Just a note...as I write this I am watching the dreaded "Yellow Sand" roll in. Not sure if I mentioned about this before, but the yellow sand is really fine dust-like sand that blows in a few times in the spring from the Gobi desert in China. It's supposed to be bad for your health so when you walk outside you see everyone wearing those goofy looking masks. P.S.--I'm wearing one of those goofy masks now (even though I'm indoors...my throat hurts...better safe than sorry.)
I got the mask free with my KFC meal. That's right I have found the Kentucky Fried Chicken in Incheon!!!
Things about Korea: Stirrup pants are in style here. I see so many women wearing them. The only difference between Korean stirrup pants and those that were in style in the 80's and 90's is that the Korean ones are more like stirrup tights and less like pants. Everyone here is into "well-being." The advertising companies have a "hey day" with this word. Also, everyone is also really into looking at themselves. It is almost impossible to find an elevator that isn't completely covered in mirrors. It's funny to watch everyone fix their hair everytime they get in.
This past week was extremely busy. On Monday I had open class in Kindergarten. This is where the parents can sit in on the class and watch how their kids are doing. So I went to school on Monday dressed nice and ready for the open class to take place the last twenty minutes of my last class with them. I knew I needed to make extra sure that I had a good class planned at that time. Somehow I managed to spend all my time preparing for that class only and I didn't really prepare for my other classes. BIG MISTAKE!! When I walked into my first class (empty handed...planning to wing it), Jeney's mom was sitting in the classroom. Whoever thought that you could conduct a class with 3 and 4 year olds was crazy, and then if they thought you could do it with parents in the room they must have been on drugs. Jeney would not leave her mom's side and all she said was "no" when I asked her to do something. Then I had Peter doing whatever it is that Peter does (this usually means he is rolling on the floor, shouting spider man and doing the spider crawl, or hanging on my leg and trying to eat my pants. Jeney's mom stayed for 2 classes (guess she didn't get the memo about coming to the last 20 min. of the last class.) When she finally left, Jeney would not quit screaming. Why did I get stuck with the crybabies??
Peter's mom and grandad came like they were supposed to...during the last class. I was prepared. It was story time so I had planned to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and then we were going to do a caterpillar craft. My nerves were calm and I was relaxed. Then in walks Peters family.......with the camera. All I could think was "oh CRAP." (I'm a little camera shy). Peter thought that this was great though and he was hamming it up. He kept laughing and he said everything he knew English. He made me so proud. Jeney was pretty quiet, but she spoke when I asked her to say something. By the end of the class (thanks to the camera) I was suffering from a severe case of dry mouth (the kind that makes your lips stick to your teeth), and my chest was all red and splotchy. I was very pleased with how everything turned out though.
This past week I have lost two kids...Peter and L-King....but I have gained 4 new kids. Peter left because there is a new after school English program at his Korean school, and L-King told his parents he needed to take a couple months off because he was too stressed out from the vocabulary tests they have to take each week....lame. I got a new girl in that class (primary 4:05-5:30) named Jenna.
(Kelly's on the left...Jenna is on the right.)
She actually went to Kid's College before and she is coming back. In my beginner class I got a new student named Marcus.
(Bruno, Alice, Marcus)
He is way ahead of my other students. He is already reading...so I am not sure what he is doing in my class. In my kindergarten class I got 2 new students, Luke and Brian.
Luke
Brian
They are very smart and know some English already. Luke is the quiet sensitive one and Brian is the goofy bully-ish one. (So far!)
I am torn about getting new students in my kindergarten class. One the one hand I think it is good for Jeney and Peter because there is more of a classroom structure now, and they see the new two kids and they want to act like they can do the same things as Brian and Luke. However, Jeney and Peter won't get as much attention and as much one on one time as they were. It makes me sad too because Peter is always off in Peterland and sometimes he tries to play with the new kids but he is kind of rough. Brian and Luke then try to retaliate and swat Peter away but in doing so it trips something in Peter's head and he has one of his freak out moments. It's really alot to deal with, but I think I can manage.
Brett and I started a gym this week too. That's right...started a G-Y-M. As much as I like Paris Baguette, I don't like to look at it every morning in the mirror. I guess I can't brag about it too much though because I have only been 3 times. I figure chasing kids around all day counts for some kind of exercise.
We went to Itaewon (the foreigners ghetto in Seoul) this past weekend and did a LOT of walking.
(The subway ride there.)
We went to the N. Seoul Tower with is located on Namsan Mountain and is kind of like the Space Needle and Empire State building.
You take a big elevator to the top and look out over Seoul.
(It was a hazy day, but this is the view from the top!!)
We got there during the day and decided to stay and look at everything at night when it is all lit up.
Cool picture I took. (It's some man made out of wire hanging from the sky by the tower)
I must say that night was much more entertaining. We decided a good way to entertain ourselves while we waited the hour for the sun to go down would be to sing all the rap songs we knew....COOL!! (Really we probably only KNOW a total of two rap songs...so we made up the lyrics to the ones that we weren't sure what they say.)
That night we went to a bar and stayed to late and that subway closed so we were forced to find a place to stay in Itaewon. All the hotels were full so we had our first experience with a jimjilbang. These are public bath houses that you can stay the night in for approx. $7. Here is the gist of it.....Girls go one way and guys go the other. You better not be modest because you walk into a room with a bunch of naked people and there are a bunch of different mineral baths for you to get in. We got to the jimjilbang a 3am...and there were still a bunch of bare butts getting in the big bath tubs. It's an experience. When you are finished bathing or whatever, you have to put on this awful uniform jumpsuit thing to walk around in. The guys and girls all have the same uniform. Its a big t-shirt and short set...kind of looks like scrubs. I was soooo tired that night and I couldn't wait to get to sleep, but you only get $7 worth of bed. I had to sleep in a big room with EVERYONE at the jimjilbang...on a straw mat on the EXTREMELY hot heated floor. Some people were lucky enough to get a huge hard as a rock, square foam pillow. I wasn't one of them...I woke up with straw line marks etched in my face. They were probably etched in my face for a good half of a day.
Store sign in Itaewon. Good example of Konglish (Korean attempt at English).
It was a fun weekend though....definetely an experience. This weekend Brett and I are going to see my friend Alisia who used to work with me at Saxby's. She and her husband are here teaching english as well. Can't wait to see her. I will send you an update after we get back!!! I love you all! Happy Easter!!
P.S.--the Cherry Blossoms are blooming!!!!!!
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