My stress

 Story book week…. So, the cause of the stress? Number one is definitely the storybook. Storybook. Not just, it is also everything that goes along with it.

So, all of the 7 year old classes are making story books. It is a great idea.  But the time frame the expect us to do it was rather insane.

So, last week we did a lot of writing and editing. This week, every day we had to draw the pictures. Which means for the last 2 weeks, I have did pretty much nothing in any of my classes. So, I am 2 weeks behind in all of the work I need to do.

Meh….

So pictures this week. Why so bad? Well, we worked Friday last week and Monday this week we were working on pictures. We were working on regular A4 paper (like regular 8.5x11 paper). Well, Monday afternoon, after I thought I was halfway done with Australia and had a good lead on Denmark and France, we (the foreign teachers) are told that there is special paper that the students have to draw. So, that was a major blow. Very frustrating. This project is a completely foreign teacher (….more on that later) venture, and yet we are not told the basic details. Several of us got screwed over.

No let me preface, before I go any further…. All of the foreign teachers that were doing a storybook were super stressed. Almost all of them only have 1 class making it. One has 2. I am the only with 3.

Tuesday I spend all classes drawing pictures. Easy, right? No. The paper they have to draw on is big, and the pictures they have to draw need to be big. This is outside of what most of the kids can do. Imagine normally drawing faces and pictures the size of a penny, and now you are told they have to be the size of a half dollar. If they are two small, they have to draw again. Very hard concept for them to grasp.

On top of that, the kids had to color with crayons and pastels. These kids have never drawn with them before (they always use colored pencils- which in Korea is a mix between a colored pencil and crayon). These kids do not know how to color with them. Unlike what they are used to, these cannot be erased…. As soon as a kid tries… they try more, and in 5 seconds the picture is ruined.

Christine came in France, and told Fred he had to redraw because it was two small… he cried (something that is extremely rare).  Drawing with Australia, Helps a little, she says even if the pictures are small, they company can blow up the pictures to make them bigger….

Tuesday night was actually really fun and not stressful. We had a company Christmas dinner at Ashley’s. The all you can eat American Buffet. Everyone came. It was great. I knew I was going to break my diet that night, and I did, and I was happy. I love food..

On Wednesday… aye aye aye…. So, our different Korean co-teachers, though it is completely the foreign teachers project, have veto powers. Why is this bad… well they all had to be done on Thursday. Today was Wednesday. I have 2 different co-teachers. Christine and Christina. Christine with France and Christina with Denmark and Australia.

They both had different philosophies… Christine was vetoing pictures that did not contain every single thing that the story said. She would either change the story or make the kids redraw the picture. Like, one part of the story, we are talking about a zoo. The story says lions and snakes and crocodiles…. Well originally the kid drew just 3 cages. Christine made him draw more cages… and after he only had one animal in each cage, she changed the story so instead of lions, she made it a lion. One part of the story said multiple things the kids like to do on the moon. Well the picture only had one of them. She changed the story from a paragraph of everything they like to do, to one sentence about the picture.  If a kid could not fit everything into the picture, she had me make them redraw the picture. I have read many books, and never have I seen a book where each picture had to contain every detail of the story. (and with her changing the story… she is the one that adds ‘the’ infront of almost every noun, so I am afraid to see her edits. On the other hand… Christina make me make kids redraw pictures if the kids drew too much of what the story said. One part was the princesses were having a tea party in the floating castle and they called down to the boys that were fighting the monsters below. The girl worked on drawing it all, and Christina said to just draw the tea party. Another girl drew a snowball fight between all of the characters, but Christina said there was too much going on, so just draw a few of them….

Complete different thoughts… Thoughts that I did not know. Was not told of until I thought I was nearly done.

Now, I only had Thursday left. For Denmark and France, it was a gym day on Thursday so I would only have one class with each of them. Luckily Niamh volunteered one of her teaching periods to help me. Christina even used one of hers. Christine used one of hers too!  So, we finished it. Thank God… I know by just typing this, it is hard to really convey the feeling and emotion….

So, on top of this, it was a report card week. Christine gave me the cards on Monday. Christina on Tuesday. So the first night I could work with them was Wednesday night. I had to stay after tonight. Report card week is always stressful. Being homeroom teacher for 3 classes means I have more report cards to do than anyone…

On top of all of that, we got our schedules for  January… on Monday Wednesday and Friday. I have Kindy, Kindy, Kindy, Kindy, Lunch, Kindy, Kindy, 40 minute break, England Class, a brand new class, Greece class. Only one break. During that one break, I have to prepare for 3 classes. It used to be break, class, break, class. So I prepare, class, prepare for the next and class. Now, I have to prepare for 3 in one 40 minute break. This immediately after being on my feet with Kindy for 6 hours straight (I do get to sit down for part of lunch with the kids). So that is going to be incredibly tough. The worst part is my one on one with Chloe… I am losing it. It makes me really sad. I love my one on one with her. Even on tough days, it is refreshing.  But they wanted to give me this brand new class.  Why me? I don’t know. I know Chloe will be disappointed. I know I am.

So, January, I get 3 gym days. I say get… but that is wrong. Gym days are nice because of the break, but I would rather not have them. Why? That is one less teaching period for me. I get 10 a week. With gym I only get nine. I am still responsible for all 10. So I fall further and further behind. Now, can I complain about it? No. Why? If I do not have 3 gym classes, I am over the maximum hours before overtime. So, they would have to give me overtime pay. That is not something they want to do.

Tomorrow is a field trip. Monday is Market Day, and Tuesday is Christmas Party, Wednesday is no school for Christmas, and Thursday is Gym day.  All of that being said, we are still expected to do all of the class work. I will get to none of it. So, out of the 4 week month, I am 3 weeks behind (well, foreshadowing), actually nearly 4. The first week of December I missed a lot of classes due to class pictures during my class time (a lot of graduation pictures). So, come next week Friday, my co teachers will be bugging me about being behind in everything and not having the supplements that we send home finished. I only have 2 classes per day with these classes, and all of them are devoted to something. Each class has 2 classes with me. 3 with a Korean teacher, and 1 with another foreign teacher. But the story and everything falls on my class time. Christine and Christina do not fall be behind. They have more classes then me and did not have these extra ‘projects’ during their class period.  So, January is really going to suck… I envy the 6 year old teachers. A lot of these things they do not do. Being home room teacher for three classes wouldn’t be as bad if at least one was a 6 year old class. At least then I would not be behind in 3 classes.

On top of all of all of this, there is Drama with Regina from Denmark. It’s hard to describe. She is starting to mesh and get along and make friends with the kids.  There are many days when she is late, or does not come. Why? Well, who really knows. But from what I gather she does not like to come early because of the classes (vocab tests) and also because of waking up early. She usually misses the first bus. The first bus picks up in front of her apartment. The second does not. So, for he second, she has to walk to a bus stop. Her mom does not like that. Then, on Wednesday, she took Regina in a cab. She lost her phone in the cab. Ostensibly she blamed ECC. She also blames ECC for Regina for being behind (she misses 1 day a week, sometimes 2, and she normally gets to school late) and ECC for her not getting along with everyone. But missing classes, missing events, missing field trips, it is hard for her to really make bonds. She is making progress. A lot of times, other kids ask where she is, or ask why she is late.

According to ECC’s understanding, her mom blames ECC. There is a fine line… I do as much as I can, I know my co teachers do too. But if she cannot make the bus, or misses a lot of days, it is really hard to really get involved. As of this morning, it was a question if she would come back. In the afternoon, we got word she would come back in January. But, she will be back next week for the Christmas party. So, she is missing Friday (field trip) Monday (market day) she will be here on Tuesday, Wednesday no school. Will be gone Thursday, gone Friday, gone Monday, no School Tuesday or Wednesday (New Years Eve and day), and Next Thursday, she will be back. These days we are getting a lot done, so she is going for fall even further behind. I understand wanting your daughter to be happy… but next year in elementary school, this wont fly…. So ECC is between a rock and a hard place, so us teacher are too.

So…. That is why I am a bit stressed this week….tomorrow is Friday (field trip) then the weekend. I know I laid pretty low last weekend…. This weekend, as boring as it is, I kind of want to do the same.  I am completely mentally drained….

Stressed....

Very stressful  week. Maybe the worst I have experienced. Deadlines. Deadlines. Deadlines.......that plus a bit more....Not even logging each day like I normally do (I do not always post every day, but I usually make notes of class and then type later).

I will maybe write on Friday or Saturday... just a rundown in total...

A lot of catching up....

Wednesday December 4th
Happy Anniversary to me. Time has been flying!
Today was a pretty standard day. My kindy classes went well. No drama. The kids did work pretty well. My one on one with Chloe went well. She was very talkative. Good thing to hear. In my greece class (3rd graders) we were talking about foods, so I brought them yogurt and waffles (not hommade, just prepackaged ones) since those were two of the foods we were talking about.
At night I had to type goodbye letters for my classes. It was tough to think of the right words to day. It is all I did all night.

Thursday December 5th
Gym Day. Fairly standard morning for a gym day.
Niamh went home early. She was not feeling well. I had to take one of her classes in the afternoon. These were young kids. Not full time kindy kids, but kindy age kids. It was an interesting experience. One of the kids is a crier. While Rachel was teaching, the kid cried. Mom knows she is a crier, so mom was at ECC. Mom comforted the kid in the hallway. When it was my turn to teach... mom sat in the classroom next to her daughter. Not only was it mom, but a baby. Though for me, the girl did not cry. Rachel was surprised. I was even able to get the girl to answer questions (albeit quietly). But I was feeling super judged. I have only taught those kids one time, so there is no rapport with the kids, any ability to manage the classroom with kids you do not know is difficult. But I think I succeeded.
Today the air quality was bad. Chinese dust.

After work, Rob, Hudson and I went to a billiard hall. They had a pocket table (standard pool). From what I hear, there are not many billiard halls that have pocket tables. We then got pizza for dinner. There was some extra, and I declined, instead of being the human vacuum cleaner.

Friday December 6th
Busy day. In my kindy classes, we are writing a book. So I have to do it with 3 classes. Only graduating classes do it, and I have 3 classes that are graduating. Aye aye aye. So we have to use class time to do this. And of course, I have and am responsible for all of my other classwork too. So, I will not really be able to teach anything this month. I hate that. Don't get me wrong, the story book is really cool. It gets printed really nice, and looks professional. It will be a great memory for the kids. In the long run, it is a better thing (rather than a dumb story that we have to read) for the students. Its just that I am still responsible for all of the classwork.
My afternoon classes all went good. Nothing big or exciting happened.
After work Scott, Rob, Hudson, and I all went to a gym over by Bobo. We all joined. 200 bucks for 4 months. Not cheap, but not expensive. Camille pays 100 a month for hers. So we all did a workout that night. I am taking this diet/get healthy thing seriously. It is going to be a lot easier because the other guys want to go to the gym and work out. So it will help keep me honest and keep me with it.
We had dinner after gym.
Then we played some Mortal Kombat, then went to a 노래방 (karaoke room) that is by Bobo. After singing for an hour, we went and got some 해장국 (haejanguk- a type of soup)

Saturday December 7th.
I did nothing. I woke up not feeling well. I was super congested. I laid in bed with my humidifier on for most of the day, coughing, spitting up crap. I was going to go to Joons for his anniversary party. But I decided that being responsible was more important. So, did nothing.

Sunday December 8th.
I felt much better today. I did not end up doing much. I met a person from Craigslist that was giving away free kitchen stuff. Not that I needed any... but I do only have one plate, and plates (even cheap ones) are 4 bucks a pop. I figured what the heck. So I went, got 3 plates, some chopsticks, and 2 forks, 2 knives, and 2 spoons. It is funny. I have chopsticks, knives and spoons, but no forks. So shazzam. I walked all the way home, which took nearly an hour and a half. It was chilly outside, but exercise.
I did some writing for the story book. I skyped with my parents at night.

Monday December 9th.
Not much of an exciting day today. But, Sharon and David were pushing each other so I took a star away from both. Sharon started to cry (which she hasnt done in a while). Anyway as soon as she started, I sternly asked if she needed to go to Korea class (the 5 year olds). She said no. Then I told her to stop crying right now. She stopped. She was still sniffling on the verge of crying. I told her to stop that or I would take her to Korea class right then. She stopped.
I do not know how I will be when I am a parent. But from where I sit, some of these kids are coddled so much. I get crying. It makes sense. But enabling a kids to do it (especially when they do something wrong) by coddling and hugging them just makes them keep doing it. It trains them. I still walk past France and see them crying for Christine (and sometimes Sam). For the most part, they are not crying for me much anymore. Or when they do tear up, they do not make a big deal out of it.
Australia class went well. Denmark class on the other hand. Not. Australia likes math, and they want to do it. Denmark does not like it, does not want to do it, does not know it, and is very slow. I spent both periods doing math working on catching them up. Eric {{{the one I have talked about before that is super slow. He has not has his birthday yet, so he is still 5 years old everyone else is already 6. All of them are Korean 7. The way the age system works here really puts some kids at a disadvantage. Eric was born in December. When you are born, you are 1 years old.  Then, on January 1st, everyone gets a year older (its everyone birthday). So when he was 2 weeks old, he was a Korean 2 year old. Just developmentally he is behind. Almost everyone in the class can draw compound pictures (fine details and multiple elements), can write nicely, and can do some math. He was not able to do 7 minus 5. This makes me feel like a complete failure as a teacher. These skills were supposed to be taught when he was a 6-1. Our 5 year olds can do it. He is a 7-2. I just assume that he has been faking it or cheating in class. I wish we could give the kindy kids homework. Oh, he is also the kid whos mother was not happy when Christina said that he needed to take a mentor class (1 on 1) to catch up with the rest of the class.....}}}
My afternoon classes were good. We tried to make paper dolls from the book in my England class. Failure. It was overly difficult. Even for me.  My Greece class did the Write it Right book. Meh.
After school we went to the gym.
Came home, worked on the stories. Watched Back to the Future.

Tuesday December 10th.
We were working on our storybook for France class. It is so weird... The boys were good. The girls... They all have to conform to what each other says. It is a cancer.  The girls will have their own idea, but then change it to be the same as everyone else.  When we were practicing for open class. One girl wanted to be a nurse, one a doctor, a ballerina, a figure skater, and a singer. The next time I asked, they all wanted to be the same thing. Exact thing happened today. What kind of food do you want to eat. Instantly, all of them wanted to eat the exact same thing, dress the exact same way, do the exact same thing. The boys are good at being  individuals. The girls are not. I eventually told the girls they were not allowed to talk and that it was okay if they did not know how to spell something, to just try (this way, they would not hear what the other people were saying). I also had them cover up what they were writing. It went from everyone wanting to be a figure skater that likes rabbits and wants to eat strawberry ice cream, to more of individual thoughts. Common themes (princesses, pink, etc.) but not copies. It was very difficult.
We went over the story that I typed, and all of the kids liked it (except for Amy who was not here last week, so she had no idea what was going on). They decided on a few changes.
Denmark had a lot of energy today, so getting them to focus was near impossible. Pretty much par for the course with Denmark. I wish I had one class with them in the morning. I think it would be a little easier for them to focus. Lunch, playtime, class, class, go home time. Calming them down after playtime is hard... cause they are kids and like to play. Then the last 15 minutes of class are tough, cause focusing before going home is tough. oh well.
My afternoon 4th grade class was okay. We our debate topic is attractiveness vs intelligence. Jenna in the answers wrote that she wasn't attractive or intelligent. She also made several references to not being attractive being a problem. I know how to make the kids feel smart... but how do I give them self confidence when it comes to being pretty. She is 11. It bothers me there is already this pressure on her that is definitely bothering her. I can understand why some kids think they are ugly, but she is not one that I would think to have that problem. What kind of positive reinforcement can I give her so she does not think of herself as ugly? With a Kindy kid, if they say they are ugly or is someone calls them ugly (does not happen often) you can go up give them a hug and tell them they are super cute/beautiful/handsome. Not so much with an adolescent. I know it is not my job... but if I can raise her confidence, make her feel good about herself, then she might just go back to reaching her potential. Oh, and for intelligence, she got the best score on our test.
I came home, and took a nap. I much needed nap. I was so tired all day. Then I worked on the stories.

Wednesday December 11th.
Last week, Sam had me go into France class and take away science because they were misbehaving.  Today was science day, and all of the kids were surprised that we did not do science. A few of them remembered why, but seemed to still be shocked that we didn't do it. Hopefully that will help France learn consequences.
In Australia, we worked the entire time. I am satisfied with their pace.... while I wish I had more time, they are able to do the work and mostly understand what we are doing. Denmark, it was a pretty decent day too. They were hyper, but not too hyper. We got some work done, not as much as I wanted... but with them, it is hard no matter the circumstances.
Today again I made an observation... it may be an observation that I have made before, but I might as well share again... It is about maturity. We have 4 different levels of 7 year olds at ECC. 7-1, 7-1.5, 7-2, and 7-3. It is amazing to see the different mannerisms between the levels. They lower the number, the more like younger children they act... in all aspects. The 7-1s have many of the same difficulties that all of the first year students have (5-1, 6-1). It doesnt matter that they are older, the same hang ups exist... but at school we just pretend they don't. Our 7-3 kids (7 years old, 3 years at ECC) act really good. They are mature. They write well, they draw well, and the are able to come up with ideas and show complex thoughts. Our 7-2s (7 years old, 2 at ECC) are able to comprehend a lot of things. It is easy to have basic conversations with them, Our 7-1.5 are almost 7-2s. They are 7 years, and the 1.5 means an academy that was not ECC. They are proficient at some things, but not all that ECC does. Then there are the 7-1s. 7 years, first academy. While it is still Kindergarten in Korea... in the US, these kids would be first graders. It would be like sending a child to the first grade in the US without any prior education (US kindergarten or preschool). Motor skills and the likes are different than the other 7 year olds. A lot of their (7-1) abilities to draw or write mimic the first year 5 year olds. a lot of them can only draw one character. One color scheme, one facial expression. The few 7-1s that are able to... I know that they actually either go to an art hagwon (academy) or an after ECC art program).
For me, just seeing the difference between the same age and the levels is pretty incredible. I went to preschool, Kindergarten, and then 1st grade. I would have been a 7-3... I am not a fan of over-educating or forcing kids to be miserable... but there is definitely a difference between starting too early and too late (right on-top of ECC there is a daycare hagwon (not just babysitting, but schooling Koreans that are younger than 5 (so at most Korean 4, so western 2 or 3). It is so complex.
My afternoon kids were okay. It was a review day. Review days are tough. During a review, my students are good at figuring out answers. Both my England and Greece class. But as soon as it is test time... they cannot answer the same questions... thankfully this review was not before a test. We played bingo in my England class and a board game in the book in my Greece class.
After my Greece class, one of the girls was waiting for her mom at ECC. I tried talking to her. She was to shy/nervous to talk to me. In class, she'll try (though sometimes I have to force it out (ie keep asking and not letting her give up)). After class she did not. I need to think of a way to tell them to not be shy or embarrassed. I think it is because they do not know the right words.... They have a thought, an answer, but are too scared to say it. I understand it... I experience it. But for them, I wish I could let them know it is easier to try in school with a teacher than not trying at all.
After school, we worked out. Tough.... the machines at the gym.. some of them are not big enough to handle me. Blah... We did find one that did fit... but it was not near the others.... Oh well... more motivation.
After gym, I came home and worked on my stories.

Thursday December 12...
Gym day!
In France, we read the story, they all liked it. We assigned the pictures. Juliet almost cried... but she was able to stop herself... It felt great knowing that several months ago she would have been balling. I could see the disappointment in her face.... but she fought through it. Great. Australia class, we assigned the drawings. Not too hard. They understand how to play paper rock scissors, and they accept the results. Denmark, I only had them for gym and for cartoon. So no storybook there.
Today was a snowy day. Before lunch, it started to snow. While Denmark was in gym, I went up to the roof. Korea class was there, as well as New Zealand class. It was fun. They all went back to class. After Denmark was out of gym, I took them up. I wish I could have gotten to see Australia class up there. Denmark is happy go lucky... and I love that.... Australia is the class that gets joy from wonder, which is also great. Just seeing them in snow I imagine would be very uplifting! Denmark wanted to have snowball fights (fun) but I think most of Australia would have wanted to just look at the snow, and see what it had done. I love both of them... they are just both different flavors....
Here are the kids...

 New Zealand Class

 Korea Class

Denmark Class

(Soo, Chloe, Joshua, John, Angelina, Eric, Erica, Jayden, Shawn)

During my break between Kindy and my afternoon classes, I got to get my journals and diaries done. My afternoon class went well. Much better vocabulary test grades. I talked to the other vocab teachers, and all of us think the class is crap. We are going to try to talk to Louise about it. Last time I did, the reason they dismissed it was that all of the Vocab classes are doing 2 units a week (40 words). But all of the vocab teacher are tired of it. We would rather teache 1 chapter a week, and be able to explain the words to the kids and actually teach them. 40 words in 50 minutes, but 3 pages of work... it doesnt teach kids. Even 20 words, is a stretch... but it would be better. The kids have questions.... but we do not have time to get to the questions because there is so much expected to be accomplished.... hopefully it changes. None of us feels like it does any good. 

After work, Rob and I went to Costco. dinner and shopping. They had a bbq brisket sandwich that we both got... Regrets. It was absolutely delicious.... but when I looked it up. 710 calories. I have never been a calorie counter before, but not I am trying to be so I can lose my spare tire. 710 for a small sandwich. It did not fill me up.  I easily could have eaten 3 (yes, as I said, they are delicious). 3 would put me over my calorie goal (with nothing else included). Depressing. Sacrifices....

Got home and spent several hours finishing Denmarks story. Out of all of the classes, they had the least information and the fewest descriptions. I know I was talking about France conforming... Denmark did the same thing... but they came up with all of it independently. It made it pretty hard to pull a story out of what they wrote. I will go over it tomorrow with them... hopefully they like it....

Friday December 13th
Today was a mostly wasted day. In France, we did math. Then we worked on the storybook. In Australia, we did the storybook for both periods. In Denmark we did the storybook for both periods. The stories are all done, now I just have to do some editing and drawing pictures with them all.
My afternoon classes were okay. It is hard to judge their progress. I like to think it is going okay, but I have no real way to judge it. It is easy to see kindy kids see and do more. My England class still speaks a lot of Korean. What they are learning... it is just like 'He is a police officer' or 'That is a hospital' so it is not really things that they would say conversationally.
My Greece class is okay. Just like with the England class... we are learning things, but not really things that I find very useful. We are talking vaguely about different foods that are eaten in different places. So, in theory, if I ask them "What to they eat in England" they should be able to respond with  "In England, they eat fish and chips." That being said, I cannot tell if they are learning anything from it. They do not speak like that in class.
Gym after school was much more difficult. I am not just out of shape, I am pretty physically weak. I know that will all change... as well as losing the weight (my main goal).
Friday nigh, I just had a simple night in with some wine. I had rotisserie chicken for dinner.

Saturday December 14th.
Stayed in bed and watched movies for most of the day.
Went to dinner in Hongdae. We were going to get Jerk Chicken... it was closed for a private party. We went to a place that we had seen exploring. It said Asian Street Food, and it was named Utsav. It looked like a little hole in the wall. When we walked in, it was spectacular looking. Big and fancy. It was all Indian food. It was delicious and expensive (It was a fancy place). The food I got did not fill me up. I had a goat curry... delicious but high in calories. When we left, we went out another door. We walked out the front door. Turns out, the door we went is was the back entrance.  The front made it look really fancy.
We didnt want to do much, so we were going to go back to bobo and all hang out and play video games. Well, half of the group fizzled out. When Taylor and Hudson got home, same and I joined for Mortal Kombat. We drank gin and tonics. They ordered mcdelivery, and I did not place an order because I was almost at my calorie limit.

Sunday December 15th.
Hungover. I do not often get bad hangovers. Today, I did. It appears that since I am eating less, my body is not as good handling alcohol. I have also been drinking a lot less, as alcohol is high in calories. I did not drink much last night... much less then I normally do. If I had ordered mcdelivery last night, I am sure the hangover would not have been. But it was a great lesson for me. So, now I will be much better at gauging.
Today was also a do nothing day. I went to the hardware store to pick up a timer for my heater. Now the heater will come on in the morning before I wake up, so I will wake up to a warm apartment.
I have started watching M*A*S*H*. I always liked it. But being in Korea (where the show takes place) makes it kind of surreal. I know it was filmed in California 20 years after the war... It just gives a new perspective.
I worked for a while editing the stories for the classes. Watched some more MASH, ordered McDelivery.... wow. I always knew it was high in calories.  I ordered about half of what I normally do. It was nearly 1000 calories. Its amazing to see and actually pay attention to these things. I really love to eat... Too bad that eating without limits and till I am full made me so unhealthy. Everybody says your metabolism slows in your late 20's and early 30's. I had always been able to eat an unlimited amount and stay around the same weight... not any more. Ba humbug.
Now, time for a shower and bed.

Just a Tuesday.

Tuesday December 3rd
Today, I actually had all of my classes! Yes, it is more work, but I feel like I am actually accomplishing more.
Today in France, it was art day. Normally a pretty simple day. But Sally's art looked better than Sharon's which made Sharon cry. Art was using scissors to cut out shapes and glue them. Christine has told me that France class is worse with scissors than Korea class. France being 7 years and Korea being 5. As such, every time we have to use scissors, I am nervous because I know there is a high probability of tears. The thing is, the kids are on a 7 year old curriculum and not a 5 year old one. So, the basic motor skills, like cutting are not something we focus on. I bet it is assumed that they should have a grasp of how to cut things by now. They probably should.
Australia class was good and we got through all I needed to today. We are well on our way of being caught up. Also, I have lunch with Australia this month. I like that. I would still rather not have lunch with a class, but Australia class is much better behaved. There are more picky eaters in Australia, but far less drama. Today, most of the kids in Australia class told me that their moms really liked me. I knew the kids did, but them telling me that their moms liked me made me feel good. I guess I made a good impression in open class. This was the first time a lot of the moms have seen me (since I did not have open class with them last semester), so I guess I made a good impression.
Denmark was good today. I think part of it is because I do not have lunch with them any more. Starting out a class under the stress of lunch is tough. It sets a tone for the rest of class. But now that I do not have lunch them, it is easier to go into the class fresh. We got some work done... but not as much as I would have liked... but it is the Denmark slow factor (which I know is partially because it is right after lunch and near the end of the day).
My afternoon Denmark class went okay. We started a new debate topic for them. Looks vs. Intelligence. There may be some potential for a good debate. All of the kids today were uber tired. Some days they have energy... other days, like today, nothing. I was talking to Rob about one of the girls in the class. Jenna. I have not taught her very long. He has. He said she used to be really bright and did the homework and participated in class. Now days... she does not do much. She is always tired and worn out looking in class. I know that in Elementary school, it has been testing season. She has digressed a little since I have had her, but I guess Rob has seen the complete slope.
No Korean Hagwon this month for myself, Rob, or Scott. We talked about starting a small study group (or a time when we all get together and work on it). I am happy that I will have some breathing time. I think also if I build a better foundation before I start paying for it again, it will help me immensely.
I got home from work today and took a nap. A well needed nap. I guess every nap is well need. But since I am dieting, I am eating smaller portions of food. This of course is changing how much energy I have. Everyone says the first 2 weeks when you body is adjusting to it is the hardest. I definitely understand.
I did my light workout routine in my apartment, typed this, and now will watch something over the internet and will try to hit the hay early.

End of November and the start of December!

Wow... I am pretty bad an keeping this as updated as I once did. Mostly because of quasi-legitimate reasons. Mostly social reasons, but also personal.... I wear myself down and I need sleep.

Wednesday November 27th
Picture Day!
We took class pictures today, and pictures of us teachers. Basically very little work got done. My kids all acted pretty well. Some of course was hard to make smile, but in all, good.
Christine talked to me once again about the jackets in France. I am not sure if I mentioned it before, but for some reason, the superiors decided that instead of the kids hanging up the jackets in their cubbies, they were supposed to hand them up in the 2 unused cubbies. Most classes have 2 over-sized cubbies to hang jackets. Not France. We just have 2 standard cubbies. A standard cubby is about 8 inches across. So they wanted 8 kids to hang their winter jackets up in 16 inches of space. Not easy, especially when you are dealing with kids that are energetic. It got to the point where Julie did not want to bring her jacket to school (kid logic). The moms even complained about the jackets during open class. One mom suggested buying a basket to put them in. Christine told me that ECC would not. Not sure if she actually checked or if it was just an assumption. Well, I am one that solves problems. Yes, you could sit and complain that you can not get the round peg in a square hole, but you could hammer a round peg into a square hole (damaging both), you could also either make the hole bigger, or get a smaller peg, or take the round peg back to the store and just buy a square one that fits. All of these of course are dependent on the reason you are trying to get the peg in the hole in the first place.... but I digress. I went to the hardware store after work and bought a 15 dollar rolling coat rack. Should I have to? No. Did I have to? No. But sometimes 15 dollars for a peace of mind is great. I probably would have just bought beer with said 15 bucks anyway (Yes, I know that beer gives you peace of mind also... but the next morning the problem at hand still exists). My 2 afternoon classes had test day, so noting happened with them.
Ronnie talked to me again today. He made me an offer I could refuse. But I didn't. It was the same thing they offered Rob. Could I push more? Of course I could have. But I'd rather always have an ace up my sleeve if I needed something instead of pushing for something rather mundane in the grand scheme of things. I resigned for year number 2.  So, sometime next summer I will fly home and fly back.
At night after the Hardware store, Taylor, Hudson, Sam, Carrie and I drank an little and played Mortal Kombat in Hudsons room.

Thursday November 28th.
Thanksgiving Day! But when I tried to tell my students they argued with me. They told me it was Friday. I mean, I know that the US is about half a day away from Korea time... They were not thinking that complexly. ECC change the day that we were celebrating Thanksgiving to Friday. I of course did not know that. To them... they don't know what Thanksgiving is... Even trying to explain it went far over their heads... even trying to easily... not easy.
Gym Day. I missed one period of Gym because Scott had to get his medical check for his ARC.  They switched the gym times. It was good getting an extra period with France. A break would have been nice. But also I think teaching Scotts class would have been super fun. Oh well.
Nothing else much happened with my Kindy kids. I got all of the diaries and book reports checked and I sent them home with the kids on Thursday. Not a big win, but still nice. I also watched the afternoon musical program preform their musical. So adorable and cute!

My afternoon class was okay. Nothing too exciting other than a vocabulary test... and that is not anything exciting. But we did have fun talking a little, so that was good.
After school, Taylor and Hudson invited me to their Thanksgiving dinner. It was mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, ham sandwiches, asparagus.

I brought 3 bottles of wine that were made in the USA and some Lays Salt and Vinegar chips. No turkey (incredibly hard to find in Korea... even sliced turkey). But we celebrated, drank wine, listened to music, and just had a good time. Eventually Mortal Kombat came out and we played. Not traditional by any means... but still a good time to be thankful.

Friday November 29th
ECC Thanksgiving. Nothing got done in my morning Kindy classes today. First period we made Indian Headbands. Then until lunch, we had thanksgiving games. Granted, no thanksgiving games I ever remember playing in the states... But it was fun.

(Denmark- Soo, Chloe, Regina, Jayden, Erica, Angelina, John(font), Joshua)

I got to do a little of our Reading Street supplement with Denmark (yay) but not the easiest thing to do on a Friday after the kids got to play all morning.
I was bleh all day. Not because of Thanksgiving night... but because some bug has been going around ECC teachers making them feel ill. Friday was my day. Deep congestion, stuffed up everything.
When I got home. I went right to bed. I slept from after ECC till nearly 11pm. Then I was awake for several hours, and went right back to bed.

Saturday November 30th.
I slept till nearly noon. I woke up. Decided I wanted to clean. I had no energy after like 20 minutes I slept, I woke up around 5:30. I slept a lot. I guess I needed it.
I weighed myself... I have gained nearly 20 pounds in 2 months. I think it is because of Hagwon, because we all went out and ate a lot of food afterward. I weigh 112kg. Shocking. I am technically according to BMI obese. That being said, my clothes all still fit me, and my pant size is the same. But I decided I would start a diet December. Basically I will cut my portion sizes.
I was meeting up with Eva and her friend for dinner. We had Jjimdak for dinner. Then went to the barket, had several drinks. We moved on to Gogos. Danced, drank, had fun.  I had to be responsible because I was going to Jeonju the next day to watch FC Seoul. I was going to leave early... Eva started to feel bad, and her friend was macking on some guy. So I stayed with Eva. Not drinking, just talking and taking care of her (ie getting her water). After a while, she started feeling better and was dancing again, so the next time her friend came over, I let them know that I was going. I got home at about 3am.

Sunday December 1st.
I got to take a nap (at best you could call it)  My bus to 전주 left at 6:30. I had to meet Karen at 6:15. This meant I had to leave my apartment at about 5:30. We get out bus. I want to sleep, but I had a hard time. I did take these pictures at a rest stop. (Who doesn't like life sized squirrels)

The trip to Jeonju took about 2 hours and 45 minutes. We get there. We take a cab to Korea's largest Hanok village (a Hanok village is a traditional village with traditional buildings and houses). Jeonju was the birthplace of the Joseon Dynasty (that ruled Korea for 600 years). So we viewed the historical museum and the remade village (a small part of the hanok village) that housed the paining of the king. It was intense how much was done for this paining. It was super important. This whole little village was made for this one thing. Very interesting to see this. Its like, if there was a picture of George Washington, and building a whole neighborhood around this picture, houses for the caretakers, a fire department, cooks, servants, scribes, artisans.... It was that important.
We also took a picture by one of the original gates of Jeonju. While we were looking at it, some fellow FC Seoul fans came up to us and wanted to take a picture.

For lunch, we ate a Jeonju specality at a famous Jeonju restaurant. Delicious and cheap. Also healthy!
We then went to the FC Seoul match. We lost with about 2 minutes left. There was a penalty kick. Even the announces said it was a questionable call. The dude that took the penalty kick was retiring after this game... so he kicked and it was a goal. Bah. First FC Seoul loss.
Karen and I went back to the Hanok village. We explored. We had delicious Teokgalbi (떡갈비) at a popular place in the hanok village, We hiked a little. We then got went back to the bus terminal and got on the bus back to Seoul. It took over 3 and a half hours to get back.

(edit 12-3-13 several more pics)

Monday December 2nd.
Another picture day. These were the graduation pictures for the 7 year olds. I had no France classes. Australia class was good, and we got done with everything I wanted to. Denmark we only had one class. We got through none of what I wanted to. We started one of the things... but did not complete it.
While we were taking pictures... there was one set with the kids in their graduation gowns. I had a tear come to my eye. Ya, they were were cute... but it really drove home the point that quite a few of these kids I will never see again after graduation. Some will still come back to ECC, but the rest... nope. I have been with these kids for 9 months. Its amazing how much you connect and start to care for these kids. As cheesy as it is, these kids are my life. I spend so much time with them, thinking about them, and everything else... it was a very surreal moment for me. Graduation is still 3 months away, but I know these 3 months are going to fly.
My 2 afternoon classes were okay.  I graded the exams from last week.  Pretty good, all things considered. The one kid that was not able to write his name did the worst in my England class (not much of a surprise) Their range was 0 wrong to 11 (out of 28). My 3rd graders all did pretty good. Their range was from 1.5 wrong to 5 (out of 35).
I cant believe this is already December. My mind is absolutely blown. All months have gone quickly... November especially so.
I came home. Rested for a little. Then exercised (as part of my diet December). Did not eat any snacks nor drink any beer. Spent some time updating this and also time doing nothing!