty strong feelings too. Something to think about.

I bought some strawberries yesterday (they were on the quick sale rack at Homeplus, 1kg for $4.70). I took them home, washed, dried, hulled, and then froze them on a cutting mat and then put them in a freezer bag to keep long term. I don't know where Korea is getting them from, but Strawberries are in season now. Tender, juicy, and sweet. They're just delicious!

The First Week of a New Semester

Hi All,

So I just finished the first week of a new semester. Here's some details:

- My classes have basically doubled in size. I went from about 10 students total to 26. I personally doubt it will stay at this many students for very long, but for the time being, it's a new challenge. They seem quiet and not very talkative, perhaps because it's only the beginning of the semester, but I enjoy seeing them again. They're just so cute!

- I have two co-teachers this semester. One of them I will only see on Friday, because he's going to school at CNU on the other days. The other co-teacher happens to be my boss, my English teacher. I was a little intimidated to be teaching with her, because she has much more experience than I do, and she's older than me, and she's my boss, but I think it will be just fine.

- The first lesson I gave wasn't so hot, and my English teacher suggested I use some of the classroom textbook resources to create a monthly plan (East Asians won't criticize you, but they will suggest), however I've already planned my lessons for several weeks in advance now. I guess I just needed some steam to get the ball rolling. Today's lesson actually went really well, and I'm super happy about it.

- I moved into my new apartment last week Thursday. It's a really nice 2 room apartment (the kitchen is one room and the bedroom/living room is another) and it's seriously 3-5 minutes from the bus stop as opposed to the 15-20 minutes it took before. I like living here a lot. The only downside is the water pressure is lower than the dorm, and the soundproofing is pretty bad (you can hear people walking around and stuff), but other than that, it's a clean place, a semi-quiet street, there's a big mart nearby, and it's still within walking distance of transportation routes. Plus, it's got fast internet and it doesn't throttle YouTube!

- There was a party for the international students at CNU the other day. The new North American students are from America (East Coast), and the new TaLK scholar in Damyang is from Utah.

That's about it for today :)

Oh, and the weather has dramatically improved, almost overnight. It felt like it was 15 degrees today, seriously. Goodbye winter!