It has been quite a while since we last spoke. I apologize for the delay in writing the blog. Things have been crazy! From getting ready for parent meetings to grades being due to getting ready for Christmas break, events have been nonstop! I really don’t even know where to start! So let me start here:
I love the innocence of children. Especially children who are not only maturing into a new phase in their lives, but also ones who are learning a different language altogether. One day, we had an assembly for all the children to get ready for a service learning trip that will take place in February. A service learning trip, by the way, is where the students will have the opportunity to volunteer to help an organization or community centers in other countries. Our trips this year include Thailand, Cambodia, or in places around the island. As we were waiting for the assembly to start, one of my 6th grade advisees was listening to his ipod. My curiosity got the better of me and I asked what he was listening to. He handed me one of his headphones. I heard sounds of a party rock anthem and I asked who the artist was. He replied, “Lem phao.” I asked, “Who?” He showed me his player and I read “LMFAO!” Awesome! In text language, this means something else completely, but for this 6th grader “Lem phao” was perfectly acceptable.
Sixth graders are definitely the spunky bunch of the school. They are crazy motivated to learn and are generally more focused in the class. The group on our floor are these great bunch of guys who are very good friends but can easily get on each others nerves. They will pick on each other until one finds it too much and then he finds a teacher to tell. One day, we took our group to the gym for some activity time. All was going well until one of the little guys yelled for me to come over. I did, and he explained that one of the other boys called him a “Fu**er.” I really tried hard not to laugh, mainly because I never expected these children to learn that type of language so young. I guess my naivette was shattered a little that day, too. Those words are usually the first ones you learn in a different language. Anyway, the other boy then told me that he did not call him a “Fu**er.” The other boy quickly responded with, “You did call me a Fu**er.” I had to stop the F-bombs quickly. After calming the situation, I explained how unacceptable it was to use that language in school or in a formal setting. I cracked up for the rest of the day.
In the last few weeks, we have had parent meetings before Thanksgiving. The week or so leading up to the meetings were very stressful. There were grades to catch up with, we also had to write a narrative (a paragraph explaining each of our kids’ progress up to that point), and disseminate the data to all the other teachers. We did not meet with the parents of the children we were actually teaching, but we were meeting with the parents of our advisees. So instead of having seventy-five or so parent meetings, we had thirteen or fourteen. After the hassle and stress of getting ready, the parent meetings went great! All the parents were very responsive and showed interest in their child’s progress. They are trying to get used to the standard-based grading, just like we are.
After our parent conferences, Leigh Anne and I went to Seoul. It was awesome! Seoul is huge! We also met up with an old high school friend of mine whose husband is stationed there. It was such a fantastic trip exploring the city! We had quite the adventure finding clothes that were in my size. In one particular part of town, Itaewon (the foreigner district), we actually found a Mexican place called Vatos Tacos. It was fantastic! We walked in to the owner watching the UT/A&M game. He and his business partner grew up in the States, graduated from UT, and decided to come back to Korea to try their hand at the restaurant business. They had a delicious tortilla soup! It was cool that they came to our table and hung out and told us some neat places to go and see. It was quite the experience. I definitely recommend it.
The time after break to Christmas went by super fast. Leigh Anne and I got ready for our trip to Japan, which is where we are now. I do have to question why public transportation is so readily available from anywhere to anywhere in so many other countries other than the states. Maybe I just haven’t been that aware of it back home. It just makes so much more sense! It creates jobs, state income, and less pollution.
As we enter the new year, I know I will be able to write more often. I will try to attach as many pictures as I can.
From Seoul
Sandwich pockets
Never thought about gas masks in the subway stations!
Tons 'o' people
Lights and people on the go in one of the many market areas
Subway on the go!
I felt much closer to the Korean people getting on the subway during rush hour
Crazy good Korean BBQ with some friends. This was our Thanksgiving dinner.
Goin to the subway
There is actually a coffee shop in that building
Found a Mexican restaurant owned by a few guys from Austin and California. We got to finish watching the last few minutes of the UT/A&M game. It was awesome! The picture above is of the tortilla soup.
Kimchee Fries!
Rode the rope way up to the Seoul Tower
Seoul is enormous!
City for as far as you can see.
Exact center of Seoul
In the background: typical passenger on a subway.
The palace in the middle of Seoul.
Four story outdoor shopping center
Our Christmas Tree
Leigh Anne and I would like to wish each of you a most blessed Happy New Year! We love you and miss everyone dearly! A new blog should be posted fairly quickly after this one to continue catching everyone up. You guys are awesome!
