Halloween weekend! How excited is everyone from back home?
Halloween is not a very big deal here in South Korea, but Chungdahm and the foreigners try to make it something.
There is a huge company party on Sunday night where everyone gets dressed up. I can imagine that it would be crazy because it is everyone from Chungdahm throughout South Korea.
This week was actually pretty relaxing. I had to administer the practice test to the kids. It was a good hour and a half of just test-taking, so they were tired after the three hours. For the rest of the time we had, I went over test taking strategies as well as the type of questions they will encounter next week on the actual test.
The kids did not enjoy taking the practice test, but it was a nice week for me:) I am ready for the regular schedule to come back, however, I was able to connect a little with some of students who I constantly have to talk to about their behavior.
My new attitude to the kids who misbehave is to make it sort of a joke. If they come back from break with food or are late, I now am trying to say a joke about them being late. I think it lightens the mood and it is a change to me telling them to stop coming back late, talking, etc.
They also LOVE the seven pounds of halloween candy my Dad sent me:) M&M's and Kit-Kats! I have seen M&M's once here in Korea and they are expensive. They were on the floor with excitement when I told them what I had!
Thank you Dad, you are truly the best <3
Right now I am Cafe Bene, the coffee shop where I go to get out of my house and skype some people. It is a gorgeous morning probably about 50 degrees and I am sipping an Americano coffee.
There is also a "photo shoot" going on in the coffee shop. One lady with her nice camera taking pictures of this one beautiful Korean girl. I have seen these photo shoots many times in coffee shops. It is for a certain magazine they have here. She has posed outside, inside drinking coffee, reading a book, and other poses. I find it quite fascinating.
Tonight I might go around town with Racheal and find some cute coats and shoes for her. We get off work at 7PM, so we are able to do some shopping:)
I think there are a couple of Halloween parties going on as well. I just have to figure out what I will be.....
Next weekend my friend Dan from Semester At Sea invited me to a Pub Quiz Night in Cheonan. I went to Cheonan when I first arrived to Korea and it would be fun to go again. He leaves to go travel and then back to the States in November.
Happy Halloween! Drinks lots of cider and eat loads of candy for me :)
xoxo Kristen
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Beautiful Autumn Weather
The weather in Seoul has been gorgeous for at least three weeks now. I don't think it has rained in a couple of weeks either.
September was the end of the rainy season and I am hoping that we don't get anymore flooding like we did a month or so ago.
Yesterday was the end of my eighth week. All of my classes were pretty well behaved and I think a majority of them are really understanding and learning something!! I have some doubts about the kids that don't care and don't put any effort towards wanting to learn.
Next week (week 9) I have to administer a practice achievement test to all of my classes. The students come to Chungdahm Mokdong Branch two times a week. One day they come for their Listening and Speaking Class and then they come a second day for their Reading and Writing class. I only teach Reading and Writing this term, but have been trained for Listening and Speaking.
I may teach some Listening classes next term.
Therefore, all of the reading teachers administer a "test prep" session for the kids on how to do well on the achievement test which is in week ten. I will give them tips on certain question types and remind them on listening and reading transition words such as however, finally, on the other hand, etc.
I still have to prepare for next week, so I don't exactly know what the passage and listening portions are about right now.
I do however have to make around ninety copies of the practice achievement test. The practice test is twenty-eight pages.
It is most definitely a lot of paper!! Good thing it is the same practice test for the two different levels I teach. That would have been most confusing. I have to go into school today and make sure I have enough copies because I don't want to be rushing around next week.
I am not entirely sure what I am going to be doing this weekend. I will probably get together with one of my friends from John Carroll who is here in South Korea. Anyone reading this will know if you went to John Carroll, Zach Katris! He has been in South Korea for a while, but lives further south. He is here this weekend for the DMZ tour and other activities I suppose.
I may hit a couple of other markets in Seoul tomorrow as well.
I will leave you with something new I have been doing in my class. I am now giving them a quote of the day. These quotes are about life, passion, success, friendship, and attitudes.
Friday my quote was up on the board. It said, "If you want to be happy, be." It is fun to see what they say about my quotes and to laugh a little bit. I love quotes a lot and I feel that why not bring some of my personality to the classroom :)
Have a fun filled weekend!!
Kristen
September was the end of the rainy season and I am hoping that we don't get anymore flooding like we did a month or so ago.
Yesterday was the end of my eighth week. All of my classes were pretty well behaved and I think a majority of them are really understanding and learning something!! I have some doubts about the kids that don't care and don't put any effort towards wanting to learn.
Next week (week 9) I have to administer a practice achievement test to all of my classes. The students come to Chungdahm Mokdong Branch two times a week. One day they come for their Listening and Speaking Class and then they come a second day for their Reading and Writing class. I only teach Reading and Writing this term, but have been trained for Listening and Speaking.
I may teach some Listening classes next term.
Therefore, all of the reading teachers administer a "test prep" session for the kids on how to do well on the achievement test which is in week ten. I will give them tips on certain question types and remind them on listening and reading transition words such as however, finally, on the other hand, etc.
I still have to prepare for next week, so I don't exactly know what the passage and listening portions are about right now.
I do however have to make around ninety copies of the practice achievement test. The practice test is twenty-eight pages.
It is most definitely a lot of paper!! Good thing it is the same practice test for the two different levels I teach. That would have been most confusing. I have to go into school today and make sure I have enough copies because I don't want to be rushing around next week.
I am not entirely sure what I am going to be doing this weekend. I will probably get together with one of my friends from John Carroll who is here in South Korea. Anyone reading this will know if you went to John Carroll, Zach Katris! He has been in South Korea for a while, but lives further south. He is here this weekend for the DMZ tour and other activities I suppose.
I may hit a couple of other markets in Seoul tomorrow as well.
I will leave you with something new I have been doing in my class. I am now giving them a quote of the day. These quotes are about life, passion, success, friendship, and attitudes.
Friday my quote was up on the board. It said, "If you want to be happy, be." It is fun to see what they say about my quotes and to laugh a little bit. I love quotes a lot and I feel that why not bring some of my personality to the classroom :)
Have a fun filled weekend!!
Kristen
Monday, October 18, 2010
Dynamic Busan
All of the signs on the beach and around the streets said, "Dynamic Busan." I guess they are really trying to promote how great it is!
Busan was BEAUTIFUL!
I met my parent near their hotel in Seoul on Friday night after work at 7PM. They had an awesome time in Japan. With great food, informative tours, and fantastic weather, who wouldn't have a great time? They stayed in Kyoto and toured around and went to different places around that area. Kyoto was my favorite place when I visited Japan, so I told them they had to go there!
I wanted to take a week off from work and join them because the essence of Japan is remarkable. I remember what a great time I had there when I went for Semester At Sea. Maybe I will get a chance to go back while in Asia.
Saturday we took the 9AM KTX (fast) train to Busan out of Seoul Station. Even being on the train was cool because I was able to be with my parents and catch up:)
When we first arrived I was a little unsure of what I thought about Busan. Right out of Busan station was a huge area of just shipping and industrial supplies. I knew Busan had a big shipping industry, but just seeing container after container was crazy!
About twenty-minutes later we approached on the area where I knew everyone who loved Busan was talking about. We crossed over a white bridge that looked exactly like the Golden Gate in San Francisco! I looked to my right and left and was blown away. The view was ridiculous. I was extremely taken back and had to remind myself I was still in South Korea.
The day we arrived was sunny and probably about seventy-five to eighty degrees. The sun was shinning and it made the water glisten and sparkle. The mountains were tall and green and I felt like I could stay forever.
We arrived to the "Westin Chosun" about forty-minutes later and settled down in our room. We opened the blinds and wow there was the beach! Literally twenty-feet from outside the hotel was an expansive beach!!!
I could definitely see myself coming back to Busan in the summer for a little R&R and just to take in some rays :)
I took like twenty-pictures from our hotel room, but those were not the only ones I took. We went outside and explored a little before heading out to the largest department store in the world.
We walked in the store and yeah it definitely was a huge place.
The bottom floor was filled with Chanel, Fendi, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and some other Korean high end stores. I swear the more floors we went up the less expensive the stores were. They also had some sales going on outside each store.
The place was set up almost like a mall, but is a department store. There was not a shortage of stores like Nike, North face, Adidas, Lacoste, and plenty of Korean stores.
We didn't end of getting anything because we really don't need anything. I only wanted to check out the biggest department store and see what it was all about. I can't imagine what that place looks like near Christmas time. Maybe something like Macy's in New York City or Saks Fifth Avenue on Black Friday....
Later that night we went to a restaurant in the hotel called "O'Kims." It was a take on an Irish pub, but had the name Kim in it because it is a popular last name in Korea and the owner of the hotels last name was Kim.
I do like Korean food, but once in a while it is nice to have some food that reminds me of home :)
Sunday we headed out to the Busan Aquarium! Now nothing can compete with my absolute favorite aquarium.....anyone guess what it is???
You got it!!! At the Atlantis!!
However, this aquarium had some species I have never seen before and I was able to read more about them. We also saw a ton of sharks in one tank. Different kinds of sharks with huge teeth. The penguins were also really cute!!!
Later on we took a taxi to a part of Busan where you can see the ocean really well, along with the beach, bridges, and high rise buildings. We ate some lunch and took in the view and walked down a pretty steep road.
We kind of just hung around the beach and walked around. There was also this walk/run for diabetes going on with plenty of white tents around the beach.
Many people were also in the water swimming around or snorkeling.
Ahh I forgot this one hilarious part of the trip! I think it was Sunday that we looked out our window in the hotel room and saw at least fifty people swimming to the shore like it was a race. It must have been a half-mile they were swimming with their wetsuits and swim caps. I still don't know if it was a race or what it was for.
Later on we saw those same people treading water in a huge circle. They were singing and chanting in Korean.
If you were wondering if I got a picture, I did. In fact I even took a video. I couldn't let that scene slip by. It was great :)
The weather in Busan could not have been more perfect. The weather for my parents couldn't have been more perfect either. It was warmer than expected for them, but they did great.
Now I am sitting at my computer shaking my head because I can't believe it is over and they are going home.
We had some hilarious laughs and I enjoyed taking them around for what I know of Seoul.
If they decide they want to come back, I will know more of where to take them!! Or maybe I would be able to meet them somewhere if my schedule permits.
Yesterday I said goodbye in the middle of the subway station. I think it was harder to say goodbye yesterday than when I left in August. Although it was comforting to hear them tell me they feel good about me living here in Seoul.
I will miss them because of what a unbelievable time we had.
If you come to visit me, I will miss you just as much!!!
School is still going good, some kids are getting a little better and getting into the swing of school. Others still give me a hard time and sometimes it gets exhausting exerting that energy toward one student. I have a positive attitude in the classroom which is what I think helps me deal with those situations.
It is already week eight at school and their tests are coming up to see if they will "level-up" to a higher level.
Should be interesting to see how they do.
Sorry this is so long! I had a lot to write:)
Hope all is well back home or wherever you may me!
Always,
Kristen
Busan was BEAUTIFUL!
I met my parent near their hotel in Seoul on Friday night after work at 7PM. They had an awesome time in Japan. With great food, informative tours, and fantastic weather, who wouldn't have a great time? They stayed in Kyoto and toured around and went to different places around that area. Kyoto was my favorite place when I visited Japan, so I told them they had to go there!
I wanted to take a week off from work and join them because the essence of Japan is remarkable. I remember what a great time I had there when I went for Semester At Sea. Maybe I will get a chance to go back while in Asia.
Saturday we took the 9AM KTX (fast) train to Busan out of Seoul Station. Even being on the train was cool because I was able to be with my parents and catch up:)
When we first arrived I was a little unsure of what I thought about Busan. Right out of Busan station was a huge area of just shipping and industrial supplies. I knew Busan had a big shipping industry, but just seeing container after container was crazy!
About twenty-minutes later we approached on the area where I knew everyone who loved Busan was talking about. We crossed over a white bridge that looked exactly like the Golden Gate in San Francisco! I looked to my right and left and was blown away. The view was ridiculous. I was extremely taken back and had to remind myself I was still in South Korea.
The day we arrived was sunny and probably about seventy-five to eighty degrees. The sun was shinning and it made the water glisten and sparkle. The mountains were tall and green and I felt like I could stay forever.
We arrived to the "Westin Chosun" about forty-minutes later and settled down in our room. We opened the blinds and wow there was the beach! Literally twenty-feet from outside the hotel was an expansive beach!!!
I could definitely see myself coming back to Busan in the summer for a little R&R and just to take in some rays :)
I took like twenty-pictures from our hotel room, but those were not the only ones I took. We went outside and explored a little before heading out to the largest department store in the world.
We walked in the store and yeah it definitely was a huge place.
The bottom floor was filled with Chanel, Fendi, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and some other Korean high end stores. I swear the more floors we went up the less expensive the stores were. They also had some sales going on outside each store.
The place was set up almost like a mall, but is a department store. There was not a shortage of stores like Nike, North face, Adidas, Lacoste, and plenty of Korean stores.
We didn't end of getting anything because we really don't need anything. I only wanted to check out the biggest department store and see what it was all about. I can't imagine what that place looks like near Christmas time. Maybe something like Macy's in New York City or Saks Fifth Avenue on Black Friday....
Later that night we went to a restaurant in the hotel called "O'Kims." It was a take on an Irish pub, but had the name Kim in it because it is a popular last name in Korea and the owner of the hotels last name was Kim.
I do like Korean food, but once in a while it is nice to have some food that reminds me of home :)
Sunday we headed out to the Busan Aquarium! Now nothing can compete with my absolute favorite aquarium.....anyone guess what it is???
You got it!!! At the Atlantis!!
However, this aquarium had some species I have never seen before and I was able to read more about them. We also saw a ton of sharks in one tank. Different kinds of sharks with huge teeth. The penguins were also really cute!!!
Later on we took a taxi to a part of Busan where you can see the ocean really well, along with the beach, bridges, and high rise buildings. We ate some lunch and took in the view and walked down a pretty steep road.
We kind of just hung around the beach and walked around. There was also this walk/run for diabetes going on with plenty of white tents around the beach.
Many people were also in the water swimming around or snorkeling.
Ahh I forgot this one hilarious part of the trip! I think it was Sunday that we looked out our window in the hotel room and saw at least fifty people swimming to the shore like it was a race. It must have been a half-mile they were swimming with their wetsuits and swim caps. I still don't know if it was a race or what it was for.
Later on we saw those same people treading water in a huge circle. They were singing and chanting in Korean.
If you were wondering if I got a picture, I did. In fact I even took a video. I couldn't let that scene slip by. It was great :)
The weather in Busan could not have been more perfect. The weather for my parents couldn't have been more perfect either. It was warmer than expected for them, but they did great.
Now I am sitting at my computer shaking my head because I can't believe it is over and they are going home.
We had some hilarious laughs and I enjoyed taking them around for what I know of Seoul.
If they decide they want to come back, I will know more of where to take them!! Or maybe I would be able to meet them somewhere if my schedule permits.
Yesterday I said goodbye in the middle of the subway station. I think it was harder to say goodbye yesterday than when I left in August. Although it was comforting to hear them tell me they feel good about me living here in Seoul.
I will miss them because of what a unbelievable time we had.
If you come to visit me, I will miss you just as much!!!
School is still going good, some kids are getting a little better and getting into the swing of school. Others still give me a hard time and sometimes it gets exhausting exerting that energy toward one student. I have a positive attitude in the classroom which is what I think helps me deal with those situations.
It is already week eight at school and their tests are coming up to see if they will "level-up" to a higher level.
Should be interesting to see how they do.
Sorry this is so long! I had a lot to write:)
Hope all is well back home or wherever you may me!
Always,
Kristen
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
New Additions
Check out some of my pictures I added.
I added two pictures at the bottom of my blog. One picture is when I got my haircut. Racheal took the picture of guy that cut my hair and I.
The other is my Dad and I at Namdaemun Market last week. I look so happy :)
There are three other mini pictures on the right side of my blog. One of Racheal, Brandon, and I at a palace on Cheseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and the other one is of a fountain right near that palace. The third picture is of Seoul Tower. You can't really see how big it is in that picture, but the view from the tower looking out on Seoul is phenomenal. Just absolutely breathtaking.
I had to stand back and take the entire scene in. It is hard to believe I have been here already for two months.
Some things still feel so new, where others I swear I have been used to for my whole life. It is kind of a hard thing to grasp, but just know I am doing well.
I will write more at the end of the school week. Bed time!
<3 Kristen
I added two pictures at the bottom of my blog. One picture is when I got my haircut. Racheal took the picture of guy that cut my hair and I.
The other is my Dad and I at Namdaemun Market last week. I look so happy :)
There are three other mini pictures on the right side of my blog. One of Racheal, Brandon, and I at a palace on Cheseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and the other one is of a fountain right near that palace. The third picture is of Seoul Tower. You can't really see how big it is in that picture, but the view from the tower looking out on Seoul is phenomenal. Just absolutely breathtaking.
I had to stand back and take the entire scene in. It is hard to believe I have been here already for two months.
Some things still feel so new, where others I swear I have been used to for my whole life. It is kind of a hard thing to grasp, but just know I am doing well.
I will write more at the end of the school week. Bed time!
<3 Kristen
Sunday, October 10, 2010
What a Great Weekend :)
I had an outstanding weekend!!!
I met my parents at the hotel on Thursday at around 8:00AM. It was fantastic to see them:) We had some breakfast and then went to a shopping market called Namdaemun Market. I bought a few items for the winter months. They also brought me my uggs and winter coats as well.
We went to eat at a traditional restaurant in the market. We had some good items that I have not had before and some other ones I knew they would like. Honestly we did so much I can't remember all we did. I bought a coat, a couple of dresses, and some brown boots. Abolsutely love them:)
Around 2:30 I had to go to work and get set up for the six hours of teaching. I was a little nervous for my 7PM class because it was the one that caused me the most problems. However, one of the girls that misbehaves was not there!! I'll have to deal with her next week, but at least I could control the class the way I wanted to.
The two classes went by fast and I took a taxi to my parents hotel. I had a late dinner and enjoyed a drink too!
The next day I went back to the hotel around 9AM where we had round two of breakfast. It was nice to have an "American" style breakfast. Usually Koreans just take some coffee and baked goods if in a hurry or have rice and kimchi for breakfast.
We went to one of my favorite places in Seoul called Insadong. A lot of arts and crafty places. I bought a dress and a flag!!!
I have been looking for a Korean flag for a long time. We walked around and took in the gorgeous mountains and perfect weather.
I had to go to class again at about 3PM, but only worked until 7PM.
At 7PM, Racheal, Brandon, and I went to meet my parents at a nice Korean BBQ restaurant. Unfortunately the traffic for my parents was awful. It took them almost an hour and a half to get to the restaurant. It is supposed to take twenty-minutes.
The BBQ was fantastic. The meat was nice and tender and I was super full.
Over the weekend we went to all of the sites. We went to a palace, Seoul tower, an electronic market, an old house, another big market, and more. Seoul tower was great because you could see how sprawling Seoul really is. I can picture myself going up to the tower and just relaxing and prepping for classes.
I felt bad because I don't know a lot of Korean and it was a little hard for us to communicate to the natives. My parents thought a lot more people spoke English, but in reality people only know a small amount. It has just recently (last ten years) become a big push to learn English.
We had a fun time laughing and telling stories about what has gone on at home and what my experience has been like so far.
Today they have left for Japan until Friday.
I am incredible jealous!!! Japan is gorgeous and they will love every second.
I will see them again on Friday and we will make our way to Busan for the weekend.
More to come!!!!
Love,
Kristen
I met my parents at the hotel on Thursday at around 8:00AM. It was fantastic to see them:) We had some breakfast and then went to a shopping market called Namdaemun Market. I bought a few items for the winter months. They also brought me my uggs and winter coats as well.
We went to eat at a traditional restaurant in the market. We had some good items that I have not had before and some other ones I knew they would like. Honestly we did so much I can't remember all we did. I bought a coat, a couple of dresses, and some brown boots. Abolsutely love them:)
Around 2:30 I had to go to work and get set up for the six hours of teaching. I was a little nervous for my 7PM class because it was the one that caused me the most problems. However, one of the girls that misbehaves was not there!! I'll have to deal with her next week, but at least I could control the class the way I wanted to.
The two classes went by fast and I took a taxi to my parents hotel. I had a late dinner and enjoyed a drink too!
The next day I went back to the hotel around 9AM where we had round two of breakfast. It was nice to have an "American" style breakfast. Usually Koreans just take some coffee and baked goods if in a hurry or have rice and kimchi for breakfast.
We went to one of my favorite places in Seoul called Insadong. A lot of arts and crafty places. I bought a dress and a flag!!!
I have been looking for a Korean flag for a long time. We walked around and took in the gorgeous mountains and perfect weather.
I had to go to class again at about 3PM, but only worked until 7PM.
At 7PM, Racheal, Brandon, and I went to meet my parents at a nice Korean BBQ restaurant. Unfortunately the traffic for my parents was awful. It took them almost an hour and a half to get to the restaurant. It is supposed to take twenty-minutes.
The BBQ was fantastic. The meat was nice and tender and I was super full.
Over the weekend we went to all of the sites. We went to a palace, Seoul tower, an electronic market, an old house, another big market, and more. Seoul tower was great because you could see how sprawling Seoul really is. I can picture myself going up to the tower and just relaxing and prepping for classes.
I felt bad because I don't know a lot of Korean and it was a little hard for us to communicate to the natives. My parents thought a lot more people spoke English, but in reality people only know a small amount. It has just recently (last ten years) become a big push to learn English.
We had a fun time laughing and telling stories about what has gone on at home and what my experience has been like so far.
Today they have left for Japan until Friday.
I am incredible jealous!!! Japan is gorgeous and they will love every second.
I will see them again on Friday and we will make our way to Busan for the weekend.
More to come!!!!
Love,
Kristen
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
TOMORROW!
My parent's flight arrives in Seoul at 4:00 AM tomorrow!!!
I talked to them a couple of hours ago and they were hanging in the Korean Air Business Class Lounge.
They flew from Rochester to JFK and had a layover from like 6:00PM to 1:00AM.
At least they had stuff to do in that cool Business Class lounge.
I figured why not give them a call and tell them to have a great safe flight:)
I can't begin to even write how excited I am for them to come. I know I have already told you about my excitement, but I can't contain it.
It is like the time they came to visit me in Vietnam! We had such a blast exploring and experiencing the culture together.
This time, I get to show them where I have created my "home" for the next year.
I probably won't get the chance to write very much in the next week or so.
I believe they are staying in Seoul until Monday and then make their way to Japan. They are staying where I think is the most beautiful place In Japan, Kyoto. Then on Friday they are flying back to South Korea and we will go to Busan. Busan is on the south-eastern coast of South Korea. We will take the KTX bullet-train there. Busan has the largest department store in the world and has beautiful beaches.
I unfortunately won't be able to experience the beaches, but definitely the stores:)
Okay, time to go prep for the next couple of lessons for the next two weeks. I don't want to be bogged down with lesson plans when my parents are here.
Tomorrow I will head over to their hotel at around 7:30AM and hang around until I have to go to work at 4. I hope they can stay up!!! I didn't tell them it took me ten-days to get used to the time difference. I figured I would not tell them until they read this in my blog.
However, I did have training at 9AM one day after I arrived in South Korea and that made me even more tired. I had a weird sleeping habit because I was studying at the same time.
I have some places I really want to take them. I also have to show them where I work:)
I will just have to inject some caffeine into their system to stay up I suppose! hehehe.
Hope you are enjoying the fall weather!
Kristen
I talked to them a couple of hours ago and they were hanging in the Korean Air Business Class Lounge.
They flew from Rochester to JFK and had a layover from like 6:00PM to 1:00AM.
At least they had stuff to do in that cool Business Class lounge.
I figured why not give them a call and tell them to have a great safe flight:)
I can't begin to even write how excited I am for them to come. I know I have already told you about my excitement, but I can't contain it.
It is like the time they came to visit me in Vietnam! We had such a blast exploring and experiencing the culture together.
This time, I get to show them where I have created my "home" for the next year.
I probably won't get the chance to write very much in the next week or so.
I believe they are staying in Seoul until Monday and then make their way to Japan. They are staying where I think is the most beautiful place In Japan, Kyoto. Then on Friday they are flying back to South Korea and we will go to Busan. Busan is on the south-eastern coast of South Korea. We will take the KTX bullet-train there. Busan has the largest department store in the world and has beautiful beaches.
I unfortunately won't be able to experience the beaches, but definitely the stores:)
Okay, time to go prep for the next couple of lessons for the next two weeks. I don't want to be bogged down with lesson plans when my parents are here.
Tomorrow I will head over to their hotel at around 7:30AM and hang around until I have to go to work at 4. I hope they can stay up!!! I didn't tell them it took me ten-days to get used to the time difference. I figured I would not tell them until they read this in my blog.
However, I did have training at 9AM one day after I arrived in South Korea and that made me even more tired. I had a weird sleeping habit because I was studying at the same time.
I have some places I really want to take them. I also have to show them where I work:)
I will just have to inject some caffeine into their system to stay up I suppose! hehehe.
Hope you are enjoying the fall weather!
Kristen
Sunday, October 3, 2010
October? Wow!
It's already October!!!
No, but seriously...where has time gone?
Today I am starting my sixth week of teaching!! I also have the joy of getting the middle school back this week. I am actually looking forward to having them back in my class because their lessons are a little more interesting to teach.
This week the lesson is about language diversity. The different dialects of the English language and such. The difference between a person who is from Texas and say New York. I think it will be fun to ask them if they have the same kind of thing in South Korea.
However, I am completely prepared for them to look at me like I should be committed into an insane asylum. I will be sure to let you know how that goes.
I have been trying to think of my favorite part of teaching these kids and I would say it has to just be their smile.
When they finally understand something or just are happy would be what makes my day. There are a few kids who are constantly smiling and I have found I connect with them much better.
I also tend to make fun of myself a lot in class. It may sound weird, but sometimes it is what makes the kids laugh and loosens up the atmosphere in the class. I want to make sure the kids know I make mistakes too and it is okay if they do as well. No one is perfect.
The weather here is getting cooler. I would say about mid 60's and lower 70's. Sometimes it gets pretty windy, especially at night.
However, there is still no sign of the party ending for the college students! It should be interesting to see what the scene looks like in the dead of winter. I hear the girls still wear short skirts but just with leggings and high heels. I am thinking they have to be absolutely crazy. That will not be me. It will be pants, boots, jacket, and scarf. I will bring a little of America to them.
The weekend was a bit of R&R. Friday night we walked around a part of Seoul I have not been to. It is a couple of stops away from where I live. Ewha Women's University is what the subway stop is called. The school looked gorgeous, but I did only see it at night. I will have to go back in the daytime.
Saturday I walked around for like five-hours. I was getting a little sick and didn't want to do any kind of strenuous work. Not that I have been doing anything strenuous....haha
Night time I went out with Racheal, Brandon, and a Co-Worker's boyfriend. He is actually my group leader's (Sasha) boyfriend.
We just had some drinks and called it an early night. Like I said I was feeling a little sick this weekend.
Sunday I went out to get some fresh air and ran into my friends from training!
I didn't hang out with them on Saturday, but randomly ran into them Sunday morning.
We went to Starbucks for some coffee and then caught a movie. I FINALLY got to see the movie I have been wanting to see for almost two months, Eat, Pray, Love.
The movie was really good, although I here the book was better. I should now read the book.
I wanted to see it because it is about a women who leaves her life to travel for one year in Italy, India, and Bali.
I wouldn't say it is exactly what I did, but some of the concepts are the same.
I left to find something new and exciting. I left for adventure and an experience that will be life changing. I did leave the movie wanting to go back to Italy, India, and even venture to Indonesia.
Now I am waiting in a coffee shop for my parents to get on skype. They will be here Thursday!!!!
I better quick learn some Korean before they get here....
Actually we will be just fine:)
Yeah!!
Love,
Kristen
No, but seriously...where has time gone?
Today I am starting my sixth week of teaching!! I also have the joy of getting the middle school back this week. I am actually looking forward to having them back in my class because their lessons are a little more interesting to teach.
This week the lesson is about language diversity. The different dialects of the English language and such. The difference between a person who is from Texas and say New York. I think it will be fun to ask them if they have the same kind of thing in South Korea.
However, I am completely prepared for them to look at me like I should be committed into an insane asylum. I will be sure to let you know how that goes.
I have been trying to think of my favorite part of teaching these kids and I would say it has to just be their smile.
When they finally understand something or just are happy would be what makes my day. There are a few kids who are constantly smiling and I have found I connect with them much better.
I also tend to make fun of myself a lot in class. It may sound weird, but sometimes it is what makes the kids laugh and loosens up the atmosphere in the class. I want to make sure the kids know I make mistakes too and it is okay if they do as well. No one is perfect.
The weather here is getting cooler. I would say about mid 60's and lower 70's. Sometimes it gets pretty windy, especially at night.
However, there is still no sign of the party ending for the college students! It should be interesting to see what the scene looks like in the dead of winter. I hear the girls still wear short skirts but just with leggings and high heels. I am thinking they have to be absolutely crazy. That will not be me. It will be pants, boots, jacket, and scarf. I will bring a little of America to them.
The weekend was a bit of R&R. Friday night we walked around a part of Seoul I have not been to. It is a couple of stops away from where I live. Ewha Women's University is what the subway stop is called. The school looked gorgeous, but I did only see it at night. I will have to go back in the daytime.
Saturday I walked around for like five-hours. I was getting a little sick and didn't want to do any kind of strenuous work. Not that I have been doing anything strenuous....haha
Night time I went out with Racheal, Brandon, and a Co-Worker's boyfriend. He is actually my group leader's (Sasha) boyfriend.
We just had some drinks and called it an early night. Like I said I was feeling a little sick this weekend.
Sunday I went out to get some fresh air and ran into my friends from training!
I didn't hang out with them on Saturday, but randomly ran into them Sunday morning.
We went to Starbucks for some coffee and then caught a movie. I FINALLY got to see the movie I have been wanting to see for almost two months, Eat, Pray, Love.
The movie was really good, although I here the book was better. I should now read the book.
I wanted to see it because it is about a women who leaves her life to travel for one year in Italy, India, and Bali.
I wouldn't say it is exactly what I did, but some of the concepts are the same.
I left to find something new and exciting. I left for adventure and an experience that will be life changing. I did leave the movie wanting to go back to Italy, India, and even venture to Indonesia.
Now I am waiting in a coffee shop for my parents to get on skype. They will be here Thursday!!!!
I better quick learn some Korean before they get here....
Actually we will be just fine:)
Yeah!!
Love,
Kristen
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