WEEK 2

This past week was definitely the best week so far!

First off, I had my own set of kids to teach and it was intensely different from just observing classes. I was the Korean teacher, which is odd because I know very minimal Korean... But it ended up being good. All the kids here think I look like the Korean Olympic swimmer 박태원(?) but I definitely don't see the similarity...

Anywhoo~ I'm for sure going to miss my first set of kids. Even though they we're super quiet and didn't really respond to my activities as I hoped for, there was something special about them. Except for Melissa who kept saying that I was hers and hated all the girl teachers that came in the classroom... HAHA! Good times...

So I went to Seoul (FINALLY!) this past weekend. SO MUCH FUN! I had Japanese ramen for the first time and can I please say that it is the BOMB?!!!! I had the miso kind so it was pretty good... Although I think I would've liked Julie's better. She got some pork bone mixture type of broth? Oh, I don't know. All I know is that it was hella good! 

Then we went around for some drinks and toured the area. We started in 동대문 and went pretty crazy there. Well, we didn't actually go crazy, the whole city was crazy. It felt like half of Korea was in that one little city and everyone wanted the same things. And the workers not only hover over you, but they're seriously about to bite your ear off! I felt their breath on my shoulder. HAHA! But seriously, that's basically how it was. And I hated it. I hate shopping like that. It was like Black Friday at Cabazon but 10x worse. If you can imagine... It's like a wonderful nightmare..

We went to so many different places and I spent just about all my money. But when I look at my purchases, I feel like I didn't buy much. But I always have to remind myself that most my money went to food, drinks and taxis. I love riding taxis until we reach the destination and have to pay. Oh Blueberry, how I need you so...

So I bought a vest from Forever21, green hoodie from UNI QLO, Burberry polo from a street vender (ahh yeahh. You know what I mean.. HAHA!), a white watch, and black & lime green sunglasses. (Korean sunglasses are perfect for my head!! Super large glasses = perfect fit for me!!) I think that's about it. I almost forget what I bought to eat too.. All I know is that we started shopping at midnight and shopped all the way to breakfast time at McDonald's. HAHA! That's the second time in my life...

And we stayed at a motel... But it was a "love motel" called 37.2 degrees. And if you know why that temperature is so significant, you'll understand how it's a love motel. ;) (In Celsius, of course.)

Julie wrote better stuff about our Seoul trip on her blog too... So since I read that before my blogging, I feel redundant. I should stop reading her blogs before I start writing mine...

A grip of us teachers watched Night at the Museum 2. Pretty funny... Crazy and surprising cast. I liked it. I usually like Ben's movies. But after we played Sardines... I was last the first round. :( I suck at games like that! But it was okay because my hiding spot was awesome. Everyone said so. :) HAHA! Except I felt like I wasn't hiding as long as the person before me. I'm telling myself that everyone's awesome at that game.

11:00pm in Korea. I'm gonna get ready for bed. Maybe eat some 빵 before I sleep? No, I shouldn't... Or should I?!!?

WEEK 1

Hello Korea!! Welcome me to your land! HAHA! So dumb...

First, can I say that the smell in Korea is extremely bipolar? The air would smell super fresh and clean for a minute, then it would seriously smell like poop. Hardcore diarrhea poop. And my bedroom will often get a breeze smelling like cigarettes. Wonderful. Thankfully there's no smog up in 양평.

There's been a lot going on this past week. First off, my first weekend here was totally chaotic. Julie and I caught a ride to town with the VP of the English Village program so that we could buy some supplies, such as an outlet converter and such. But what I didn't know is that we would be stuck in a van all day! We went to 수원 (Suwon) to drop off supplies to a different campus. 수원 was pretty interesting, or at least the area where the school was. It was an area with stores built shoulder-to-shoulder and people walking around everywhere. And cars driving where ever they want. The Korea that I was expecting. Hahaha! So we left at around 7:30 am and came back at roughly 6 pm? I think. I'm not totally sure anymore. It feels like that trip was such a long time ago. But it was fun!...

The Yangpyeong English Village campus that I'm currently staying at is really nice. We have a Statue of Liberty in front of the gym, an Asian version of Prince Caspian (that's what I'm calling him) in front of a lecture hall under the shade, and a British guard by the Monticello building. HAHA! It's awesome... I'm definitely going camera-whore on them. You'll die!! But they wanted to make the village look more Americanized so they copied the designs from the New England towns/colonies. It's pretty legit. Except for the Observatory building. It looks smaller than an Olive Garden... The classrooms are actually pretty ghetto though. The desks are super Korean-style and the chairs are uncomfortable. But starting next week, I'm going to be in the big teacher's chair!

I started classes on Monday. Actually, it was just observing classes so there wasn't much work involved. The kids here are so funny and so cute. But they get HELLA annoying! I'm proud to say that I had a group of stalkers this past week. I loved it. HAHA! Just kidding! They were cute... There's a whole bunch of "Theme Classes" here; like electives. My favorites? Cooking, Insects, Dance and... that's about it. Hahaha! I haven't been to much actually, but I know I have more favorites than that. Dance isn't actually one of my favorite classes to teach but its so funny watching the kids try to do the Virginia Reel and Cha Cha Slide. HAHAHA! Cha Cha Slide... When we tell them to do the cha cha, they go CrAzY! HAHA! Best part, fasho!

The food id pretty good. Definitely better than I expected. Of course they have rice & kimchi every meal, but they usually have something new. Like square chicken nuggets, fish stick squares, spaghetti, and a whole bunch of different Korean dishes. Pretty good... But O. M. G. My farts are seriously digusting. Like super nasty kimchi. And my burps... Julie dies. HAHA! Seriously. I cannot wait until I go back to the US and resume my courteous and discreet gas releases.

The other teachers here are pretty chill too. Almost half of them asked Julie and I if we drink and ALL of them thought we we're boyfriend & girlfriend or married... MARRIED!! Eeeeps! Hahaha! But it's cool. Each class has a Korean teacher and a Foreign teacher. The Foreign to speak and teach all English and the Korean to translate when it's too difficult or to punish/quiet the class. Next week, I'm the Korean teacher.......... And you know how awesome my Korean is..... Hahaha! But there's another Korean-American kid here my age and he's sometimes a Korean teacher but never speaks in Korean so I'll probably be like that. *Shrug*

Anywhoooo~ I can tell that I'm going to learn a lot about teaching children and hopefully learn more Korean and fix my American accent. A teacher (or he's a director, or something) is taking Julie and I out for 갈비 so it should be a good night. Hahaha! Until then, I will post next week! Unless if something super awesome/crazy happens. :)

PS. The weather here is ridonkulously AHHMAHHZING!!! It's sunny, cool, and breezy. 펄퍀트! :D