Fieldtrip and Soccer

Monday June 10th
We had a fieldtrip today. It was not a great fieldtrip for Kindergartners. We went to the Korea Folk History Museum. It seems like a museum I would enjoy, but a 7 year old not so much. I was in charge of Denmark class. After we got back to ECC I asked the students what their favorite part was. 2 boys said banging on the drums (there were drums kids could bang- the museum was talking about early communication) and the rest of the students said playing outside with their friends during lunch. It really is fun watching the kids run around and have fun during lunch... it is something that it seems like most of the kids never really have a chance to do, not will they. As they get older, the time that a Korean child has to play gets exponentially smaller.
The rest of the day went really well. My Canada class behaved pretty well. Same with my Greece class.
After work I went to emart to look at foldable camp tables. We are thinking of getting one to take to the beach with us. We have not made a decisions. Some are for it, some are against it. I like it... because food on a table is easier than food on the sand. But if we did get one, the transportation would be a bit more difficult. We would need a grill person, a cooler person, and now a table person. Not sure how that would work out. When at emart, I ran into Ronnie and Stephen. Awkward but neat.
When I got home, my apartment was 29 degrees. I turned on my air conditioner It felt great. I went down stairs to have a drink with Hudson, Taylor and Sarah. We talked about the field trip, the table, and life. we finished our drink (singular) and went upstairs. After being upstairs for a few minutes, I decided I was hungry. I went back to the GS to get a microwavable burger. I came back upstairs, and could not remember the pass-code to open my door. I was drawing an absolute blank. I have come home intoxicated before and had not trouble. This time... I just could not remember. I have always been afraid of this. I have no idea why I could not remember. Even worse was I left my cell phone in my room. So I left, walked around, came back, tried again. No use. I went around the neighborhood. No use. I ate. No use... Now I am starting to freak a little.  I go, sit outside. relax. Come back, and enter the code and get in. I was reversing the numbers.  No rhyme or reason why... but wow... No excuse. I was not intoxicated, I was not super tired... I was not anything special. I just came upstairs and had a complete dyslexia moment.
When I got in, it still was not very late... So I watched the movie UP. Just made me feel happy.

Tuesday June 12.
The day started off with Sharon crying on my leg as soon as I walk into class. Why? I have no idea. She cried for a few minutes wrapped around my left leg. She finished and was done. I am guessing the students had some argument or disagreement before I came in. She almost cried again later in class for some reason or another, but I avoided it. Juliet also cried. 2 people yelled done before she was... So she had to cry, so I would come over, and I would stand by her as she finished.
I also got in trouble today. Sort of in trouble. But passively. When we are done with a book we send the book home. Well, I sent a book home, with a note, to one of my students. I think I spoke about this situation in a previous post. Anyway, the last 6 pages of the book, this student refused to do. She would not keep on writing. So I send it home, with a note saying that she did not finish the book because she did not want to work. I explained it. Well... Now I am told that I should not sent the book home if the student is not finished it. But they also told me that I had to send the book home immediately. The schedule is so rigid. If I had her keep working in the book, she would fall behind in the new book. So this is a no win situation, and I lost. Now if a student is being stubborn, I am supposed to send them to Louise teacher. Which, if I send them to Lousie teacher, they will get candy and may or may not work. I would much rather a parent tell the kid that they better do their work. I guess thats just not the way the world works.
Tuesdays and Thursdays will suck. I have kindy, kindy, kindy, kindy, lunch (with my class), kindy, kindy, First grade. 1 period break, Korea class, and now with Rob gone Australia class.
Korea class has a new student, and it may be good. It is a girl, and hopefully that will help Erica. She is also really smart. We are talking about plastic surgery in my read and debate class with them. One of the questions was if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be. Erica put personality. She changed it to something more superficial by the end of class. I really want to help her. As I have talked about with her, it seems she is calling out... I just do not know how to answer that call. I know she is not comfortable in English, but it seems like that Korean teachers just sort of ignore it... thats a phase, etc. Well my other girls that are that age are not in that phase. Koreans notoriously like to ignore certain problems.
I then went to my new Australia class. I only have them when Rob is gone... but I will have a tough time giving them up. They are awesome. they have such a passion. There are 3 girls from my old Spain class in there (the Australia class is now the advanced, the Spain is the slow class... the just split them up in the last 2 weeks). The class is CNN (where students watch CNN new stories as the topic of the class). This one was about a teenager changing her neighborhood. I was on the 3rd step (each topic has 3 steps, watch, vocab, write) and I had these kids writing slightly different. The kids had to think of one thing they could change in their neighborhood. So instead of them just doing the formulaic writing I had them write about what they want to change and how they can do it. I told them they could change the world with what they are writing. They could change where they live, change their neighborhood, change Korea.... I have not read their responses yet, but I think I will get some good ones. I will copy all of them, and will try to implement one. One of the kids, as they were writing, asked me "I can change the world?" in the most innocent and longing voice. It is like she had never been told nor had thought that she has a voice that could impact the world. I know that is not the status quo in Korea... but damn, it makes me smiling just thinking that her life might have just been touched and inspired.
After work I went to World Cup Stadium with Callum, Karen, Mike and several of their friends to watch the Qualifier for the World Cup between Korea and Uzbekistan. Amazing experience. We were on the first row. A lot of prett took pictures of me. It was raining outside. I was wearing a poncho and had my tie wrapped around my head. Our group also got the wave going in the stadium... not as good as I have gotten before, but it was pretty awesome. Our group had several video cameras pointed at us throughout the match. A mixture of whites and Koreans in the first 2 rows was a site to be seen. It was fantastic. I tried taking several pictures, but none really came out too well because it was raining. I will post them soon.
Great night! The Soccer game was much more fun than any other games I have been to in the recent past. It is also really interesting listening and trying to cheer in a different language. Callum is going to let me know the next time they go to a game. It probably wont be a qualifier (as the qualifying is almost over), but just a regular game is great for me. I love watching sports live.
I am hungry (I did not get food before or after the game). I know if I eat now, I wont be able to sleep, and I know I need sleep. I need every bit of energy I can get go push through the 8 classes without a break. Now I am off to bed...