Sorry again. It can be a challenge to make myself sit down to write cohesive thoughts. I suppose much time has passed since my last post. Well what's to report? Day to day life. Kids are crazy. I have this one 7 yr old, Andy. He is my funniest kid. He always wears this striped blazer with other oddly colored pants. He's a bigger kid, not fat, but as one teacher remarked, he has a sort of "old man stomach" that is just always out in front of the rest of his body. He's got one of those personalities that is always aloof. Like today he was my special helper, and he would hand each workbook out to his friends with an outstretched arm as he looked off in the other direction, as though he was striking a pose. But that's just Andy. I can't help but lose it in the middle of teaching sometimes.
Last weekend I went to a dance club with some friends and saw some of the best dancers I have ever seen. We were there for about and hour when about 5 Korean guys took the floor and had a classic dance off. They had some moves, and I can say that one rose above the others. For those of you into dancing, I wish you could have seen it. Its hard to understand where they learned to dance so well. Maybe theres a subculture Im not aware of here. Quite possible.
So tonight all the staff was taken out to eat by the director and we had sangupso- or grilled pork...they bring it out and cook it on your table and you wrap it in leaves with different sauces. It was very good. I've had it a few times before. But this was the full out Korean experience. Most bosses take out their staff and they eat sangupso and get drunk. No Im not smashed, I could be. I had a few drinks. It was interesting to see the dynamics of many drunk co-workers. It was a good time. After we went to a nori bong- karayoke room. I had fun. It was a fun cultural experience. Tomorrow I'm going to a Korean class we're having at the school. Hopefully I'll learn how to ask how to say things in Korean. I definetely think I could take much better advantage of many situations in learning Korean if I mastered that. I think I might go on a run tomorrow afternoon. Its time to test the knee and enjoy the warm weather. Its starting to turn green.
I had a girl throw up today. That was an event. We were about ready to have our snack... luckily she didn't make it to the table. It's awful because parents will always send their kids sick to school. I've had one girl who's basically been sick all week. Its likely she got Jenny sick. At first I though she just had a really bad sneeze, but she was crying and I realized it was wet all along the wall. So i have officially been initiated in the area of bodily fluids. Some of the 4 yr olds from other classes often need help with their pants also... so many days Im an official pants puller up-er. Its a funny business, working with kids. I suppose it keeps you down to earth. No wetting of the pants yet, but we've come as close as tears. Thats all for now. Peace.
3.24.2006
3.11.2006
3/12
Sorry for the long spell of quiet. Much has transpired since I last wrote. Its a new school year with new students and many new teachers. I have a new morning class with 12 students. They are third year students, so they have a better grasp than most in the school. They are seven years old. I also have about 20 afternoon students. Its been really busy trying to get organized for this semester. We didn't learn what classes we were teaching until Monday morning when we came to school. That was fun. Im very glad I've been here for a while now. I feel like I have a grasp of the schedule, and how to attend to kids. 12 kids is a big change from 5, but I think its a nice dynamic.
Its been funny as the third most experienced teacher at the school. Everyone asks me questions and for the most part I feel like a veteran, usually i am able to assist with things. Yesterday I went with some new teachers to the city market, to get some produce and become better acquainted with the downtown area. It was nice to lead the Korean speaking, even though my Korean is quite sparce. My best area is reading right now. Im picking up spead with reading, even though I still don't know what it means. But it helps for menu's, directions, etc.
Last weekend I went to Seoul. I went without a map, book, or any helpful guide--thinking I would find one when I got there. No such luck. So my weekend was basically just a big random walk around the city, looking for interesting things. I had gotten direction to the sole Middle Eastern restaurant in Seoul...a nice place owned by a Palestinian, Yassir, and his brother. I had some falafel and opted out of the sheesha, seeing that I was alone and would have to shell out 14000 won-$14. Next time. I talked with the owner briefly in a sort of introduction, and promised to come back to talk over some sheesha on my next Seoul trip. He directed me to a cheap place to stay- a sauna.
Staying at a sauna. So if you've ever been to a sportsclub/turkish bath/sauna you will know that you can go there for to sit in a sauna, take a bath, get a massage, etc. I was somewhat familiar from past experiences, but I never knew you could sleep in such a place. There's a small room with a four foot ceiling above the baths where you can come if your really into relaxing and sweating or just being too drunk to go home to sleep. For myself, I was not in either state at the time. I just wanted a cheap place to sleep, and I suppose thats what I found, just with discounted sleep also. I don't know how long I slept, but it wasn't long. So it was good that I got a good start to my day, at about 6:30. But I spent the whole day taking many of the 8 subway lines around the city and walking in search of interesting sights. I did know about Namdamun market,( a big market downtown). So thats where I ended my day. In between I just looked at the map in the subway station and saw some pictures of traditional Korean temples and palaces. They were nice, I suppose, still in the tourist vein and thus slightly against my taste, yet something to do. At the "big palace" as I shall call it, two Korean guys about my age asked to come along with me wherever I was going (which was a mystery to me). They spoke decent English and wanted to practice their speaking. So we walked around and they explained the sights more clearly to than the tour guide I was following -with a group of eastern Europeans. We went out to eat and then had some tea at a tea shop. Oddly enough you can have Chrysanthemum tea, and yes it tastes just like the flowers smell. I had decided to go home sat night so as to get a good night of sleep and a day of relaxation before school. So after a nice afternoon with my new friends I departed for Gwangju.
Sunday was a magnificent day. I went to the park to read. There I met and old man with whom I exchanged my Korean knowledge as he shared his English skills. He taught me some words and reviewed the days of the week, and alphabet. I hope to meet him again. He said that he works at the park. He used to be the headmaster of a school. It is a beautiful park on a hill, where from the top of a pagoda you can see most of the city. When it gets warm I plan on spending more evenings there reading, and enjoying the sound the Korean recorder, played occasionally by a man with skill enough to inspire me to buy one. Yes, I bought a bamboo recorder, and have yet to produce a sound, but I plan on working on it. Maybe Ill ask the man for lessons.
Thats enough writing for now. If you're interested I have decided to start another blog...basically my thoughts on current events, politics, life, etc. I feel the need not so much to vent but to create any dialogue I can about issues that I understand to be more critical than people seem to notice. So if you like http://responsibilityandreverence.blogspot.com/ I welcome any comments, questions of clarification, condemnation.
Its been funny as the third most experienced teacher at the school. Everyone asks me questions and for the most part I feel like a veteran, usually i am able to assist with things. Yesterday I went with some new teachers to the city market, to get some produce and become better acquainted with the downtown area. It was nice to lead the Korean speaking, even though my Korean is quite sparce. My best area is reading right now. Im picking up spead with reading, even though I still don't know what it means. But it helps for menu's, directions, etc.
Last weekend I went to Seoul. I went without a map, book, or any helpful guide--thinking I would find one when I got there. No such luck. So my weekend was basically just a big random walk around the city, looking for interesting things. I had gotten direction to the sole Middle Eastern restaurant in Seoul...a nice place owned by a Palestinian, Yassir, and his brother. I had some falafel and opted out of the sheesha, seeing that I was alone and would have to shell out 14000 won-$14. Next time. I talked with the owner briefly in a sort of introduction, and promised to come back to talk over some sheesha on my next Seoul trip. He directed me to a cheap place to stay- a sauna.
Staying at a sauna. So if you've ever been to a sportsclub/turkish bath/sauna you will know that you can go there for to sit in a sauna, take a bath, get a massage, etc. I was somewhat familiar from past experiences, but I never knew you could sleep in such a place. There's a small room with a four foot ceiling above the baths where you can come if your really into relaxing and sweating or just being too drunk to go home to sleep. For myself, I was not in either state at the time. I just wanted a cheap place to sleep, and I suppose thats what I found, just with discounted sleep also. I don't know how long I slept, but it wasn't long. So it was good that I got a good start to my day, at about 6:30. But I spent the whole day taking many of the 8 subway lines around the city and walking in search of interesting sights. I did know about Namdamun market,( a big market downtown). So thats where I ended my day. In between I just looked at the map in the subway station and saw some pictures of traditional Korean temples and palaces. They were nice, I suppose, still in the tourist vein and thus slightly against my taste, yet something to do. At the "big palace" as I shall call it, two Korean guys about my age asked to come along with me wherever I was going (which was a mystery to me). They spoke decent English and wanted to practice their speaking. So we walked around and they explained the sights more clearly to than the tour guide I was following -with a group of eastern Europeans. We went out to eat and then had some tea at a tea shop. Oddly enough you can have Chrysanthemum tea, and yes it tastes just like the flowers smell. I had decided to go home sat night so as to get a good night of sleep and a day of relaxation before school. So after a nice afternoon with my new friends I departed for Gwangju.
Sunday was a magnificent day. I went to the park to read. There I met and old man with whom I exchanged my Korean knowledge as he shared his English skills. He taught me some words and reviewed the days of the week, and alphabet. I hope to meet him again. He said that he works at the park. He used to be the headmaster of a school. It is a beautiful park on a hill, where from the top of a pagoda you can see most of the city. When it gets warm I plan on spending more evenings there reading, and enjoying the sound the Korean recorder, played occasionally by a man with skill enough to inspire me to buy one. Yes, I bought a bamboo recorder, and have yet to produce a sound, but I plan on working on it. Maybe Ill ask the man for lessons.
Thats enough writing for now. If you're interested I have decided to start another blog...basically my thoughts on current events, politics, life, etc. I feel the need not so much to vent but to create any dialogue I can about issues that I understand to be more critical than people seem to notice. So if you like http://responsibilityandreverence.blogspot.com/ I welcome any comments, questions of clarification, condemnation.
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