I'm a wordy cuss...

After almost four whole days in Korea, I think I can safely say that I am going to enjoy my time here!  After sleeping most of the day Saturday, I was WIDE awake yesterday morning at 1:30.  I watched Sex and the City and drifted in and out of sleep for several more hours, managing to squeeze in a meal and shower.  After being a total bum for two days, I talked myself into a solo trip to E-Mart, despite the torrential downpour that had been occurring all morning.  I had to buy an alarm clock to ensure that I would be on time for my first full day at school!  That place was C-R-A-Z-Y!  First, because I had entered from the parking ramp below the store the previous time I had been to the store, the street entrance was a new adventure.  To make a long story short, I rode all the way up to the fourth floor of this building, through a food court, department store and finally a top floor parking garage before realizing that E-Mart was in the basement of the building.  Good exercise, right Mom?... except that all of this needless travel was via escalators...  When I finally made it to E-Mart, it seemed that it was the place to be on that rainy Sunday afternoon.  Almost every aisle was crowded with families gathering their loot.  I bought all of the items on my list and treated myself to some $3 sushi for dinner.  It was quite good.  The rolls were much thinner than most sushi I've had, and instead of eight or 12 pieces, there were 24!  Quite delightful!  Because I had been up since 1:30, I quickly fell asleep around 5:00 pm.  Bad choice.  This morning, I woke up at about 2:30 and tossed and turned until I gave in, waking up for good at 4:30.  Apparently i don't know how to adapt to a 14 hour time difference...  I'm am forcing myself to stay awake until at least 8:00 tonight!

Today I walked to school in the rain.  When I arrived at the school, I was greeted by about twenty students lining the entrance handing out some sort of pamphlet.  In unison, they bid me good morning as I walked to my office.  Upon arrival at my desk, several teachers stopped to say hello or introduce themselves.  at 8:00, there was a 10 minute meditation conducted over a television screen.  They sang a hymn (in Korean, so I have no idea which one...) and then there was a long prayer.  After the meditation, they began their morning English lesson.  Each morning, the students and teachers take part in a 30 minute morning English lesson, led by a Korean English teacher, assisted by a native English teacher.  Soon, this will be me.  It is much like an American high school television station broadcasting the week's sports results or the lunch menu.  It was interesting to watch the lesson and hear the teachers diligently repeating back the new phrases they were learning.  Also, I was introduced to the whole school over this t.v. system.  I'm sure I sounded like a total dork, but that's fine.  After each t.v. segment (the meditation, my introduction and the English lesson) a picture of little Maggie Simpson (from the cartoon The Simpson's) holding a cat was  shown on the screen.  I laughed to myself that this school was showing a picture from a show that many of my friends were not allowed to watch growing up because of its content.  All morning, people kept offering me fruit and coffee and one teacher asked me to teach her English.  I don't know how well that will go, but I would be willing to give it a try!

Today I also observed three classes.  The more I observe, the more I start to get the hang of how to go about teaching, though I am still nervous about coming up with what I will teach.  It will come with time, I know, but with a blank slate, it is a little nerve wracking!  This job will involve lots of pantomiming and picture drawing (For anyone who took the same Spanish classes as me in high school, I found myself employing "Sra." stick figure drawing techniques!).  Emily, the Native English teacher whose classes I have been observing, offered to let me help her teach the last class I observed today.  I was a little shaky and definitely talked too fast, but the girls were fun!  One girl shouted out that I had a cool voice.  Delightful!  Several girls told me they'd see me tomorrow as I was leaving school.  Everyone is so sweet!  I'm going to like this job for sure!  Also, after I returned to my desk, there was a handful of tea bags and a sucker sitting by my computer.  (It is common in Korean culture to give little gifts to people.)  I wish I knew who it was so I could thank them, but I am also a fan of anonymously giving gifts, so I can appreciate the gesture in two ways.  

I was informed that I should instruct anyone sending mail to me to include the postal code in the address as many mail delivery people cannot read Romanized letters.  Below is the real way you should write the address:

Kyung-Hwa English Business High School for Girls

Song-Jung Dong 52-1

Gwang-Ju City, Gyung-ghi Do

Korea  464-901

Thanks for reading!