2/25

Graduation is on Monday. Finally! I was told to cease all other activities to practice our graduation performance. It was absolutely treacherous to force my kids to do absolutely nothing but repeat their lines, sing, and dance to the song. Well see how it turns out.

There are a lot of changes coming. Korean schools start their new year the first week of March. So some schools finished this week and will have a week of vacation. We have Graduation on Monday and then one day of school on Tuesday and then we get a little break. Thursday and maybe friday all the new teachers, me too, will have a sort of training period. Three new teachers have come in the past week. I think we have 2 or 3 more coming. Three of the "veteran teachers" contracts' run out this week so they are leaving. Then I found out yesterday that another quit and will be finished on Tuesday. And now another teacher is saying he's going to quit. There is a lot of frustration among the teachers about the work. I guess there's just a lot of little things that we have to do that most teachers in Korea don't have to think about.

Anyway, things are changing. Ill be getting my own apartment this Wednesday. Ill also be inheriting a computer from another teacher. So email and this should be easier.

The new teacher I've been living with the past week or so, Brandon, is a pretty cool guy. He's from Southern CA, but has been living in Tennessee since school I guess. He and I have some similar interests. He's was a history major. We've had some long talks about the big three: Politics, Economics, and Religion. He's in to Wendell Berry so there's some common ground to be shared. It was pretty exciting to hear that name in the midst of one of our earier conversations.

So my latest fun experience came last weekend outside the big convention center next to my apartment building. Competitive team jump rope! Yes, three teams of about 14 men all decked out in full uniform. I watched them each go through 2 times. They were being video taped with two announcers, cheerleaders, smoke...the whole deal. There was a small crowd. I couldn't figure out what it was all about. I was thinking maybe Church teams, maybe intermural, but I can't piece those together with the full production. It was great. Good times in Korea.

I've done a bit more reading this week. For those interested check out Kahlil Gibran Secrets of the Heart. Good stuff.

Well Im thinking I might look for a bus to jump on today, just to get around the city or state. I don't know, I just need to see some different scenery. Talk to you again soon. Happy Birthday to my sister Kate. A quarter century! Wow! Just a little public announcement for anyone who forgot, take her out partying.

New Life

So it only makes sense that if you have your worst day on Monday...it should be followed by your best day on Friday. This whole week has been a sort of progression towards discipline and student-teacher understanding. Yesterday I was able to give all my students their 3 stars for the day. I believe they all had fun in science, and there were less than the usual amount of disturbances. The best part of my day was at the end of the morning class when my most troublesome student Alex raised his hand with something very exciting to share with me. I knelt down to listen and he told me that his dad was coming home. His face was as bright and sincere as I have seen it. It was a beautiful moment. Besides my best behaved student, Christine, trying to "dung-chi"* me it was a wonderfull day.

*The Dung-chi- a classic Korean move where the index fingers are put together like the classic sunday-school steeple position, the fingers then seek your posterior.

The most difficult task on hand is preparing for the kindergarden graduation in two Monday's. Basically the kids have to memorize all these lines, songs and dances and perform them in front of the whole school and their parents at this big celebration. Mind you these kids are 6 and under. My kids are doing farely well in my opinion but they must be perfectly prepared. So most days we go through the whole performance 3-5 times. It is very monotonous and my kids easily lose interest. But I have been instructed to cease several activities until graduation to make sure they are prepared.

On Tuesday I got a new student, Joshua. It is very difficult trying to include him as we practice for graduation. I basically let him sit and play with puzzles and do all sorts of things students are never allowed to do. You encouraged to be lenient with new students so they stay.

After graduation it seems I will get a new class with probably 10 or 11 kids. I might get my original 5 but it will be different regardless.

Yesterday a new teacher, Brandon, arrived so for the next week or two he will be my roomate until I move into another apartment. Everything is getting mixed up as new teachers come and old teachers leave. Another teacher and I will be getting singles closer to the other teachers and the new teachers will get our doubles. Im glad to be moving closer to the other teachers. And I will have a place to myself where I can do my work in solitude. Brandon is a smoker and so was Ben, it hasn't been bad, I don't mind too much. But it will be nice to not have that smell.

I will get a cell phone this weekend. There have been many complications for my friend whose wife has tried to set it up for me. But it sounds like today or tomorrow I will be able to receive calls and get in touch with people when I need to.

I just got a haircut. I was looking a bit scraggly but i think im good now. That was only my 3rd time to a real barber. Usually I take care of my own hair with my mom's help. But I guess I have a job now. I hope you are all well.

Salaam

Note to self: Teaching is demanding and exhausting. This I knew only in words before this Monday. Monday I felt physical pain from teaching. My head was like a mellon shell containing a bowling ball. So I decided to take what proved to be the best medication...9 full hours of sleep. So its just tough to control 5 and now 6 five year olds. I need to find better ways to harness their energy into positive ordered energy that is conducive to learning. A buddhist monk was talking about teaching on TV last night and he had some good insights. Im learning. Thats all I can do right now. So I am giving my first test this Friday. And evaluations are due next week, so its a busy time. I just hope that I am giving my best. Several aspects of being a teacher do not come naturally to me but I do believe in committing myself to figure out how to make up for those weaknesses.

Yobeoseyo

So I'm learning more and more about my job. I had been wasting a bit of time in class because I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to be doing. After I was thrown into my afternoon classes, I was basically concerned with getting through the scheduled things they put before me, and I wasn't so much focused on adding much commentary(teaching). Now Im feeling a little more loose to teach and explain rather than just run through the schedule. So things are getting better.

This week we got a good bit of snow, its basically all melted now, but it was snowing all day on Monday and Tuesday, fairly hard. I got to watch the Super Bowl with the other teachers on Monday night. It was on at 8 in the morning before I went to work but one of the teachers taped it so we had a party that night. I must say...the Steelers? Come on now.

Ill be getting a cell phone today. My friend is selling me his so that I will be able to be in touch with people. I don't have a phone at the apartment so if I ever need to call anyone I have to go down 15 floors outside to a pay phone, and no one can ever reach me. So Its a pay as you go deal and doesn't sound too expensive. Right now its a necessity. And if anyone is dying to talk to me you can probably reach me there for an unknown fee.

Right now Im downtown with my friend Kyle, we tried to go to an orphanage for the second time, but the people we were going to meet didn't show up. I guess we should email them next time. Ill be opening a bank account next week so I can have my paycheck sent there. Payday was yesterday, but unfortunately I didn't have an account set up . Banks are closed on the weekends and the hours are such that the only time I can go is during my lunch or afternoon break.

I would just like to say congratulations to Egypt for winning the African Cup yesterday. Unfortunatly they have not shown any of the Cup here. They only show English, Korean, or French League and World Cup reruns from 2002...Soccer for those unaware. To win in Cairo...ah I wish I could have been celebrating on the streets last night!

Not too much new. Its just a constant process of learning my job and getting to know the kids. Thanks to all who have sent mail I love it. I miss you all very much.

Here's something

I think this is a speech worth looking at if you have time to look at it. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/bononationalprayerbreakfast.htm