Reflecting on my trip home it feels like a dream. A very short, very happy dream. Things have gone pretty much back to normal here, for better or for worse. Back at Little America to finish off the semester. In March, things are going to turn upside-down as classes change, kindergarteners graduate, and two new teachers come in to replace (and fill the GIANT shoes) of Kaitie and Katrina. Those two are off on a 4 month adventure around South East Asia. I haven't seen the official itinerary, but I'm not sure I want to or else Kaitie might have to fit me into her backpack. My kids might miss me though.
It seems like a lot of people are leaving in March as contracts can start then or, like mine, in August. It comes with the experience here though, losing friends every 6 months. After being here for a year and half I've said goodbye to people who I've become so incredibly close with...I should stop talking about this- it's getting hard. ---Super Smooth Transition and Change of Topic---
I'm looking forward to being that older (in the sense of experience) teacher at Little America, showing the new teachers the ropes for my last six months! It will be fun to teach them about little Bucheon sites and how to use the subways just as my friends did for me a year and a half ago. As for what lies for me after Korea, I'm feeling this tremendous pull towards Europe. I would love to not only visit family and friends there but find a job in one of the many beautiful countries it has to offer! Those of you in that area keep your eyes open for me, will you? Anything where I can play with kids all day and still explore everything sounds perfect to me!
For now, though I need to enjoy as much as possible in Korea while I'm here! Kaitie and I are planning on visiting Busan sometime next month, as we have yet to travel down that way. We hope to hop on the KTX (Kaitie's namesake) and explore for the weekend! Some places I definitely want to check out down there include Haeundae Beach, which should be much less crowded when we go down- because sometimes it looks like this...
Not only do they not share my affinity for soaking up as much sun as humanly possible, they do the exact opposite; wearing winter gear like they are about to go skiing as they simultaneously sit under an umbrella applying SPF 157 sunscreen.
Another place I've heard about is Gukje market, where there seemingly endless streets of Korean trinkets, restaurants, street food, and probably lots of dried fish of various sizes and smells. I love exploring these areas, especially at night when they are clearer of tourists. Other than these two, Kaitie and I will just have to see where the weekend takes us!
Back to the present, next week I have the pleasure of completing my third open house at Little America. This year, the Korean teachers have decided to change it up from an incredibly scripted and structured lesson, to something a bit more free and conversational. Now, I'd be all for this change if it wasn't for the fact that they still expect the students to complete the lesson using accurate grammar and pronunciation throughout. I think they forget that the students are 7 years old, and if you want them to role play, they are definitely not going to do it perfectly. I'd much rather them have fun acting out my lesson, not speaking perfectly, than be nervous about saying things correctly. We have two more days next week to practice, so I hope to spread a feeling of relaxation and freedom to my students so that they can enjoy the lesson! I'll be sure to keep you posted on how it goes next week...cross your fingers for me....
 |
| ** 'Cute Kids Photo' as promised ** |
I think this is the shortest post yet. I feel like I should go off and do something drastic this weekend just to give you something to read about! xoxo
Korean Phrase of the post:
더 여행하고 싶어요
(deo yeonghaenghago shipeoyo)
I would love to travel more...
No comments:
Post a Comment