I guess I'll start like last time by telling you some of the different things I have noticed about Koreans. One thing (as I think I have mentioned before) is that there are pickles everywhere. Everytime you sit down to eat you get an unlimited amount of pickles (they taste like the American equivalent of bread and butter pickles). If you don't get pickles then you get pickled something else...like pickled radishes and such. Funny thing is, they throw pickles at you like there's no tomorrow, but they are EXTREMELY stingy with the water!! If you go in a restaurant and ask for a coke, then you get a normal size cup FILLED UP to the top. If you ask for water, then you get a kiddie cup and they only fill it up halfway! WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?!? Many restaurants have a self serve water looking thing (like the Ozarka office jugs), but the cups are still kiddie size. We usually take a few for each of us and fill them to the brim. Koreans must not like to wash their food down when they eat!
Another thing that I have noticed is that EVERYONE (men & women) spit!! This means you better watch where you are walking...even inside buildings and down in the subway. Today I had a duck and cover moment when I heard some man behind me hawking away.....GROSS!!
I was talking to Brett last night, and I pointed out that Korean/Asian men don't really grow facial hair. (this is a bummer for me because I find it fairly attractive.) He responded by saying, "Apparently they don't grow arm hair either because my students are fascinated with mine, and they always want to pet it." I could not quit laughing! I'll check out their legs this summer and let you know if they have leg hair.
This past Monday, Brett was REALLY sick. He went to the doctor and took Monday off from school. I found out at 9:30 am, as I was walking into my class that I was going to have to take over Brett's kindergarten class (10 6 yr. olds) and combine my Primary class with his. I had NOTHING prepared. Turns out Kid's College made a promise to the parents that only foreign teachers will teach the kids. As there are only five of us, it really isn't easy if someone misses. I have filled in for Brett now twice (once when he had his physical) and Laura once (when she was sick). They owe me BIG!!!
Last week was ALOT better with my Kindergarten class (Peter & Jeney). Peter only had one crying fit (Fri.), and I have noticed a difference in him. I think he is really trying. He has opened up a little more, and for some reason he has gone the complete opposite way and is soooo clingy. He always wants to do that thing were they sit on your foot and hang on to your leg so you can't walk. Annoying. Jeney continues to taunt Peter too. She is constantly bossing him around and saying "aegi, aegi" (which means "baby, baby.") This obviously doesn't help anything, so I have been working on making her call him by his name. She is really cute though because when Peter gets upset she is always trying to help him and she repeats exactly what I say to him. Also, there is a little spider thing that we give him and it helps him calm down...Jeney is always the first to run and get it when Peter gets upset. She has caught on to "okay" and when I ask her to do something she says "okay, okay, okay" repeatedly.
On Wednesday, my Korean helper told me that Peter's mom was going to come up to the school to talk to the manager and to look in on the class. I wasn't sure if I should be worried about this or not. I went to talk to Michelle at the end of the day to find out what his mom said, and apparently she was so pleased with how far he has come in one month that she wanted to personally tell them. She said that when Peter gets home he says things like "see you tomorrow," "good morning," "yummy," "good," etc etc. Oh, and I forgot to tell you he can kinda sing the ABC song and he really loves the eentsy weentsy spider song (surprise surprise.)
This weekend Brett and I had a BLAST! We went to Insa-dong on Saturday, which is a district in Seoul that has a lot of traditional Korean stores.
We saw Buddhist temple (Jogyesa Temple)
...and we also saw one of the largest royal palace in Seoul called Gyeongbokgung Palace.
(Don't ask me to pronounce it.) It was pretty cool....completely different from anything I have ever seen. We took a lot of pictures. I also tried some street food......grilled baby octopus (kinda gross...tasted like the ocean)!!!
My other option was larvae.
I might be adventurous, but I wasn't that adventurous...I opted for the safer of the two!!
Today (Sunday), we went to Chinatown in Incheon.
It is the only official Chinatown in South Korea. While there we went to a lookout and saw then Incheon Port
(...which happens to be where General MacArthur landed during the Korean War), and we saw Jayoo Park ("The First Korean Park of Western Style" <---whatever that means). The park had a really big statue of MacArthur.
We had a really good time this weekend....lots of laughs. Oh, and we met Jolynn (the teacher we replaced). She's really nice. She goes back to the U.S. tomorrow. Anyway, keep in touch. I love you all!!!
P.S.-- the kimchi is growing on me!!!!
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