Time is flying by

Time seems to go by faster in Korea. Maybe because I am always busy! The past week of teaching went well. The kids are cute and still amaze me with how much English they know. One of the rules at school is they can't speak Korean, they have to speak English all the time while at school. One day one of my students was writing in what I thought was Korean but, he said no this is Chinese. He is only 7 years old and knows three languages!! Americans are dumb! Some of my students say they go to a Chinese academy in addition to English school and regular school! It is crazy!!

Another funny story that happened at school this past week was in my second grade social studies class. We use North American textbooks at the school and we were discussing holidays and talking about Thanksgiving. Most of the kids said they have never had turkey before! It is something they don't eat here. They were asking what I do with my family for Thanksgiving and one boy said he celebrates with his family here but I find that hard to believe.

This past weekend I was able to go to Seoul to met my friend, Gena, who is in college at one of the women's university. She showed me around her school and we went to a jazz concert near the campus. It was good music and some of the songs were in English which was nice. They played some Christmas songs too. It was nice to go to the city and see a new area. I doubt I will ever see all of Seoul since it is so big! Gena told me that half of the population of Korea lives in the Seoul area!

Here are some recent pictures to enjoy!

Swine flu

No, I don't have the swine flu thank god but, my school has been closed for morning classes on Thursday and Friday. That means I have had the past two mornings off which has been great. Every since I got here 3 weeks ago I have been BUSY!!!! It has been nice to sleep in and relax the past two mornings.

I am not sure how many kids at my school are sick but, just to be safe they cancelled the morning classes. I am still teaching my elementary kids in the afternoons. I am becoming more and more comfortable with how the school works and how to teach the kids. The other teachers say it takes about a month to get the hang of things.

Last night I went out to eat with other teachers and we went to a Korean BBQ place, where you cook the meat at the table. It is so good and there are about 20 side dishes. It is a cool and unique experience. Something you have to try if you ever visit Korea.

Other than that, things are still going well. It seems like I am always busy and the time goes by fast. I am looking forward to the weekend but, I know it will be over so fast. All the teachers say time flies by here I understand it really does. There is always something to do at work and since we are there ALL DAY the weeks fly by.

I'll update you again soon and please update me on things going on at home too!

A good weekend and good fortune

It's Sunday night in Seoul and I am gearing myself up for another week of work. I really like teaching and the kids are so smart. The days are what gets me. I have to be at work at 9 AM and I don't leave until 7:30 PM!!!! I do have a lunch break and an hour afternoon break but it is still a long day and that is normal for Koreans to work. Let's just say my last job was not like this!

This past weekend I met my friend Emily, who is teaching at another Poly school in Seoul. We met at the Olympic Park. It was nice to see a familiar face from college and interesting to hear how our schools are different though they are both Poly schools, just different locations. We went out to eat at a restaurant and had the Korean style of sushi. The only difference was the fish was not raw but it was still wrapped in seaweed and very tasty.

Today I took the subway back to Seoul to meet Gena. She is a friend of a friend and she is Korean. Gena's major in college is English Education so her English is perfect! It was nice to go out to lunch with someone who knew exactly what everything was. I had noodle tofu soup and it was delicious. Korean food is extremely SPICY and HOT!!!! The soup was boiling when it was served. I am getting used to the spices they use in everything and so far I have had some great food. I am proud of myself that I have not gone to a Western style restaurant yet but, I know the day will come soon when I am craving American food.

Here is my random/cool/good fortune story of the weekend. Last night when I was riding the subway back to Bundang, a young woman asked me in English if I needed help. She saw me looking at the subway map. I knew where I was going but, talked to her for a few minutes. She spoke English and asked why I was in Korea, etc.
Today I am getting off the subway and walking out of the station when a Korean girl flags me down. It was the same girl from the day before! She saw me and recognized me. It was a different subway station from the first time I met her. I was on my way to meet Gena and she was going on a blind date at Outback Steakhouse. Talk about random. Seoul has 15 million people and I run into the same person two days in a row at different spots in the city!! We talked some more and exchanged e-mail addresses. She was so nice and said she can show me around Seoul. We both couldn't believe we saw each other again and she said it must be good fortune!

It was a good weekend and I am looking forward to seeing more of Seoul!

Halloween Party