I've been in Korea for 3 months already. 3 months! Danielle and Josh have returned to Korea this past week and I'm really excited for them to be back and for us to be (semi)close to each other again. It feels like they never left. It's already December and Christmas is quickly approaching, although it doesn't look or feel like it. Last Monday I went for a walk with my co-teacher at Bannam. I had a long sleeve shirt on, a sweater and my jacket for the walk. I got so hot I was taking my sweater and jacket off! It was around 70 degrees at the end of November! Although, I'm not complaining. I do enjoy the warm weather and rather hat the cold. By the end of the week the temperatures were back at a normal level for the beginning of December.
With December comes the start (well for me at least) of planning Winter Vacation. Last year I really didn't get a winter vacation, so this year I'm overwhelmed with a month long vacation! Yes, a month. I am so excited. I wish I had some friends to join on my excursion, but most of the other public school teachers have vacation 2 weeks later than me (due to winter camps). I've decided on going to Singapore and Malaysia. I really did want to visit Thailand, but I feel like that is a place to visit with friends. I'm going to fly into Singapore, bus to Malaysia and perhaps hit up the Southern most part of Thailand (I'm so looking forward to sun and beaches and FOOD! ahh the food options are endless...)
Last week was a normal week at school. I usually have to sit in on my co-teacher's classes. It's painful to watch and experience. He is a TERRIBLE teacher. Class usually starts 20 minutes late, it takes him forever to turn on the computer and then he stares at it for awhile. Then he puts some things on the board and has the students write the translation or repeat things. He always speaks in Korean and the students really don't pay attention. Sometimes they turn around and watch me and talk to me. I tell them to pay attention, but really, they learn more talking to me then listening to that man. So, on Wednesday I decided to learn the student's names in my 9th grade class (class 1). Thursday while the students did NOTHING again, I spent more time learning their names. On Friday I arrived to class. The students got quiet (this is my day to teach) and said, teacher test! I went through and said all of their names. They were very impressed and excited that I got them all right. After that they were all ears and excited to talk to me and listen to me! They decided they didn't want to learn and we should have English conversations all class. I was not going to turn that down for a lesson they will get bored with... it was a great class!
Then 9th grade class (class 2). These kids are not so good, they always ignore me, talk amongst themselves or sleep. My co-teacher sits in the back and sleeps with some of the students. It's ridiculous. So, Friday my students come into class and sit down. Won Min, one of my favorite students starts talking to me. He usually walks into class and says "hi Megan... Fox. I love you!" Today he was feeling very talkative. For about 5 minutes he told me why I should marry him (he already tells the student's I'm his girlfriend.) He had valid reasons and I was impressed with the way he expressed these points. "Megan, I'm very rich we should marry! I'm very smart and in the future I will work for the U.N. then I'll be richer and important! I play soccer and I'm very good, so I'm healthy too!!" Later in the day I was teaching about manners and customs in America. Korean's love to ask your age when they first meet you. I told them that in America age isn't important. Won Min raises his hand and says "oh! Megan, age isn't important in America... so, we can marry!" I'll hand it to him, he is a bright boy.
My favorite 9th grade class (class 1) will tell me how they "expect" me to do things. Like the "expected" me to have a nice manicure on Friday (which I did just for them). Then they told me that the next week they will have hamburgers. They said "teacher expect hamburgers!" I wasn't sure if they wanted me to give them a hamburger or they were going to give me a hamburger. Those students just walked into the office with hamburgers for all the teachers! Yay for cooking class!
Until next time...
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