I know it's been a very long time, I'm sorry, but I'm finally updating my blog! Well I wish I could say that spring has arrived in Korea, but nope, it's a weird weather year and actually snowed last weekend, sleeted this morning, and then all afternoon we could hear the wind howling from inside the classrooms. But hopefully it will start becoming green around here soon, I'm ready to feel the sun again! I'm pretty sure you can see clear through my skin, that's how pale I am right now.
So obviously a lot has been happening since I last updated, but I'll try to summarize as best I can. In Korea, the school year ends at the end of February and the new one begins the first of March. The last Saturday in February was the graduation ceremony, where my 2 homeroom classes of 7 year olds graduated! They really went all out at it, the kids had 3 different costume changes and had song and dance numbers along with speeches. Here's a little glimpse of it, I was backstage helping so I took this from the website:
In March we got new homerooms, but instead of teaching the 7 year olds again, I was switched to the new 3-4 year olds! When I found that out, pure panic set in! I've never really been a big fan of that age group, normally try to avoid them altogether, but I found out I would now be teaching two homerooms of them everyday! It's pretty much a swim or get out of the country kind of situation in Korea when it comes to teaching, so here we go, 3-4 year olds who barely speak Korean and definitely don't speak English, bring it on! Well, there was a lot of crying the first week, a lot of staring at each other because we couldn't communicate, and some temper tantrums. But it's been a month now teaching them, and it is crazy how much English they have picked up in this short amount of time, and I've picked up some more Korean too! Now that they've gotten used to the routine of going to school, we're having a lot of fun in the classroom and I understand their attention spans (or lack there of!) much better.
It's sometimes difficult because they always try to tell me stories in Korean and they get really excited, and I just uh-huh and nod along and smile at them, but I wish I knew what they were saying! Sometimes I can pick up on words like "Jungle Book" and "Power Rangers", random things. And because they don't understand most of what I say still, we sing in my classes, A LOT. I probably have one of the worst singing voices you have ever heard, I mean, I'm not being modest, I cannot carry even a slightly passable tune. No no, I can hear myself, and I know I am terribly off-tune, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot change my tone. Luckily these kids are too young to know better, so they love it! I have made up songs for almost every activity now, no matter if we're cleaning up or if I'm trying to get them to sit in their chairs, I've come up with a song for it! And for some reason if a song goes along with it, then they listen better!
Unfortunately these two classrooms are right next to the teachers room, and also have ceiling to floor window-walls facing the hallway, so everything I sing and do can be heard/seen by everyone. After a month, I have no problem acting and sounding like a complete fool in front of everyone as long as the kids are doing what I ask of them!
I've been talking a lot about them so it's time to show you some pictures of them! They are so short, everyday it still amazes me. They sneak attack hug me sometimes, but their face is at me knee so it's weird. And pretty funny.
The first photos are me teaching McGill and Columbia (my 2 homeroom classes) a Science class. We made jumping frogs:
Then here is McGill class in the computer lab:
Henry and Jason:
Jin playing at her computer:
They're growing on me now, I thought they were little devils when I first starting teaching them, cute little devils, but still. Now we have lots of fun and they listen a lot better as they pick up more and more English.
There were some times when I thought "I do not get paid enough for this!" haha like the time that Jin, the girl in the pic above, was just standing in the middle of class and just peed, right on the floor. We were actually playing with water that day, so at first I thought, maybe it's water? But nope, on closer inspection, it was definitely a puddle of pee. And they also like to hold their boogers out to me on their fingers, like it's some kind of treasure or something! They get really excited. It's better than eating them though, one of the boys definitely does that. Luckily when something gross happens, there are "helper teachers" that I call over and point out the messes to!
Today we went on a field trip to a children's museum, it was one of those hands on science places, and I think I might of been just as excited as my kids! I took a bunch of pictures of them:
Here are some of them lined up to listen:
Playing with traditional Korean instruments:
Anna playing with what looks like a rain stick to me
Yumnya playing with the rain stick
Hera playing with a harp
Matthew making music
Nicole and Chanel
Michelle having a fun time
Hera playing the drum
Not sure if you noticed, but two of the kids I teach aren't Korean. I have two twins (a boy and a girl) who are from Saudi Arabia in my Columbia class. These kids are only 4 years old and are on their way to speaking 3 languages. I'm jealous
Next they tried on a bunch of different masks:
Sophie looking mischievous in hers:
Daniel in a Batman mask
Both classes sitting at traditional Korean school desks:
Jason, Yumnya, and Matthew
My co-teacher Ann with the kids:
Jin talking on a video phone:
Sophie answering her back:
Matthew talking to himself (haha, the first few weeks he would just sit there and whisper his own name for most of the class, Matthew, Matthew....)
Preparing to battle the weather:
So that's a little bit of what I've been up to, it's been an entertaining and exhausting month at work, but we've managed to get out and see and do stuff still. For St Patrick's Day we went out to O'Malleys to celebrate:
Sam and I pointing at there really cool lights you can't actually see since it's blurry:
Cassy and I, wearing our green:
Sam trying to finish her Irish Car Bomb, we were handed free ones when we walked in the door:
Cassy and I also went to see Jayu Park, Chinatown, and Wolmido Island last weekend, which are 3 popular places in the area we live in. Jayu Park, or Freedom Park, is where a memorial honoring General MacArthur for his invasion during the Korean War stands. It is a really nice memorial honoring the US soldiers who fought in the Korean, and is at the top of a hilltop overlooking the harbor. Here are some pictures:
They have these outdoor exercise machines in all the parks here, even memorial parks apparently!:
After Jayu Park we went to Chinatown, which is where the largest settlement of Chinese immigrants live in Korea:
There were very small hobbit-sized doors there:
And then we headed to Wolmido Island after that, which is your basic (but very large) ocean side boardwalk with all kinds of shops, food stands, and a huge Carnival/fair grounds. On the boardwalk, they had a Dog Cafe. Your first thought from the name might be, oh, a place where people can bring their dogs. But no, it's a cafe where there are about 8-10 dogs just running around loose inside. They live at the cafe. And they had all sizes: from a Chihuahua and Pomeranian to a Husky and a Great Pyrenees. It was weird. Oh Korea. Apparently there's a cat cafe somewhere in Seoul just like it, one of my co-workers told me.
Anyways, it wasn't the best day to be by the ocean (it snowed on us for a little while) but it was a really fun area nonetheless:
We also hiked up to the observatory (all uphill, very sore the next day!):
View from the top of Incheon Harbor (it was actually an impressive view and you could see the long Songdo Bridge stretching across, but didn't turn out in the pictures):
Well, it's not everything I've been up to since I last updates, still never made a post about Japan or Malaysia, but it gives yall an idea at least. Happy Easter to everyone back home, I got a package today from my Mom, so I'm about to break it open and see what kind of goodies she sent me!!!
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