Hello all! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! My weekend turned out much differently than expected, but in a good way.
First of all, I ended up not going to 'history town,' because when I went up to the counter to buy my ticket, I was informed that the morning bus tickets were all sold out. Considering it is a 3 hour bus ride, I decided not to take the afternoon bus, as that would give me less than 24 hours to sightsee. I was disappointed, but as my mother said, the city has been there for over 1000 years; it'll probably still hang on for a few more months or so until I get to visit. How is it that moms always know everything?
With that, I am back at my desk now, bright and early on Monday morning, ready to begin my last week of teaching in October. I can hardly believe it's Halloween this weekend - I am well armed with candy, a pumpkin trick or treat bowl, and my witch's hat, which I will unveil on Friday. I'm looking forward to a good week - I hope you all are as well.
First of all, I ended up not going to 'history town,' because when I went up to the counter to buy my ticket, I was informed that the morning bus tickets were all sold out. Considering it is a 3 hour bus ride, I decided not to take the afternoon bus, as that would give me less than 24 hours to sightsee. I was disappointed, but as my mother said, the city has been there for over 1000 years; it'll probably still hang on for a few more months or so until I get to visit. How is it that moms always know everything?
So, I decided to view my new homebound weekend as a blessing in disguise, as I had plenty of things I wanted to get done around my apartment. I also figured that now I would have more time to read up on the history and learn more about the place before I visit. So, undeterred by my sudden change of plans, I began enjoying my weekend at home right there in the bus terminal before heading back to my apartment to do some cleaning and some errands. I ended up getting quite a bit of cleaning, organizing, and reading done, and then I met some friends downtown for dinner, viewing a photography exhibition by one of the area teachers, followed by some drinks (yes Will, you and your group get an honorable mention as a nice unexpected surprise for being in town) My Sunday was spent sleeping in, baking cookies for my teachers and book club ladies, (I am the proud new owner of an oven in my apartment as of last Wednesday) getting together with one of my friends, stocking up on Halloween candy for the kids this week, and then doing some more organizing around here. It ended up to be an enjoyable and productive weekend. However, you probably don't want to read about how I spent my weekend at home. Lucky for you, I have tons to tell you about how I spent my past Friday at school during our school festival instead. Here we go:
The school festival celebrates the end of the school year, as Korea's school year actually begins in March. The festival comprised of 'sports day' in the morning (comparable to our track and field days) and performances in the afternoon (very similar to our school talent shows.) Of course, this meant no teaching for me, so I showed up on Friday in jeans and my tennies, ready to enjoy a day of fun.
At 9:00 AM the opening ceremony began, with a speech from the principal (sorry, I have n
o idea what she said,) the student captain address to the principal and to the students, the singing of the Korean national anthem, and finally ended with a student wide stretching session. Each grade was divided in half to collectively form the schoolwide blue and the white teams, and each event contributed to the team scores. The events included: 100m dash, 4 x 100m relay, the 3 legged race, (teachers participated in this one - my third grader and I were sadly beaten by the science teacher and one of her st
udents, but we were good sports about it ) soccer, kickball, baseball, ssireum, (a traditional Korean wrestling sport) badminton, a sport similar to hackeysack, a sport similar to dodgeball, team jump rope, and tug of war. After everybody watched the track races, each grade and gender split off into their respective sports, so many of them were going on simultaneously. When one group was finished, they would swap events.
The school festival celebrates the end of the school year, as Korea's school year actually begins in March. The festival comprised of 'sports day' in the morning (comparable to our track and field days) and performances in the afternoon (very similar to our school talent shows.) Of course, this meant no teaching for me, so I showed up on Friday in jeans and my tennies, ready to enjoy a day of fun.
At 9:00 AM the opening ceremony began, with a speech from the principal (sorry, I have n
o idea what she said,) the student captain address to the principal and to the students, the singing of the Korean national anthem, and finally ended with a student wide stretching session. Each grade was divided in half to collectively form the schoolwide blue and the white teams, and each event contributed to the team scores. The events included: 100m dash, 4 x 100m relay, the 3 legged race, (teachers participated in this one - my third grader and I were sadly beaten by the science teacher and one of her st
udents, but we were good sports about it ) soccer, kickball, baseball, ssireum, (a traditional Korean wrestling sport) badminton, a sport similar to hackeysack, a sport similar to dodgeball, team jump rope, and tug of war. After everybody watched the track races, each grade and gender split off into their respective sports, so many of them were going on simultaneously. When one group was finished, they would swap events.
It was a beautiful sunny day out, the mountains provided a gorgeous backdrop, and I can't tell you how much fun I had wandering arou
nd the school grounds, watching the kids I have gotten to know over the past two months enjoying themselves. I was amazed at some of their athletic talents, and it was so neat to see them outside of the English classroom. In between events I would sit under 
the shaded benches and chat with the teachers (well, the English speaking ones) or students who were waiting for the next event. My favorite ev
ent to watch was soccer (mostly because I understood the rules) but they were all fun. When the kids weren't participating in an event, they became devoted team cheerers, usually by yelling and banging on drums and cowbells with sticks (you can imagine how much they enjoyed that.)
nd the school grounds, watching the kids I have gotten to know over the past two months enjoying themselves. I was amazed at some of their athletic talents, and it was so neat to see them outside of the English classroom. In between events I would sit under 
the shaded benches and chat with the teachers (well, the English speaking ones) or students who were waiting for the next event. My favorite ev
ent to watch was soccer (mostly because I understood the rules) but they were all fun. When the kids weren't participating in an event, they became devoted team cheerers, usually by yelling and banging on drums and cowbells with sticks (you can imagine how much they enjoyed that.)
After a delicious lunch of bibimbap (a spicy rice/veggie dish - one of my favorite Korean foods) it was time for the afternoon session to begin. Prior to the performances, I walked through the school hallway and enjoyed looking at all of the student artwork and finished projects on display - I was amazed at their talent.
The performances took place in the school gym, where there were chairs set up for parents, refreshments, and a decorated stage. Each homeroom class was responsible for a number, and then I believe it was open to any other students who wished to participate. There were about twenty acts in all, with a variety of songs, dances, skits, and ensembles. Most of the students went all out for
their costumes on some of the pieces, ranging from traditional Korean dress to James Bond attire (complete with toy guns.) I don't think I stopped smiling the whole afternoon - it was so much fun to watch them perform. The best part was seeing some of the shy kids or lower level English kids perform, as I got a chance to see them in a different light. When one of the quiet kids busted out 
a breakdance in the middle of his class performance I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped open at that. They were incredibly entertaining, and I think the best part was just to see how much fun they were having. I wish I could show you all of the pictures, but here are some of my favorites: (the video is of one of the first grade (again, equivalent to seventh grade) class performance - how cute is that?)
The performances took place in the school gym, where there were chairs set up for parents, refreshments, and a decorated stage. Each homeroom class was responsible for a number, and then I believe it was open to any other students who wished to participate. There were about twenty acts in all, with a variety of songs, dances, skits, and ensembles. Most of the students went all out for
their costumes on some of the pieces, ranging from traditional Korean dress to James Bond attire (complete with toy guns.) I don't think I stopped smiling the whole afternoon - it was so much fun to watch them perform. The best part was seeing some of the shy kids or lower level English kids perform, as I got a chance to see them in a different light. When one of the quiet kids busted out 
a breakdance in the middle of his class performance I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped open at that. They were incredibly entertaining, and I think the best part was just to see how much fun they were having. I wish I could show you all of the pictures, but here are some of my favorites: (the video is of one of the first grade (again, equivalent to seventh grade) class performance - how cute is that?)
The day ended with a last minute (at least, they told me about it at the last minute) teacher dinner at a raw seafood restaurant. Yes, I said raw seafood. Some of it was cooked, but most of it was au natural - we started off the night with a plate of snails, (those were boiled, don't worry) mussel soup, and raw eel as an appetizer, followed by raw fish slices (like sashimi), some other fish dishes, seasoned jellyfish, and some vegetable dishes.
Are you ready for the highlight of the meal? Nothing prepared me for what came next: a plate of fresh, raw octopus tentacles - still wiggling. It's considered a delicacy over here to have them that fresh and, well, alive. Again, I am usually pretty adventurous when it comes to food, but even I had to take about five minutes to muster up the courage to take a bite - I let them settle down a bit on the plate first. I picked the smallest one, dipped it in some sort of soy sauce, and took the plunge. Honestly, it really wasn't that bad - I've definitely had worse. I didn't try it again though, once was enough. I ended up eating about an aquarium's worth of seafood that night, for after the octopus there were still more dishes to come, including more fish, shrimp, crab, and finally, fish soup. Good thing I really like seafood.
Despite some of the culinary challenges at dinner, as I reflected upon the day later that evening, I realized how much I enjoyed spending the day with the kids. I now understand why some people say teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs one can ever have - I feel so lucky just being able to play a small role in these kids' lives. In just two short months I feel incredibly attached to the kids, and I look forward to every class to see what they are going to surprise me with next. I've learned that teaching is about so much more than lesson plans and lectures and worksheets - it is about being a role model and setting a good example, shining some light into their day that they otherwise may not have, and most importantly, providing them with support and encouragement. I realized that my time spent with the kids has been the best part of my experience here in Korea, and I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of their lives.
Are you ready for the highlight of the meal? Nothing prepared me for what came next: a plate of fresh, raw octopus tentacles - still wiggling. It's considered a delicacy over here to have them that fresh and, well, alive. Again, I am usually pretty adventurous when it comes to food, but even I had to take about five minutes to muster up the courage to take a bite - I let them settle down a bit on the plate first. I picked the smallest one, dipped it in some sort of soy sauce, and took the plunge. Honestly, it really wasn't that bad - I've definitely had worse. I didn't try it again though, once was enough. I ended up eating about an aquarium's worth of seafood that night, for after the octopus there were still more dishes to come, including more fish, shrimp, crab, and finally, fish soup. Good thing I really like seafood.
Despite some of the culinary challenges at dinner, as I reflected upon the day later that evening, I realized how much I enjoyed spending the day with the kids. I now understand why some people say teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs one can ever have - I feel so lucky just being able to play a small role in these kids' lives. In just two short months I feel incredibly attached to the kids, and I look forward to every class to see what they are going to surprise me with next. I've learned that teaching is about so much more than lesson plans and lectures and worksheets - it is about being a role model and setting a good example, shining some light into their day that they otherwise may not have, and most importantly, providing them with support and encouragement. I realized that my time spent with the kids has been the best part of my experience here in Korea, and I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of their lives.
With that, I am back at my desk now, bright and early on Monday morning, ready to begin my last week of teaching in October. I can hardly believe it's Halloween this weekend - I am well armed with candy, a pumpkin trick or treat bowl, and my witch's hat, which I will unveil on Friday. I'm looking forward to a good week - I hope you all are as well.
Will and his honourable group get a mention - that is because we are awesome!
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