Typhoon, field trip.. and more.

---- awesomeness this week: one of the kindergartners asked me 'How are you today?' ... I said 'what?' only because I couldn't believe it! (I want to teach the kindergartners!!)

Ecology Experience Museum, Chungju.

Sept. 18, 2012

grade (1,2,3) with their masks and necklaces.

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the playground and river at the school,
the radar map of Korea.

volleyball and FOOD!

TYPHOON DAY:

Monday (sept. 17), - Typhoon day! I learned that a typhoon is an Asian hurricane. (so we have hurricanes and in Asia they have typhoons - basically the same thing just a different name!) This is our 3rd one since being here - and was supposed to be the 'worst'. Well, since I live in the only landlocked province in Korea - nothing really happened. Just lots of rain and the rivers got fuller. But on a happy note the kids were let out early (so no teaching for me!) and all the teachers played volleyball, ate and drank and were merry. We played 2 games and then stuffed our faces with fried chicken, pork, fresh peaches, and dok (some sort of rice cake things with beans)! Then we played another game.. really play after eating, haven't they heard the rule. I must say I was much slower this game than before! However, my team did win and the principal was highly impressed with my volleyball skills.. haha

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catching dragonflies

FIELD TRIP:

The whole school went on the field trip.. two buses full. (and buses here are different than in the states). We were on a charter bus (like the one I ride to school each day) and then a few classes were on a smaller yellow - more like a school bus - bus. We went to the Ecology Experience Museum, where the kids got to catch dragonflies (not sure why or what they did with them, but at least 100 dragonflies were killed!) They also made soap.. (I think - it was something smelly). The kids seemed to not enjoy it too much. Kids also had necklaces (that they made) and masks. The older kids came out with a framed wooden box with a dead bug inside and had labeled the parts. The kids really seemed to enjoy this place.

older kids (grades 4,5,6) with their framed bugs.

So what do the teachers do 

the museum, some baby goats - 1 hour old.
and the kids eating lunch (grade 4).

might you ask. Well, we all sit around and talk. We don't stay with the kids. We shuffle them off to the staff and sit out in the hallway and do our own thing! I got to talk to one of the teachers here a lot more. She has 2 daughters and lives in Cheongju. Her English is very very good. I had no idea because she was so scared to speak it at first. We had a long discussion that day, about meaningful things. We literally talked about everything. How the English programs in Korea are lacking (the kids are only really taught how to read and write because that is all they need to know on the exams). So, they have a huge vocabulary but are rarely able to speak it or are too afraid. We also discussed my future. She told me I seemed much more mature than my age. (I took that as a compliment). I also told her I wanted to get married in the next few years since most of my friends were - she said I was too young and that most people in Korea are 30 when they get married! I also went out and videotaped and photographed the kids trying to catch the dragonflies. It was rather entertaining! I also walked around the museum and paid a dollar to have my picture printed at a little booth. I even got to lay down and take a small nap on one of the benches!

my lunch. complete with kimchi and rice

Lunch was another new adventure for me. I helped pass out the food to the kids and then grabbed my own. Of course it wasn't a PB & J like we would have in America - it was a full on meal with meat and of course kimchi and rice! We all took our shoes off and sat on a mat like thing on the ground outside (under an overhang - NO sun!) We also got wooden chopsticks. I ate all my food except for the kimchi - just can't do it. It was wrapped up plastic wrap (thank goodness) and just looked strange. So I tossed it to a happy little kid, who might have put it in his pocket for later. haha

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DINNER IN GEOSAN:

injoy (not enjoy).. ketchup and cabbage?
(ok Korea enough with the cabbage) and jajangmyeon

Wednesday was another good day. It was my first day of teaching this week (so only 2 days of actual teaching!) The kids were good I guess (we played build and destroy - a pretty fun game where they get to say if they want to build on to their house or destroy the other teams!). After class Eugene and I left school and got off the bus in Goesan, where we met up with Tina (my other Korean co-scholar!) Eugene and I got ice cream at Lotteria while we waited for her to get done with class. 

We all walked to the Chinese restaurant (where she works on the weekends). A cute little place, which served us soo much food. First we got sweet and sour pork (enough to fill me up!) but wait there was more.. I got a huge bowl of noodles and a black bean sauce (Jajangmyeon). The noodles were homemade (which I later watched the 'master' make. It was delicious. After we headed back to the bus terminal to catch a bus to Cheongju (which was rather easy... even a caveman could do it!) haha It was good to hang out with both of my korean scholars at the same time and also outside of class. I am hoping we can do that more often. They are both fantastic!