Toler Talk: Still going strong!

A cellphone, a car, and a full tank. Sounds like a country song, but this is our awesomeness for this week. The onslaught of work is relentless, the hours long, but all is well with us on this small island out in the vast Pacific Ocean. As of yet, the excitement has not worn off. Each day brings new difficulties forcing us to reach for creative heights never flown before. Basically, my brain hurts. HA!

Monday was a day of work; not just during the school day, but part of living in a dorm is the dorm duties. When working during the week, dinner is a mad rush which is followed by a strict regimen until 10:30 or 11 p.m. The students who also live in the dorm eat dinner, then have a phone break to call home. After the break, they have 3 hours of study hall, split in half by a 15 minute break. At 10 p.m., they have to be in their room and then at 11 p.m. is lights out. It's so late! I remember the days of an 8:30 bed time in the middle school years. Unfortunately, I had to work twice this week because I was covering for a teacher who had to go to the States.

Wednesday, we got our car! That was quite the adventure! Luckily, a fellow teacher, Duane, was kind enough to drive us to the city. We tried to make it to the bank before it closed--the car salesman only wanted cash. We did not make it, so we were stuck trying to get over 2 million Won out of the ATM from different accounts. As we began the transaction, we found that the ATM only dispenses in 10,000 Won notes. Here we are at the ATM with 3 inches of bills and and we make a dash for Duane's ride. It was crazy! We jet from the curb and we were on our way! We make it to the dealership and pick up our ride. After a quick trip to a rare McDonald's we make it back to campus.

Friday was a relief! After the after-school activities, Leigh Anne and I went with Bryan and Selina to and Indian restaurant on the island. Delicious! Afterwards, we went to a coffee shop on the second floor of this building. Inside, they had books, a couple of computers, and board games! We ended up sitting around for a few hours playing a Korean version "Settlers of Cataan." We ended up being out quite late which led us to now know that they lock the gate to the parking lot at night and there really isn't a clear cut way of getting in. We parked in the construction lot. Everything is now electronic, so to get in the dorm we hold up or ID cards to the door and they automatically unlock.

Today, we had the opportunity to explore! We loaded up in the car and went for a drive on the west side of the island. We followed the coastal road for a bit; we even saw some women divers riding on scooters. These women are famous for fishing for abalone. We hope to get some pictures of them one day. As promised in the last blog, I have pictures for you! Enjoy!

With much love!

Joe and Leigh Anne