This post is going to be a bunch of random thoughts that I've been having, so sorry if you get lost. This is what it's like in my head every day! haha
I can't believe yesterday started my 5th week teaching these little guys! I can tell that we're all a lot more comfortable with each other now, and we can really have fun together....most of the time. haha There was something different about today, but I can't really tell what it was. The kids weren't really feeling school and lucky for them, I wasn't really feeling teaching. Some days you just know whatever you say isn't going to stick. You can just feel it and see it in their eyes. Today was one of those days. So, after we did a quick lesson about greeting people, I decided to let them be the teacher and I would be the student, and they had to teach me a Korean game. In all of my classes we played different games! The only trick was, they had to use English words to explain the game to me. (Ah ha! See, I didn't throw all of my teaching habits out the window!) Second, third and fourth struggled a little and mainly used hand motions and grunts, but I got the point and made them say the words. It was hilarious. We played a variation of Duck, Duck, Goose and Red Light, Green Light and then I taught them the two American versions of what they just taught me. We also played Rock, Paper, Scissors, which is called Kai, Bai, Bo in Korean. These kids LOVE this game and have so many different variations. It's crazy to watch them play because they go so fast you can't tell who is throwing what sign. It's amazing. When I asked to play, they slowed the pace tremendously. I guess they knew I couldn't hang. haha It was probably the look of amazement on my face when they were playing. I'm going to video it eventually...if I can ever stop staring long enough to go grab my camera.
On Monday and Tuesdays I eat lunch at school. I'm always a little nervous because I don't know what's on my plate (besides the regular kimchi and rice), but so far it's been pretty good every week. Today was the greatest though! We had traditional wings covered in some kind of sauce. I was pumped!....until I realized that all I had was a spoon and chopsticks. Normally, I would have dug in hands first, but these people don't eat anything with their hands so I knew there was a catch. After observing the other teachers around me (which has become quite the norm before eating anything on my plate) I decided I had to try and cut the meat off with my chopsticks without touching it. They were all making it look easy, so surely it wouldn't be too hard right? Wrong. haha I ended up giving up and holding one side of my wing with my hand and picking the meat off with the chopsticks. I'm half way there! Hopefully we will have them again soon and I can attempt to not touch it at all with my hands! haha
This past weekend we all went to Seoul and my American friend who lives in Hong Kong came to visit. Two of my other TaLK friends that live on the Korean island, Jeju, just south of the mainland, also came! It was so good seeing everyone and we had a blast in Seoul. All of the pictures are on my Facebook and pretty much explained my weekend, so check them out! We had Mexican food, went to the Trick Eye Museum, went to norebang, danced until 4:30am at a club, went to Asia's largest underground mall, and one of the biggest aquariums in Korea! So many great things in such a short amount of time. I'm getting spoiled here, for sure.
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| Trick Eye Museum. I highly recommend a visit to one of these! |
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| Tanner and I at the Coex Mall! |
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| I, I, I, I, I workout.... |
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| Heaven on Earth! |
And who ever said Korean weather is 'just like Oklahoma weather, except consistent' is one big fat liar! It's exactly like Oklahoma...exactly. One day I wear short sleeves and jeans outside all day and daydream about the beach, then the next day I wear two coats, a scarf, my Uggs, and a pair of gloves. You people in your cute shorts, tank tops and sandals are making me sick. I hear it's cold over there today, so it doesn't make me as sad to put my layers on and get outside. haha
Time for a harsh topic. I promise to end this post with something happy and positive, but I have to address this!
On the topic of North Korea and safety. I know the North is making a lot of threats. I'm keeping up with the news every day. They are threatening South Korea but they're also threatening the United States, so really..no one is safe if they choose to do something. The American media is known for blowing things out of proportion, so I'm hoping that's what's going on. All we can do is pray and hope that nothing happens. What is it like here? Well, the South Koreans are continuing on with life and acting like nothing is going on here. I've asked around and they all say this kind of thing happens all the time and we shouldn't be worried. But in the case that something does happen, I have registered with the Embassy and they're supposed to alert me if I should be worried. As of now, I'm still not coming home until July 31st. If the Embassy suggests otherwise, I'll hop on a plane and you guys can meet me at the airport with some Q'doba nachos and stuffed jalapenos and we can have my welcome home party earlier than expected! Prayers are greatly appreciated and I appreciate the concern, but I think everything is going to be okay!
Okay, glad we got that out of the way. Now it's time for another episode of Korea's greatest inventions!!! This one was spotted while I was walking through the Coex Mall in Seoul. Prepare yourself.... 3, 2, 1...GO!
Why yes, you are seeing that correctly. This little lady is on a scooter with a broom attached to the front, sweeping the mall. Genius! If you saw how massive this mall was, you'd realize why it's almost a necessity. No body wants to sweep Asia's biggest underground mall by hand, that'd just be nuts. (Sorry for the quality, I was trying to sneak a quick picture so it's a little blurry. I don't want people knowing America hasn't thought of this yet...that's just embarrassing. hahaha)
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