Countdown to Sanity...

Hi Everyone-
Do you remember when you were a student in school how long the weeks before Christmas seemed? I am here to testify that, for teachers, the weeks are JUST AS LONG IF NOT LONGER! We are all anxious to get out of here for the 2-week break. Not only for the holiday itself, but also for the mental break away from the kids. Fortunately, this week, we have some elementary kids that are quite smart and really sweet- so it could be a lot worse. I am teaching the SBC room this week, so we are doing Christmas news reports and in the music room we are singing Christmas songs. On the good side of that, I am one of those people who could quite happily listen to Christmas music the entire month of December and never get sick of it. So, it's a good fit.
This past weekend, the girls and I went to see Twilight. I loved all 4 of the books in the series, and was quite happy with the movie. Crazy how attractive vampires can be! :) I also cut all my hair off, so now it is back to chin length. I will try to get some pics up this weekend. Saturday, we had some friends come to visit from Seoul, so we cooked dinner and went to the Music Room for some karaoke. It was lots of fun. Still no more snow since last week, but very cold. I am REALLY hoping for a White Christmas as it has been a LONG time for me.
This weekend, my friend Gail's mom will be coming in from England for the Holidays, so we will show her "the sights" here around camp. My mom and dad will be flying in on Monday, the 22nd and I can't wait to see them. We will spend most of the 10 days they are here in Seoul, but I will get to show them the camp and where I live one day. Since it is staying pretty much around freezing temperature, I think most of our activities will be indoors.
That is the update for now. I don't have my airline tickets CONFIRMED as of yet, but as far as I know, I am still on track to fly home February 19th. (just in time for the Oscars..but too late for the Super Bowl). I will post again before Christmas! Love you all!

Thanksgiving in the Science Lab

So we did get a Thanksgiving Dinner together on Saturday, November 29th. One of the bigger rooms in our school is the Science Lab, which is also conveniently located across from Mom's Kitchen. So, we pushed the lab tables together and ate in there. There was, of course, no tukey, but we did come through with some stuffing, mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole (my addition), roast, vegetables, and other assorted goodies. It was quite bittersweet.

This past week we have been decorating for Christmas. Some of you may know my obsession with Christmas and my ability to go a bit overboard. My room has 2 trees, doors wrapped like presents, snowflakes and a winter scene in the window. I will take some pictures. I just LOVE decorating for Christmas. Mom and Dad will be here on the 22nd. I will try to get some more news to post before then. Take care!

ps- I am approved to return home on Feb 19th. So I have 4 more days left in Korea! Hooray!

Chutnoon, Birthdays and Turkeys...

So sorry that it has been so long since I have posted. My past two weekends were spent in Seoul celebrating birthdays, so I haven't had a chance to sit down and get something written. This month we have had 6 staff birthdays, so it seems there has always been a party to attend. The weekend of the 25th, I went to Lotte World with Gail and Jennifer to celebrate their birthdays (the 20th and 14th respectively). Koreans are so funny about being in the sun, or being cold that I am not at all surprised that they have an indoor theme park. There are 4 floors inside, the bottom floor being an ice rink. Inside there are a few rides and restaurants and arcades. There is another section "Magic Island", which is outside and houses the 5 or 6 bigger rides. We spent most of the day there and then headed to On the Border mexican restaurant for dinner. It is always such a treat to have cuisine other than Korean. Not that I dislike Korean food, but having it all week long for lunch really makes you long for something else. We came back and spent Sunday recovering.

This past week we had what is called in Korean "chutnoon". It means the first snow. Last week it was quite cold and was -5C a few mornings. On Thursday the 20th, it was quite cold all day and had that "pre-snow" sky. It was only forecast as a slight chance, so I wasn't really thinking it would come. But it did! On and off for the rest of the afternoon. Just a dusting on the ground, since it was already wet, but it was snow! Supposedly, we will have quite a lot here in the mountains in the next few months. There are quite a few ski resorts in this area. I am roughly at the same latitude as Washington DC, so the weather here is quite similar. It has warmed up a bit this week, but still is down to freezing at night. Most of you know, I am happiest when it is 90F outside, so the months of cold ahead will be rough (especially without my bathtub!!)

This Saturday, we went into Seoul to celebrate Sarah's 30th bday. It was lots of fun going out for Indian food, singing Karaoke and hanging out. Gail and I went to Costcos the next day to find some Thanksgiving food. I found the frozen, imported USA turkeys....for $70!! Needless to say, it will be the first Thanksgiving of my life that I will not be having turkey. Turkey is not available here at all, not even in deli slices. So, I may be roasting a chicken on Saturday. (sniff) Oh well...just let me take this opportunity to say to you all that I hope this Thanksgiving you remember how truly blessed we all are. Not to say that I am not blessed here in Korea...I have a job, friends, food, shelter, and only 3 months to go!! But I do hope that most of you are with family or loved ones on Thursday. Remember that we all live in the greatest nation on Earth. I am thankful for each and everyone of you. God Bless.

Nose to the Grindstone...

Hi Everyone! Hope you are all recovered from all the election hoopla this week. It is what is is, so let's all move forward together. I was watching the race closely while I was teaching, and the results came in at lunchtime here. It is interesting to note that the middle school boys here at camp last week were quite interested in the results. Obama is quite the international celebrity. I was impressed by both the speeches and was able to limit my exposure to only that. (thank goodness I haven't had to watch the breaking down of every vote that I am sure CNN is still working on!!)
The countdown is at 7 weeks until Christmas and 10 teaching weeks. I am not exactly sure when I will be able to come home. Officially, my contract ends on March 1, but I am hoping to have a little bit of vacation left over to cash in. We had a teacher leave abruptly 2 weeks ago (without notice) so we are short staffed again. All of us are just so worn out and resigned to the fact that we have to do what we have to do....just keeping our nose to the grindstone and our eye on the countdown.
The past 2 weekends have been quiet for me. Lots of rest, which I need. This Friday night, we went to see the new James Bond, which surprisingly opened here a week before it opened at home! It was good...typical Bond. No award winner of course, but great entertainment. This month is FULL of birthdays. Friday was my friend (and program coordinator) Alice's birthday. This next Friday is Jennifer's. The following Thursday is Gail's and the Sunday after that is Sarah's. Next weekend, we will be spending the day Saturday at Lotte World, a theme park in Seoul for Jenn and Gail's celebration. The following Saturday we will be heading back to Seoul for dinner and dancing for Sarah. Hopefully, I can keep up.
The teaching is going OK. We have had middle school boys for the past 2 weeks, and have them again next week. They are challenging, but can be quite fun sometimes. The kids all become such a blur week after week. I am teaching Library, Broadcasting and Korean Culture this rotation, none of which I am passionate about. But, like I said, I am just focused on the countdown.
I know this is not the most exciting post. I hope I will have more to write next time. (with pics) Please don't count my lack of news against me and not send me emails with your news. Even the smallest of occurrences is fun for me to hear about. I miss you all...

Falling Through Month #8

Hey All- hope everything stateside is going well and you aren't ready to scratch your eyeballs out from all the campaign madness. We do get a little bit of it here, but since I don't watch TV, I am able to escape most of it. My absentee ballot has already been sent in, so I have already done my part. Hope you all remember to get out and vote.

The past couple of weeks have been quite a roller coaster. On Friday, October 17th, I was on a LIVE Korean talk show discussing our camp program. I went to bed the night before with laryngitis, so I wasn't sure if I was even going to get a chance to do it, but I squeaked through it. (literally) They just asked questions about what we taught and some of the challenges we face, etc. I still haven't seen it as I wasn't able to navigate the website in Korean. I am supposed to be sent a copy of the interview, so I will see what I can do to get it posted somewhere. I am sure you are all dying to see it (ha ha).

After finishing the interview, I waited for Gail and Jenn to meet me in Seoul so we could head down to Busan. Busan is the 2nd largest city in Korea and is located on the southeastern coast of the peninsula. We took the KTX, which is the express train and made the trip in 3 hours. We arrived in Busan around 8 pm and headed for our hotel. We stayed in the Haeundae Beach area and it was really nice. If I were wanting to stay another year in Korea (don't worry Mom, I'm not), I would get a job in Busan instead of Seoul. Really it has all the conveniences of Seoul, with less than 1/2 the people plus BEACHES! It was quite pretty the day we were there. We wandered around the city for most of the day Saturday and then headed to one of the beaches to secure our spot for the fireworks festival that night. Honestly, I have seen some great fireworks shows in my life, but this was so far beyond anything I have ever seen. It was WORLD CLASS. We were sitting on a beach, looking out into a harbor, with a beautiful bridge spanning the water. The fireworks were launched from the bridge as well as two boats out in the water. The show was about 45 minutes choreographed to music. I was honestly moved and blown away by the show. It will surely set the bar for shows in the future that I see. The next day, we headed back to the train station for lunch before heading back to Seoul.

Monday started another week with the co-ed middle school students from the same school as the week before. The kids this week were 20X more well behaved than the prior week. It gives us hope for next week, when we have one more week with the same school. I am teaching Mom's Kitchen and Music Club this week. I really enjoy the kitchen. Of course, I love cooking, so I would. We are making popcorn balls with m & m's so they are a hit with the kids.

The countdown stands at 8 more weeks until my parents arrive for Christmas and 13 more weeks total of teaching. The pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel is now golf ball size. Thank you to everyone who has sent email. I am sorry I am not the fastest at replying, some nights the last thing I want to do is reply what's been going on.

This Friday, we had a "workshop" in Seoul for the English teachers where they took us to the big bookstore in Seoul and then to a performance called Miso. It was quite good and the best "traditional" show I have seen here in Korea. I spent most of the day in today as I am trying to rest and kick my cold once and for all. Take care and send me news from your end.

All that Jazz...

Hey Everyone! Still hanging in here in Korea and the countdown is getting louder and louder. I can tell that time is moving (very quickly on the weekends, but like molasses during the week). Here we are already in the middle of October and are down to 11 weeks until Christmas and 14 teaching weeks left. Since the job is simply so draining and stressful, I am really just focusing on squeezing every ounce of fun that I can on the weekends. The past weekend was the Jarasum International Jazz Festival hosted in little old Gapyeong (the city that I live in). We were quite excited as this is the only event this city is known for, and we were going to be here for the festivities. The festival started on Thursday night and we lucked out with a 4-day week. That Friday (10/3) was a national holiday. We went to dinner on Thursday night with a big group of us and decided to wait until Friday to go to the Jazz Fest. The main acts started around 4 pm and we arrived shortly thereafter. Now truth be told, I am not a huge jazz fan and really don't know much about it, but as anyone who knows me well can tell you, I LOVE to listen to live music. There is nothing I love more than to sit in the grass and lay back and listen to music. And so that is what we did. We stayed until the end at 10 pm and really enjoyed it all. We did get quite cold by the end of the night and made plans to return on Sunday night a little more prepared.
So Sunday night we went back with 2 boxes of chicken, a 7-month anniversary cake, wine, cheese, crackers and blankets. We were set. There were great performances by all the acts. We really enjoyed ourselves.
Teaching this week was OK. We had elementary school kids, who could not be sweeter, but are difficult to control. I am teaching Clinic and Restaurant. I will teach that station again next week, but we will have middle school boys and girls. Hopefully, they will be quiet and smart! (ha ha) We had the Korean Educational Broadcast Channel come to the camp this week to do a profile on our school and program. Since I am the head teacher of the student program, I will be going to the studio this Friday for an interview. If there is a link to the story when it is televised, I will post it here. Should be interesting.
This Friday, we had a team-building event on Nami Island. This is a small island just about 15 minutes away that is quite the tourist attraction. It is really pretty with lots of open spaces just to walk around in. We had a treasure hunt and then a game of kickball. We only had about half an hour to walk around, so Gail and I decided to go back today and spend more time wandering. It was really pretty. I will post some pics as soon as I get them uploaded.
Next weekend, we are planning to go to Busan which is a port city on the southern tip of Korea. I don't know how much there is to do there, but I wanted to see it before I left and I think next month it will be getting too cold for me to want to do anything!
Keep the prayers and the emails coming. I miss you all SO MUCH. xxoo

Countdown to Christmas

SO sorry it has taken me a while to get back on here to post. As you may know, I had company here in Korea in the form of my sister Julie for about 10 days. She was able to take some time off and we had a holiday here called Chuseok. It is like the Korean Thanksgiving. All of the teachers were so in need of a break, and it was great that everyone was able to get some time away. Julie arrived here on Sept. 12 and we did some really fun things. We went to the Seoul Zoo on Saturday and spent the day walking around there. It was a huge zoo with a lot to see. It was disappointing to see the behavior of some of the Koreans. They were shouting at the animals and throwing food into the cages. No zoo workers around to stop them either. Sad. Anyway the next day we wandered around in Insadong with my friend Sarah. Monday, we headed back to Gapyeong so Julie could see my school. We left here Tuesday afternoon and headed to Sokcho. This is the beach town I went to back in May, but we went to Seoraksan National Park, just outside of Sokcho. It was a little past "summer season" so the place seemed quite deserted. Which is always nice to get away from the usual crowds you find everywhere. We spent Thursday up on the mountain walking around some really beautiful sights. Thursday, we headed back into Seoul. Friday, we went on a tour of the DMZ. It was something I wanted to do while I was here. All I can say is that I can check it off my list. It wasn't that cool or inspiring. In fact, I felt like it was a lot of silly propaganda about how the ultimate goal is for Korea to be one united country again and I just don't see how that can happen anytime in the near future. So, for the time being, South Korea can profit off of tours of this area while the people of North Korea starve to death. Just kind of all around sad. Saturday was colder and rainy, which was a bummer as we had decided to check out a outdoor traditional performance. We went anyway and it was a covered amphitheater so we were able to check it out. It was some sort of mask dance story, which was pretty difficult to understand. Anyway- we went to a dance comedy show that night that was a lot more fun. Sunday, we headed back to the airport and got Julie on the plane to take the LONG flight home. It was a great visit, but of course bittersweet.
So, I have started the countdown to the next big goal which is Christmas when my parents come. It is 12 weeks away. Seems like a long time to me...but hopefully it won't be too drawn out. I am really praying that God lines up a job for me when I return. The economy doesn't seem to ready to turn around anytime soon, so there is a bit of worry. Keep your ears open for me!
This week, we went back to teaching elementary school kids, which was a welcome change from the stretch of middle school boys we had prior. I am on the Game Lab station, which is a quite easy class to teach.
I hope all of you are doing well. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. Take care of yourselves and each other.

Running on the Downhill Slope

HOORAY! I have reached the 6 month plateau and everything from here on out is a countdown. 19 more weeks of teaching. 23 more weeks until I am home. 10 more Bank and Post Office lessons forever. 15 more weeks until my parents come to visit. Lastly, 7 more days until Julie gets here to visit. I know all of these numbers seem small to you guys...but I am not quite there yet. It still seems like a L-O-N-G time until I see my dogters again. I REALLY miss my puppies. I miss them most when I come into my room and no one is at the door to greet me and at night when I go to bed and there is no one cuddled up at my feet. I know they are in good hands, but I can't wait to see them again.
Sorry for the lapse in posting. I was in Seoul last weekend for the Nike Human Race. It was a worldwide 10K run in 26 (?) major cities across the world, and Seoul happened to be one of them. It was all for charity and was a great experience. I didn't have much time to train for a truly competitive time, but I ran it in 70 minutes which was not too bad. (for an old lady like me ha ha) I ran it with Jennifer and Jessica (fellow teachers) and we all had a really good experience with the race. Of course I can run a 10K anywhere, but now I can say I ran one in Korea! And- I ran with hundreds of thousands of people across the world. Pretty cool. Of course, I wish I could have run in Austin, TX with Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey- but whatever. They did close off 2 major bridges in Seoul crossing over the Han River, so running there at sunset was something that not many people get to do. Sadly, I did not run with my camera, so I have no pics other than the ones posted here from pre and post race.
So, for most of this week I was pretty tired. We had a week of middle school boys again, so it was fun-filled. I am on the Arts and Crafts lesson, which I LOVE and I am sure I could teach that station all year long. But, it is paired with Bank and Post Office which is difficult to make fun and exciting for the kids. We have another week this week of middle school boys, which will be tough, but then A WHOLE WEEK OFF! Hooray! As I mentioned, my sis Julie is coming to visit. It is a national holiday on Monday the 15th called Chuseok. It is like the Korean thanksgiving. Hopefully, it won't be too difficult to get around with the entire country trying to get places.
Tomorrow, I am headed back into Seoul to celebrate Jessica's birthday, so that should be fun. I will try to get another post up this week sometime. Take care and keep sending the emails. They are truly the highlight of my days. i miss you guys (ALL OF YOU!)

Pictures from Vacation

Riding the cable car up to the Seoul Tower

A lantern fish tank at the COEX Aquarium

A view of Jungmun Beach on Jeju IslandLily Pads at Hallim Park on Jeju Island
At the top of Mount Halla on Jeju

Going up Mount Halla into the clouds


Austin mingles with the natives on Jeju
I think Austin really liked the Korean BBQ! (with Stanley)

The sweet smell of vacation and the stench of the Monday after...

So I am back at camp after taking a week off for my FIRST set of visitors. My sister Melanie and my nephew Austin arrived on Friday the 8th and were able to stay for 9 days. I was only able to take the week off from camp due to the kindness of my fellow teachers who had to cover all 15 of my lessons. I felt a bit guilty while I was away, but Melanie had purchased the plane tickets back in April when we were under the impression that we would be able to take time off. Anyway- LONG story there- but I was grated the 5 days off and left here to get to the airport on Friday to meet them. We went straight from the airport to the hotel we were staying at in Seoul which was the same hotel where I lived in March and April. It was somewhat surreal being back there, but since I was most familiar with that area, it made more sense. We spent Saturday and Sunday in Seoul. We packed in a trip to a folk village, the Seoul Tower, the COEX aquarium, Insa-dong (shopping area) and a movie. I was impressed with the lack of jet lag that they displayed, but my sister is never one to rest. She wants to see all she can while she is travelling.
Monday, we flew to Jeju Island off the south coast of Seoul. It was rainy when we arrived, but we did a little walking around Monday night. Tuesday, we decided to conquer Mount Halla. It was almost 5K up the mountain and then another 4K on the way down. Of course, it took us most of the day, so after dinner, we just hit the hay. On Wednesday, we went to Hallim Park which includes some lava caves, a botanical garden and some other nice displays. We enjoyed it, but since the sun was out, I was itching to get to the beach! We stopped by a waterfall that was close by the beach and the view was breathtaking. Finally, we hit the beach for a couple of hours. It was really crowded, but with sun and sand, I am a happy camper. The sea was kind of rough, so we didn't spend too much time out there. After the long ride back to the hotel, we went out for a quick bite and fell back into bed.
Thursday, we flew back into Seoul and headed straight for Gapyeong, where I live. It took all day to travel back and we didn't get here until about 7 pm. The students last week were middle school girls and you would have thought my nephew was Brad Pitt the way they were screaming over him. It was really funny. Friday, we waited for my fellow teachers to finish work before heading to Chuncheon. (where I normally go on the weekends). We ate a FANTASTIC meal of Korean BBQ and then headed back to spend the night at camp.
Saturday morning we went back into Seoul and did a little more shopping and then went to a show called "Jump". It was a "martial arts comedy" that was really great. We ALL loved it. The last dinner was at Outback on Saturday night which is always a treat for me.
Sunday, Melanie, Austin and I went for breakfast and then headed to the airport. It is about an hour and a half bus ride, so we left a little after 12. I said my goodbyes and left them about 1:30 (crying halfway to the train station). My friend Gail met me at the train station and we came back to camp. There was a snack cart on this train ride (rare) so we were able to have a couple beers on the way home and catch up on everything I had missed.
So, today was back to the grind. The day has been dark and rainy and started off with bad news for us all. Our fellow teacher Adam is leaving to return to Canada next month because of an illness in the family. We are all devastated to see him go as he is a huge part of our team. Anyway- I am working on the pictures from last week now and will try to post them tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for the emails that I have gotten. Keep me posted on all the news from home. Even though you may think it is insignificant- it is AWESOME for me to be included in the "daily grind" at home. Miss you!

Weekly Dinner Party

So I feel like I should write SOMETHING each week to keep you posted on what's going on. Some weeks there are things that happen and some weeks, it is just same old same old. I know you understand, as it is the same in your life too. Well, this week nothing happened. It kept raining and raining. The kids came and went. There were good days and bad days. etc. etc. etc. Anyway, I thought I would share something that we have started doing on the weekends that is really nice. Those of us who stay here on the weekends have started throwing weekly "dinner parties". Everyone tries to cook something that they like from home and we get together and dine as a group. It is so much more fun that cooking something for yourself and eating in the room. Of course, it can be quite frustrating as most of the ingredients you want cannot be found in Korea. Also, not having a proper kitchen can be challenging as well. But for the most part, we do really well. This week the menu included, BBQ chicken breasts, mini pizzas, chicken spring rolls, toad in the hole (a UK dish), au gratin potatoes, corn soup, tuna noodle salad and apple pie. Really awesome. I made the au gratin potatoes and anything with cheese is always a hit. last week I did guacamole. Anyway- here are the pics of us dining out on our screened porch.
Not much else went on this weekend. We wasted our time and money on Friday night watching The Mummy 3. Saturday night we stayed in and watched The Shining. We did have a sunny day ALL day today- which just was such a welcome break from the rain. Anyway- Melanie and Austin will be here Friday night, so I expect this week will drag. But, next post will have news from their visit and lots of pictures. Until then, take care and drop me an email. I AM ALMOST HALFWAY!!!! :) :) :)

Countdown to Visit #1

It's still raining every day here in Korea. I know that's not much consolation to the people in NC still in a drought. Trust me, if I could, I would send the rain your way. Today is has actually stopped raining, but is still overcast. I miss the sun. And as much as I enjoyed my visit to Seattle, this affirms my thoughts that I could never live there. I hate not having any sunshine.
The week went by quite slowly. It was back to a five day program, and the week seemed to drag on. The best news is that it is only 11 days until my sister and nephew come to visit. They are my first visitors and the 1st of 3 goals. Mt first goal was to make it until they came. So, I think I will make it. My 2nd goal is to make it to Julie's visit in September and my 3rd goal is to make it until my parents visit in December. If I can make those 3 goals, then I can hold on until my contract is up. I am planning for Melanie, Austin and I to visit Jeju Island while they are here. It is supposed to be the "Hawaii of Korea". I should have lots of pictures and news from their visit. Please pray for their safe travels Aug 7-17.
The kids this week were co-ed middle school. Pretty smart. I am teaching in the Broadcasting station though and that is proving to be quite challenging. Teaching them is easy if you are telling them what to say and do. They are excellent and repetition. But, if you ask them to think creatively, it is like pulling teeth. It is really difficult for them to cultivate a new idea in English. So, this week when I have asked them to create a commercial, it has been disastrous. I have basically ended up telling them what to say. So, now with week 2, I may try something different. Next week, I will switch on to the Library station, so that will be a new challenge.
Hope you guys are enjoying your summer at home. Send me emails!

A LONG short week

Hi Guys-
One more week in the record books. We worked in the office Monday and Tuesday preparing materials for the special programs. The kids arrived on Wednesday and we jumped right in. The were so cute and didn't seem much different from the kids we see week after week. You always get to bond the most with your homeroom. I had 12 kids and they were pretty low level, but we had prepared with activities involving pictures.
I was back on Mom's Kitchen for one more week, which I love teaching. We made M & M cookies again, and it was quite a hit. The kids loved the cookies and were quite impressed with themselves. We had a quiz show on Wednesday night which was all about jobs. (pictures of a person and multiple choice on what they were). The kids had a great time. Thursday was a long day with 7 consecutive lessons with no breaks. Then Thursday night we had planned a "Superstar Program". The kids rotated between 5 booths: Athletic, Drama, Books, Music and Arts. My friend Gail and I ran the Drama booth. Basically what we did was have the kids draw an animal mask out of a bag and then had them locate the flashcard that corresponded to their animal. (i.e. the cow had a picture of a glass of milk) As the kids completed each booth, they earned a star point so that by the end of the evening, they had a SEEC Superstar. It was a lot of fun.
The kids left yesterday and we all promptly went to take a nap! Thanks to everyone that sent me email this week. I was in need of some encouragement! Take care and check in with me next week!

Homesick and Hopeful

So not a lot to post in the past week. The kids came and went. They were middle school girls and I couldn't tell you what one of their names was. I know that sounds heartless and I don't mean it to, but really it's the truth. They were sweet enough girls and I enjoyed them while they were here- but honestly- I am in such a need of a break.
Fortunately- this week is a little different. We are having a shortened week program for some special kids. This week is for disadvantaged kids. We have orphans and extremely low income kids coming for a 3-day program. I am truly thankful for this opportunity to give back to kids who would otherwise never have an educational opportunity such as this. There were over 400 applicants and our supervisor selected 126. The priority went to orphans and those with the lowest income levels followed.
There will be a lot of challenges this week. The kids will be from areas all across Seoul. So, they will all be strangers. There English level may be lower than anything we have previously seen. At the same time, I am hopeful that these kids will benefit the most from a smile or apat on the back. I feel drawn to helping kids in situations such as this. It is through this type of giving, that I feel truly blessed. I will keep my camera on me the next three days.
Hope you all are doing well and I will update at the end of the week. The kids arrive on Wednesday and leave on Friday. Until then, thoughts are appreciated but prayers are coveted.

The Fourth in Korea

Just wanted to wish you all Happy Fourth of July and let you know I did celebrate the day here. We grilled out sausages and hamburgers (Australian Beef) and shot some fireworks. It was really bittersweet as I LOVE this holiday at home and was wishing I was with family. Enjoy the pics...

Stop talking to the Yankees!!!

I had no idea it had been so long since my last post. Really that is a reflection of the lack of interesting things that had been happening this month. The teaching schedule is still brutal. The food is still not home. The politics of working in Korea are still frustrating. And etc., etc., etc. We had two weeks of teaching middle school boys...which were...an opportunity for patience cultivation. Then, this past week, we were back to elementary school boys and girls which was better for me. I taught the "Goody Mart" lesson this last rotation and tomorrow I will start two weeks on "Mom's Kitchen". I am excited for this lesson because I plan to make cookies. I think it will be a big hit with the kids. Hopefully, you will not hear news reports of a education center burning to the ground in Korea next week.

The previous 2 weekends, I have spent Fridays in Chucheon (the next city over) at the movies. I saw "The Happening" (not good) and "Get Smart" (good). I really love going to the movies here because it is such a familiar and comforting environment. When you are at the movies, you can pretend that you are at your local theater at home. It is quite a nice diversion.

This weekend, my friend Gail and I decided to venture back into Seoul for a change of pace. It turned out to be more hassle than pleasure. We did get some things accomplished (like buying something to read in English), but it was also a reminder of how nice it is to out of that hustle and bustle all the time. I am glad that since we are in the country, we can get to Seoul easily in an hour or so, but if we don't want to have polluted air and traffic jams, we can just stay here in the area. Oh, to explain the title of this post, we went into Seoul with our friend and fellow teacher Titus. He was born in Korea, but grew up in New Zealand. Anyway, when we were on the Subway in Seoul on Saturday afternoon, some old man started shouting at Titus, to "stop talking to the Yankees!" Of course Titus told us what he said and we all had a good laugh about it, Brits and Americans both.

One pretty interesting thing we did in Seoul was to visit this cafe that offers an interesting service. For an additional 2000won, with your coffee, you can sit for 15 minutes in a foot bath with little fish that chew the dead skin off of your feet. About 5 of us girls went together, and you should have heard the gasps and screams that erupted as soon as we put our feet into the tub. Talk about a WEIRD sensation. It is like when your feet "fall asleep" and you get the pins and needles sensation. Constantly. For 15 LONG mintues. It took at least 5 minutes for us to even be able to keep our feet submerged. It was quite funny. It went between tickleish, and itchy, and painful and relaxing every 5 seconds. For some reason, the fish LOVED one side of my leg. They were on my feet, but there was a frenzy on my left ankle and calf. It is probably not something I will do again, but now I can say I have had the experience.

Today, before we headed out of Seoul, we stopped at Costcos to pick up a few things for a Fourth of July cookout on Friday. I got some sausages and some ground beef, so I am pretty excited about that. I hate that I won't be home as the 4th is one of my FAVORITE holidays. Oh well.

This is a picture of my friend, Alice Park. She is one of the coordinators of the student education program. I am so thankful to be wokring with her as she is really wonderful. Hope to hear from you all soon. I will try to do some more things worthy of posting soon! :)

Love you and Miss you!

To the Beach (and back again)

So, I just had the best weekend that I have had since moving to Korea. The bad thing about it is that it was so good because I actually felt like I wasn't in Korea for the first time. Not that I am hating on Korea- but it was just nice to actually feel like I was going somewhere else for a few days. Gail, Jennifer and I decided to treat ourselves to a weekend in Sokcho. Since we had Friday off (Memorial Day), we left on Friday mid-morning and took the bus to the East coast. It was about 3 hours total in travel time. Not too bad. We arrived in Sokcho around 3 o'clock and proceeded to go directly to our hotel.
Now, our last experience with a hotel was not so great. We had gotten a hotel for one night in a neighboring town just to get out of the dorm a couple of weekends ago. The internet is the birthplace of exaggeration and lies. The hotel wasn't a dump or anything, but we were quite disappointed. So- we were really holding our breaths on this one. We had paid a bit more, so we really wanted to get our money's worth. We were NOT disappointed! The Hotel Maremons was great! It was lovely from the moment we arrived. A seaside view, sauna, feather pillows, the works! YIPEE! First, we crossed the street to the Sunrise Park, where people go to see the sun rise on Korea. It was great just to be near the sea. Next, we went to the "lake" (I would say lagoon) in the center of town and walked around for awhile. Since we were close to dinner and sunset, we decided to just go for a wander and catch a movie. (Sex and the City- I can't explain how happy I was to see this- I'm such a fan) and then hit up a dive for some chicken.
Saturday we woke up to catch the sunrise at 5:00 am, but it was too hazy so we went back to sleep. We got up for the breakfast at 8:30 and WOW. Eggs, sausage, french toast, CHEESE, fruit, croissants...I could go on and on. I know all of this food sounds pretty normal to you, but it was BEYOND delicacy to us. After gorging ourselves until 10:00 am, we hit the beach. We were so fortunate to have a beautiful, sunny day. The high was around 75 and of course, it was breezy. We stayed in the sun until about 3, then went back to take advantage of the sauna. Funny story.
So, in Korea, saunas are quite common. They are also completely nude. So, the three of us come strolling in with our bathing suits still on. No go. You go in naked, or not at all. There were maybe 7 other women in there (and 4 kids)...and we really wanted to hit the hot tub...and we are all friends....so we did it. I know that all over the world, this is common. But for 2 Americans and a Brit, it was quite humorous. Anyway, once we dropped the towels, we enjoyed the hot tubs, warm tubs and cool bath. The dry sauna room was cooking at 82 CELSIUS and the wet sauna room was 91 CELSIUS!! We managed 5 mins. in the dry and maybe 2 in the wet. I don't know how that is enjoyable for anyone.
Anyway, that night, we went down to the port to see all the fresh catches for sale. You can pick your fish out of a tank. Then, they throw it on the ground and knock it in the head with an aluminum baseball bat. Then, it's yours. Yuck. I do enjoy sushi though, and we tried to find a restaurant that served sushi along with something else for Gail (who doesn't eat seafood). No luck. So, we walked back to the hotel and went to the Japanese restaurant there for sashimi. It was delicious. Not quite as fresh (since the hotel is 2 blocks away from the port) but still good. Then we decided just to stay in the hotel lounge for the evening and relax.
Sunday morning we were back at the breakfast buffet, ready to eat for the day. We checked out at 10 and went to catch a showing of Kung Fu Panda. We missed the beginning by 20 mins. so we decided to head back home. Good thing we started back when we did. We missed the 11 o'clock bus by 5 minutes. So we caught the 12:30. That bus decided to take the "scenic route" back through the mountains. It was beautiful, but added an hour to our trip. We finally got back home around 5 pm...with the cloud of Monday doom hanging over our heads.
It was a great weekend, and we all can't wait to go back. The other funny thing about the beach is that Korean people do not like to get tan AT ALL! (it is a sign of wealth to not be in the sun as poorer people work in the fields) Anyway, us foreigners were the only ones in bathing suits on the beach. The Koreans wear long sleeves and pants! Some were even in jackets! Under umbrellas! I am sure we looked like we were from another planet (as usual).
So far, this week has been OK. We have 7th grade boys this week. They are quite smart, but their behavior is a bit trying at times. I am almost halfway through, so I am guessing I will survive. Thanks for the emails and keep them coming! Enjoy the pics!!
PS- my camera arrived- so I am back in business!! YEAH!!

And Month 4 Begins..

So, I am 25% through my tour of duty here in Korea. Just like any other time in life, some days are longer than others. Some days, it feels like 6 months, and other days I can't even believe that I got off the plane!!
I was mistaken about the group we have this week, it is co-ed 5th graders. After having the 7th grade girls for the past 2 weeks, I had forgotten how little these 10 year olds are! We are back up to a decent level of English knowledge, but back down to a low level of discipline. I guess we just can't have it both ways. I have been teaching Bank/Post Office and Science. In the Bank, we work on Deposits and Withdrawals. In the Post Office, we make a postcard home. And in Science, I have been teaching The Water Cycle. It's a simple concept, but the words: evaporation, condensation and precipitation are pretty big in another language. But, they seem to be enjoying it.
I am really excited for this weekend. Friday (June 6th) is Memorial Day here, so we are heading to the beach. Jennifer, Gail and myself. We are going to the east coast of the country to a town called Sokcho. I don't really have much of an idea of what to expect, but sun and sand make me happy. Hopefully, our hotel is truthful in its Internet advertising. We are leaving on Friday morning and returning Sunday afternoon. So- I should have some pictures for the next post.
Hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend and are gearing up for a fun summer. Take care and send me some mail!

Homesick...for beef

Just thinking about cooking out on a grill. I have not had ground beef since leaving the States. (sniff) Mom said the other day how nice it will be for me to have fast food nearby when I get home but really what I miss is just NORMAL homecooked food. Steamed veggies. Mashed potatoes. Spaghetti. Pot Roast. Pot Pie. Just regular stuff. Can you believe though that I am at the 25% completion mark? I would say that it has flown by, but it really hasn't. Of course, some days have been faster than others (especially Saturdays and Sundays). Anyway, this week's girls are really sweet and I am enjoying the classes. Next week- an all boys school! AAGGHHH!!

God Bless the Weekend

So- a nice peaceful weekend has begun here in Gapyeong. Most all of the staff and teachers have left for the weekend. There are only 4 or 5 of us still on campus. I really don't mind though as it is nice to have peace and quiet. The clouds have finally burned off and it is sunny again. It was a pretty rainy week this week. I generally don't mind rain during the week, but I really appreciate a sunny weekend.
The girls school left on Friday, and they were honestly sad to leave. They are so funny on Fridays because they start requesting our "autographs" and asking for our emails and phone numbers. It is so odd to be such a celebrity. In the end, I think they had a good time. The same school is sending the second set of girls next week- so we are all assuming they will be at the same level. (LOW)
We did have the big performance on Thursday night of club activities. Mine was the music club, where the girls performed a "pop song". They chose a song called "I have a dream" by a group called Westlife. They all were excited to sign up for the club, until they realized that they would actually have to sing in front of their peers. Then it was total panic. They did get up there and perform, although they sang along with the track and not by themselves. There were 3 drama clubs, a dance club, a "broadcasting" club and an animation club. I hope each week we can refine and make things a little better as far as the performance goes.
I hope you had a chance to check out the website. I have been told that an English version of the PR film will be available soon. So I will let you know.
Not much else to report. We did have another teacher trainer arrive today. His name is Stanley and he is from Toronto. It is weird having someone join us three months into the process. However, he is lucky in that he will be able to dive right into things instead of waiting around for construction. Also- he has us to show him the few ropes we have learned.
Thanks to everyone who emailed this week. They are truly the brightest spots of my day!
Take care!

Is 6:00 pm too early for bed?

I feel like a wimp! Teaching English for 7 hours a day is exhausting! We have had an all-girls middle school this week and their level of comprehension is much lower than we all expected. It is definitely lower than the elementary school we had last week. It makes teaching that much harder. Getting a 13-year old girl to pretend she is interested is hard enough. Then, to get her to actively participate in something she doesn't understand is that much harder. Anyway, on the bright side, discipline has not been a problem.
This week, I have been teaching American culture and computers. Today I did 6 American culture lessons in a row. (phew) It is only 50 minutes, so I can't tell them everything their is to know. What I do is show them pictures of my state, city, house, family, dogs, friends, etc. Then, I show them about 20 US landmarks. Then we discuss landmarks and they create their own for their newly discovered country. I have had some really interesting countries such as: ice cream land, roller coaster land and make-up land. My computer lesson involves searching for information on IMDB. (Internet Movie Database) They get to look up movies currently at the box office as well as searching for older movies and their gross profits. They seem to like it.
Tomorrow, (5/22) is our official grand opening day. We are expecting about 200 visitors to come. This group will include the superintendent of education for Korea, mayors, council persons, etc. As you can imagine, the staff has been under a great deal of stress preparing every last detail. I thought things were mostly completed last week, but they have done even more this week. I will have to send home a whole new round of pictures of the school.
I wanted to share the website for the school: www.seec.go.kr. Of course the site is all in Korean, but there is a promotional video there where you can see me and the other teachers. Also, my room is featured (it's the one with the butterflies).
Hope you are all well and thinking about the next email you are going to send me!! :)
cheers- molly

Need the Rain...

So sometimes things in the midst of the storm are so bleak, you forget that no storm lasts forever. Case in point- the kids last week left on Friday. HOORAY! The picture on the left is my homeroom students, which I actually really liked. (not enough to ask them to stay) It was a really tough week and thank goodness our team survived intact. I was surprised at the lack of discipline we saw in the kids- but each school and class will have its own dynamic. After saying last week I was only going to give this three weeks before giving up, I feel much better now.

This week we had a whole new group come. The kids are much better behaved and the teachers from their school are much more involved and helpful. Added to that is that we have all become more comfortable in what we are doing and able to handle hiccups more easily. I am pleased to say that today I taught my last Drama lesson and the kids all had a great time. Next week I will move on to teach Computer Lab and Western Culture. I am really excited about teaching the Western Culture lesson- but the computer lesson will be difficult. These will be middle school kids (all girls) and they are qute familiar with computers. So- the difficulty will be in keeping them focused on the lady at the front speaking a foreign language instead of focusing on the computer sites they surf all day. But- these lessons will just be 50 minutes instead of 100- so I hope it will be easier.

The past few weekends, I haven't done much but hang around here. There really isn't much in Gapyeong, except for an International Jazz Festival in September. So, this weekend, I may try to venture to the next city over to see what's going on there. In Chuncheon, there is a large lake, so in the summer, there are lots of water sports.

Thank you for keeping me in your prayers. I guess sometimes you just need the rain so that you can grow strong through the challenges you are facing. Lots of rain last week. This coming week is also the "official opening" where there will be TV and newspaper coverage as well as the mayor and city council represetatives from Seoul. Big party next Thursday. If I can find a link for the coverage, I will post it.

Keep sending email. I need the connections from home!

I'm Not Dead....Yet

So- I know it has been 10 days since I last posted, but it feels like 10 months to me. We successfully moved to camp on May 1, with a LOADED bus. It looked like the circus was coming to town with all of our loads of stuff. You can imagine what 11 women and 4 men would be toting along for one year. Anyway, we were all so excited to see the camp and our rooms and we were just blown away by the progress that had been made since we last visited the site in March. Our rooms were mostly in "move in condition". I couldn't have been more pleased with my room. The view out of my window is into the mountains. There is a desk, a table with two chairs, a wardrobe, a cabinet, a frig/freezer, a vanity and a TV. So we spent the day on Thursday getting settled and took a quick run into town for some groceries for the weekend.
The classroom facilities are amazing. Of course, everything is shiny and new. Each room is equipped to the max. It is like a wonderland for the kids. I will post a picture of the station I am working in each week so you can see them all. The rest of the weekend, we just hung around and tried to brace ourselves.
Monday came (a holiday here in Korea) and the reality kind of started to settle in. There started to be a lot of worried faces around here as to how things were actually going to work. It is great to see a beautiful facility and all- but then you remember that 100 students are coming in the morning with the ability to destroy the facility in record time. So- we had a lot of meetings and planning on Monday...
Tuesday arrived and we started really getting things together. The kids were to arrive at 11 am. We are all supposed to meet them as the bus pulls in with posters and smiles. The first bus came at 10:30 and we all panicked! But- the first bus was just one elementary school of the two- so just about 40 kids. We went back up and waited for the call again. They finally came and we were all given our homeroom class group. It became quite clear immediately that these kids were rowdy and ready to rule. My homeroom was really sweet though. I had 5 boys and 5 girls. We started the day with just some name posters and checked in at "immigration". The program is set up with each child getting a passport. When they arrive they go to immigration to get a stamp and then as they go to each class, we stamp their passport upon completion. It is really neat.
My lesson (drama) is the only 2 hour lesson and I thought I was mentally prepared. Not so much. Having 24 kids for 2 hours is really difficult. The ability level is so varied. Some of the kids can get the gist of what you are trying to say and other kids you might as well be speaking Russian to them. I think the classes with 12 students ran a little more smoothly. So, the first day- I felt really defeated because my lesson did not go even close to what I wanted to do. The next day- I had the 4 worst behaved homerooms for my 2 classes and cried by the end of the day. The last day of classes for me was Thursday and FINALLY I got the better behaved classes and actually ran through my 2 hours fairly well. I think next week will be much better as far as knowing what to expect.
This weekend I want to get some mental rest and then plan ahead for next week. After next week, I will switch stations to Computer and Western Culture class.
Teaching English to 12 year olds is a lot harder than I anticipated. I love the challenge though. I know it will get easier with time. I will post more tomorrow.
M

The countdown is on....

So we are in our final full day of work at the Training Center and the tensions are running high. We don't know what to expect when we arrive at the English Camp. We have been prepared for the worst as far as the completion of the building. From what we understand, our floor is completed (as far as the furniture put together). But there may be quite a lot of dust and dirt. They will still be working on the other floors throughout the weekend. As of today, the kids are still scheduled to arrive Tuesday for camp. I am BEYOND ready to start teaching. We have had so much time on our hands to worry and focus on the unknown that it has made the entire team quite negative and tension filled. Lots of snapping at each other and such. I am hopeful that once we start our actual jobs and get settled into our own space- things will be a little more smooth.
My last weekend in Seoul was spent shopping around for things needed for our rooms. We went to the newly remodeled and reopened flea market on Saturday morning. It was a nice building with tons of stuff- but not really in the market for antiques right now. Sunday morning, we went to an International Flower Show in Goyang, a satellite city about an hour outside of Seoul. They have a beautiful man-made lake there with a huge park surrounding it. Really nice. The flower show was neat but FAR too many people for my taste. Just too crowded to really be able to stop and enjoy anything. I did buy some cacti and a violet for my room. I can't explain how much I miss my dogs at home. Life is just not the same without them.
This weekend, most of us will be at camp getting settled in. I don't envision myself coming back into Seoul for a few months. (maybe to pick up visitors at the airport?) I want to try to get out and see some more of the country. I feel like I have seen the high points of Seoul. Still no camera, but I will get some pictures from Gail to post soon.
Thanks for the emails and hope you are all well. Dreaming of hamburgers and cheese....
M

Seoul Sunday

So- I have officially spent this Sunday as a slug! Still in my PJs at 5:30! I had the best day yesterday getting out and wandering for about 4 hours. I was on the hunt for a "global" ATM where I could use my debit card from home to get cash. I found one of those a few blocks down and just decided to keep going. It was sunny and 80 degrees. Just perfect. I walked up to Namsan Mountain and Park (the mountain in the center of the city where the Seoul Tower sits). They have a 7K trail that runs across the mountain so I walked that and then came down East of where I live. I wandered over to the Dongdaemun Market which is a couple miles of vendors selling everything from socks to cactus. I finally jumped on the subway to go to Hyehwa, which is one of my favorite districts. I found a cafe with tables outside and relatively cheap draft. I am completely opposite of women here in Seoul who walk around all day with a newspaper shading their face or an umbrella. They really don't like to get any color from the sun. I was in a tank top and grabbed the table at the cafe that was sitting directly in the sun. I know they think it must be weird to see a foreigner with her feet propped up sunning her legs while she reads a book and drinks a beer- but it was GREAT! I made it back to the room in time to meet my friends to head out for dinner. We decided on Mexican and found a place called Dos Tacos. It was really good- probably no better than a Chipotle or Salsaritas at home- but after weeks of Korean food- it was one of the best meals I have had in my life!! We all had burritos and shared some chips and salsa. Since we had to wait a long time for our order- we got a free order of chili cheese fries as well. (random item at a Mexican restaurant I know). Just perfectly capped off the day. We finally headed to a bar chain they have here called Woodstock where you can request classic rock songs for the DJ. We requested everything from Dylan to Hendrix to the Mamas and Papas. They had them all. Really great.
So- after all the excitement yesterday- I decided to stay in today. I got to hear a sermon from home on CDs that Julie sent- so it was almost like a regular Sunday for me. I am trying to start this week to get my things somewhat organized to move. I have packed up my winter coats for good. Next weekend, the big flea market in Seoul is reopening- so we all want to head over and shop for items for our rooms. Want to make them as homey as possible for the next 10 months.
Other than some more practice teaching this week- not much coming up. Payday is Thursday- so we are heading to Outback to celebrate our 2-month anniversary on Friday night. Time seems to be going pretty quickly. That may change once we are relocated out of the city.
We did go to the baseball game last Wednesday after work and had a great time. Tickets to the game just $7 (right on 3rd baseline) and the best part is you can bring in your own food!! And drinks!! The crowd was great and they do chants and cheers the WHOLE time. (even when they are batting). We cheered for the Kia Tigers who were playing against the LG Twins. Kia pulled out the win 1-0. I sat with my friend Gail, from England, who had never seen a baseball game. She loved it and we have pledged our allegiance to the Tigers for the rest of our stay. :) I am sure we will do that again soon.
Hope everyone is well. Love to get emails anytime!

IT HAS SPRUNG!

So, it is finally warm and beautiful and all the cherry blossoms are blooming and blanketing the ground with their snow-like petals. The air is still not fresh- but that's OK- I am happy to see the sun and to put away my parkas!!

We spent a lovely day at a Traditional Korean Folk village. Somewhat similar to a "colonial" village we would have in the states. It was comprised of the traditional housing, and shops and such with a gift shop every 100 yards! Really a fun day though mingling among 1,000s of school children who all want to say hello. We wandered around and watched a traditional Korean wedding ceremony and then stumbled upon the amusement park area. We hit the bumper cars, the pirate ship and a few others. Lots of fun! We exited through the sculpture garden and headed back to Seoul. Pictures below from the day...baseball game tomorrow!

Standing on a swing- much more fun than sitting!

Hiking Pics

I still don't have my camera fixed...but my friend Jessica shared some pics with me from our hiking adventure last Saturday. This weekend is the Cherry Blossom Festival, so hopefully I can get some good pictures there as well. On a side note, we had a meeting with our principal today, and she assured us that moving day is MAY 1. So that's good news. Enjoy the pics and I'll get some more up soon!

Here's Mount Surak from the bottom.

So, not my best side (ha ha) but wanted to show you how you go up the mountain basically in a line of people. Everyone is pretty courteous and there are lots of spaces to step aside if you want to pass someone, or let someone pass you.

Here is the crew at the top. The girl on the left is some random girl we met named Pheobe. The the man is Jai, who works the front desk at our hotel, Jeanine, me, Jessica and Gail.

This is our friend Yoon, who in exchange for having a conversation with her in English, wanted to share some traditional rice wine with us. So nice!

Waiting for Spring to spring...

So, I have been slack in my posting the past week. The previous week was another cold and rainy one, and just overall depressing. Most of you know that I can't stand to be cold and was secretly a lizard living on a hot rock in my former life. They don't have Groundhog Day here, but apparently, Spring just wasn't ready to come on down. Finally, this past Saturday, we had a nice day with no rain and temperatures up in the mid 60s. We chose that day to go on our first hike here in Seoul. Seoul is surrounded by mountains, and hiking is huge here. On the weekends, you will see tons of older people with all their hiking attire on riding the subways to go climb a mountain. Koreans are nothing if not healthy. So, Saturday we decided to do a mountain called Surak. It was unlike any other hiking experience I have had in that you basically go up in a line of people. We heard in the summer the lines are like Disney World. It wasn't quite that bad Saturday, but there were no moments of silence. We got to the top and found a small "restaurant" where they served snacks and water. Of course, everyone is fascinated by the white people. So, no sooner had we sat down to take in the scenery, than we were approached by a sweet woman who wanted to have a conversation to practice her English. Most Koreans learn English up until they have to take a proficiency exam in High School. (I believe it is a listening test) After that- they really don't have much opportunity to engage in conversation, and lose most of the English they have learned. This woman, named Yoon, told me a little about her travels to India and spoke quite well. She was so thankful she wanted to offer me and my friends some traditional Korean rice wine before we headed down. We graciously accepted and sat down to a 4 oz. serving of a white liquid. She was serving it out of a big 10 gallon jug- so it was obviously made at home. It tasted like beer and cider mixed together. Not something I would order, but not horrendous. Anyway- you could tell it was pretty potent stuff. We had to laugh because when Koreans sat down, they would be served a big BOWL of this wine to drink. I don't know how in the world people climb a mountain, drink a BOWL of alcohol and then manage to get down. This was a fairly steep climb. Crazy. Anyway- we made it down safely and I can't tell you how nice it was to have spent the day outside of the city.
Saturday night we went to a cultural performance. Traditional instruments, singing and dance. After our long hike, some of the music was enough to put you right to sleep, but the dancing was pretty neat. It is cool to see these traditions from 1000s of years ago still being performed and respected.
This week, we are back to lesson plan development in the hopes that the camp will open on time (May 6). I am really hopeful that it does. We are all just ready to get started and the delay with all the time on our hands just makes us more frustrated. (which causes more irritation with each other) You can imagine.
They moved the Cherry Blossom festival from this weekend to next weekend in the hopes that they will be in full bloom then. I will be there for sure. The bad news is, my NEW camera, has a busted LCD screen. So, hopefully I can get it repaired this week. If not, I will be at the mercy of my friends to share pics with me to put up here on the blog. Wish me luck trying to communicate with the workers in the Kodak store. I can't say I am too advanced in my Korean lessons. I don't think that "It's Delicious" will get me too far with them.
Send me email when you have time- I love hearing your news. I will do better about blogging more frequently. Take care!

One Month Anniversary

I can't believe that it has been one month! In a lot of ways, it seems like it went by so quickly, and in other ways it seems a lot longer than one month. We are still chugging along in our "training program" and as far as we know, we are set to report to the English Camp on April 30. We have begun work on our own lesson plans and I am finding I really like this. I love being creative and it is fun to think of different ways to teach English through activities. The English camp is set up with 16 learning stations. Each week, a school will arrive on Monday afternoon with 120 students. Classes begin Tuesday morning where groups of 12 students will go to a different station for 50 mins. This happens through Thursday, so that each group gets to visit each station one time. The stations are: clinic, broadcasting, around the world, games, art, Korean culture, drama, computers, outdoor activities, science, bank/post office, supermarket, kitchen, restaurant, music, dance and library. Each teacher will be assigned to two stations for two weeks. Then we switch. This way, none of us are stuck teaching one lesson the whole year. (since you teach the lesson 10X every week, it could get pretty old fairly quickly) Outside of the classroom time, we will also have club activities to do with the kids (mine is drama) and also be involved with an end of week talent show and various nighttime activities. I think it is going to be a lot of fun for the kids as well as for me! The kids who will be attending the camp will be from some of the lower income areas of Seoul where kids don't normally have opportunities for private English education. Wealthier families send their children to private academies for English education every night after school. It is quite common for a Korean student (beginning in 3rd grade) to attend class all day (9-3) and then go to tutoring (called a Hogwan) from 4-9 or 10). There is a HUGE emphasis placed on education for a lot of these kids. A lot of pressure. They are not graded on English until their exit exam in High School- where they cannot pass with out an acceptable grade in English. I don't know that I agree with the methods here, but it is a different culture than what I know.
It is still pretty cold here in Seoul (40s for the highs) but I think the cherry blossom festival is this weekend, so we may have some signs of Spring soon. I can't wait. Seoul's weather is much like Washington DC (same basic latitude), so when Spring hits there- it should be hitting here. There are rumors of 60 degrees on Saturday, but I will believe it when I see it!
We did celebrate on Friday our one month anniversary with a cake. We are all big fans of the cakes here, so are working to find reasons to get a cake each month. No birthdays in April, so we may have to get a cake for Korean Election Day.
Hope everyone is well- I will post some more pictures next time. Thanks for the messages from everyone...keep me in the loop!!