Seoul Light Festival

Wahoops! I have kind of neglected my blog for about a week. Sorry about that:(

Last week was good at school. The kids are doing alright and they are finished with their test. Now that they are finished with the test, I have to make sure they still work just as hard as before the test. Even though the test counts for a majority of whether or not they level up, their progress throughout the term and my comments are important as well.

This week I have to do report cards for each kid. It really does not take that long for most of the kids.
Some I have put various extra comments because they need a lot of improvement or comments saying they are the best in the class.
Yesterday I had quite the class. The middle school kids kept texting on their phones and one kid was reading a comic book. I finally took the book out of his hand and put the book on my desk. Sometimes I really wonder what they are thinking.
I mean I understand they already have a lot on their plate at their regular school, but seriously lets try a little bit to pay attention and maybe learn something.

My elementary kids are doing well though. If they get into trouble they don't continue to do what they were doing, which is refreshing!
I like the kids for the most part, however it will be nice to get new kids and to have a fresh start. Now I know what to really implement in the first three weeks. I will have to be strict for the first couple of weeks and then ease up. They need to know what they can and cannot do right away.
After being here for almost three months, I know now what my expectations are for the kids and how I want to approach them.

My weekend was a super R&R weekend. Friday night Racheal and I went on a major face-mask binge.
We went to this one popular drug store called "Watsons" and bought a bunch of face masks. I bought a few to help with my skin and other cleansing ones. They are good to have after a stressful day and a way to wind down.

Saturday I went to Myeong-Dong. I know you are probably thinking I go there all the time, but I really like it there.
It can be overwhelming though. I tend to make small trips instead of dealing with the crowds for six or seven hours.
I bought a warm coat, skirt, and a couple of sweaters. I was going to buy some warm fleece leggings, but I can buy them anywhere. They have snowflakes, reindeer, or different winter patterns on them. They will be super warm in the winter with boots.

Sunday night I went to City Hall which is about a ten minute subway ride from Hongdae. They were having the Seoul Light Festival. It is a huge light festival of around two-hundred separate lanterns all set up on the river. It is a ten day display marking the beginning of the G20. The G20 takes place this weekend in Gangnam, the financial district of Seoul.
Gangnam is where I trained for the first week and I have not been back. I am considering going there to check it out.

The light fest was spectacular and I will have to upload pictures. They had flags from all the countries and different blow up lanterns of the Christ the Redeemer Statue, Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, and the Leaning Tower of Piza all to represent the countries that are coming. I went with my roommate from training, Holly. We met up and strolled around the light fest and went to have dinner after. It was nice to hear her stories about the kids and the branch she works at.

I promise I will write more this week! Happy Daylight savings time:) Hope you enjoyed that extra hour!!!

Always,

Kristen