Halloween

It is a day of eager kids all wanting candy.  Our students are bugging us for candy.  I make them say 'trick or treat' before I give them any.  They really enjoy this American tradition.  I've dressed in black and blue for the occasion.  Even did my nails with blue nail polish and black crackle on top.  My next class will go trick or treating.

Another reason to be flexible.  I planned out the trick or treating path and got everything ready for it.  However, just because you give the details a week earlier, doesn't mean that the people who should learn of the details does before the day of.  The vice principle is on a business trip and the principle wasn't in his office.  So that means finding new hosts for all that candy I bought.

Eager to see what the students do with this next class period.

My lovely make up...

My lovely nails...

Yes, I still have glasses... and look... slightly blocked the light from the
window so that you can see me a little better.  Really miss my old office.

Bleach Mask Picture

I finally finished the other teacher's mask.  You can see the eye slot for the person's right eye.  It is meant to cover the right half of the face and the forehead.  It is based off the anime bleach, but I messed up.  It is supposed to cover the left side of the face instead of the right.  Anyrate, close enough and he likes it.  So goal accomplished.

Ended up helping one of my students with his mask too.  He wanted to be a pirate.  However studious he might be, he does not have experience drawing or using scissors.  So I gave him some tips for creating the mask.  When he asked for it, I helped him cut it out.  His is a very friendly looking pirate.

Bat Mask Picture

So here is my bat mask ;)

I did such a great job that Heeku wants me to make him a mask... working on it...

Tis The Season

Dressed in red and black, then went to breakfast.  Several girls saw me and freaked out.  It appeared I had cut my hair with my scarf on.  They were so relieved when I pulled my hair out to show them it was still long.  I find that amusing since so many girls are getting their hair cut at chin length right now.  With Halloween only two days away, I figured I better start getting into the mood.  So today is a red and black day.  Even with glitter blood red nail polish with black crackle nail polish on top.  I normally don't do much for this holiday outside of spending time with family.  However since I don't have my family nearby, I decided to go with the more American version of celebrating this season... candy and costumes.

Run Away! Run Away!

So this weekend I had plans to stay overnight at a friends' house after a bookclub meeting.  I ended up having to call and cancel due to some circumstances so was instead on campus.  The kids who want to attend this school as freshmen in middle school had testing today to see how smart they are.  All students, whether they are going into kindergarten, elementary, middle, high, or university, must take entrance exams.  They evidently were done at 12:30pm.  The precise moment I left my apartment for the office.  Every space that could have a parked car had one.  It was a traffic jam for those trying to leave.  There were plenty more on foot.  I am very self conscious and kept bowing to everyone I passed.  The parents are super respectful of foreign teachers I guess.  They all replied with the Korean form of "hello" and bowed too.  I felt like a celebrity among awe inspired fans.  However I also know that they were evaluating me since their children will be teaching under me.  Parents, at least in Korea, you don't worry or they have the power to make life hard for you.  It isn't the teachers or principle in charge, as much as you might think, but the parents.

Chocolate Fix

So I checked the menu for lunch and it wasn't something I really wanted to experience, so I went back to my apartment and pulled out the ice cream I had gotten from baskin robbins.  Mint Chocolate Chip and some sort of Cookie Ice Cream.  Returned to the office to find that the school had gifted me with chocolate milk, Ghana chocolate, and walnut balls.  Heeku had gotten me apple milk.  So even though I didn't exactly have a healthy lunch, I am still going to nice and full.  Before you start worrying over all the sugar I'm eating, be at rest.  I have a bag of dinner rolls in my desk for times when I skip cafe meals.  I've had quite a few today.

This is the Ghana chocolate.  It is a good brand here.  One of the large brands like Lotto.

Here is inside the box.  As you can read, it says, "I will be waiting for you with a longing heart."

I think I will pass these out to my high school students.

This is the balls with walnut bits inside.  Good for health.  I probably will end up giving it as a present to a friend that is coming to tutor tonight.  Haven't seen her in awhile.  

So I guess that means I get the chocolate milk ^_^

Thoughts and Masks

The bus driver was crazy last night. He was really good. Pulled some tight maneuvers and all. However while standing, both my feet got some air time at the same time. Yikes!

Being really nice to the taxi drivers pays off. I always give them 5,000 won and let them keep the change. If I bought fruit in town, I give them one. The other week I was walking back from Namsan when a taxi pulled up beside me and motioned me in. He gave me a free ride back to school. Was really nice of him.

On nights when I just plain am not feeling up to par, the taxi drivers seem more nice than normal. Last night one of the men on duty in the office stood outside and claimed the first taxi that came in. He then came in, motioned me out, and ushered me into the taxi. Either he told the taxi driver where to take me or the taxi driver has had me before. He took me straight to the school, right outside my apartment. I'm glad for their assistance. My head felt like it is going to burst.  I had waited too long to eat supper I guess.

Come to think of it, the people on the bus were being really super nice to me as well.

*****

Today in Junior Literature, we were working on making our masks for Halloween.  Since the juniors are the only international students I have on that day, I decided that I was going to take them around the school trick or treating.  Give them a little American culture.  I still have to figure out which teachers and staff might be willing to have candy bowls waiting, but figured that it shouldn't be too hard.  Anything to promote American culture I suppose.

I made a mask that would fit onto my glasses.  The downside is that it has to be taped on.  However it turned out really nice.  I will have to wear it when I am at my desk sometime so that I can get a picture with my web camera for you to see.  It is a bat with gold glitter on it.

Tuesday Again

I have to be honest, yesterday felt like Tuesday.  So today feels like a repeat.

Anyrate, after the lovely rainstorm we had yesterday afternoon, the weather is cleared for the next several days.  I loved the rain.  It sounded wonderful, looked beautiful, and had the comical effect of making my student scamper for the dorms at the end of the day.  Few had umbrellas.  What is more, this rain was like back home - torrents.  The rain fell heavily with a strong wind shoving it under the umbrellas.  I rode into town and was pleased at how hard it was to see the road.  Something you find hard to understand I am sure.  We just had an honest to goodness rainstorm and I loved every aspect of it.

My juniors have their Korean finals in three weeks.  I'm surprised at the timeframe and worried for them.  We were talking last night and they have had nothing but tests all semester.  I promised them they would have no more tests from me this semester.  They literally have to choose which tests are the most important and they study for those ones.  That means they fail the other tests.

I had night conversation class and worship in the girls down with the juniors.  They told me more about their lives and asked what it was like for me growing up.  I was blunt honest.  If I studied at all, it was only for an hour.  Two max.  I have good grades in high school.  Tests were not the big deals that they are here.  American students think so, but truly they are not in comparison.

These students have their whole lives focused on doing their best on the next test.  High grades means becoming wealthy.  To do that, they need to get into the best schools.  One girl pointed out though that though they try to get into the best schools so that someday they will be rich, the rich people can hire tutors to teach their kids so it was an unfair advantage.  The rich would always get the best jobs and be richer.  Most of them would not become rich no matter how hard they studied.  Her thoughts were very insightful for someone of her age, but shows how the current generation is seeing that becoming wealthy doesn't have to be the only goal in life.

Warm or Cold?

After summer, the cooler temperatures had everyone running for extra layers of clothing.  I think we have adjusted though.  The weather isn't warmer, but no one feels as cold.  I'm all for that.

It had been a bit on the cloudy side lately.  I won't complain about that though.  Glaring sunlight has it's time and place.  Appreciative that we can have some simple cool weather now.  This is more like fall.

The school finally put in it's fake grass soccer field.  Funny thing is, it appears they are mowing it.  They are truly not, but it looks that way and sent up into peals of laughter.  In reality, they are spreading a fine layer of sand into the grass.  Not sure why.

My cold is almost gone.  Today is the last day of meds and I am happy about that.  Especially since I have a good normal pumpkin pie from Costco awaiting me at home ^_^  Complete with cans of whipped topping to add... though I prefer the freezer kind.

I have an art shop online.  I'm not paid money for my art, however the commissions I get are paid for with the "currency:" of that online community.  It is a hobby I enjoy and those who want art made for them are nice.  I worried I would have some very unpleasant customers.  So far so good.  The latest request is a new one for me on that site.  We have avatars so that our identities are protected.  She sent a pic of her and her boyfriend, asking I draw them together.  I was surprised to have a real person's photo to work with, but also because she looks very similar to a classmate of mine from my graduating class in high school.  Not the same, but extremely similar.  I decided against commenting on it to her.  Just worth noting I suppose.

Celestyn's Letter

So I went to class to teach my freshmen literature when one of my girls gave me a letter.  It surprised me, but evidently she felt thankfulness towards me for her good mid-term English grade as well as concern for my health.

"Dear Mindy,

Hello, teacher Mindy? I'm lovey student, Celestyn.  How are you?  Aren't you cold these days?

Mindy, thank you for teaching me.  When I started literature and book report, I really was worried about them.  Because I don't have good reading or writing.  But you teach me kind and easily.  So I can learn excited.  Now, I can speak in English better than March.  Also we sometimes talk in English in other classroom.  We love playing, how, we love studying English, too!  Then I had good score in Mid-Term!  Thank you very much.  I'm going to study hard and speak English more and more.

Thank you very much again.  And be careful about cold!

Best wishes
Celestyn

P.S:
I love you"

Now isn't that the sweetest letter to ever receive ^_^  I'm keeping it and keeping it close ^_^

Sick Day

So yesterday I took a sick day.  It was possible since the school went to an amusement park.  The rest was needed as my temperature got up to 100 F.  Wake up this morning with no voice and a cough.  After school, will go to the doctor.  I already know what he is going to and what medicine he is going to give me.  It will taste horrid and put me to sleep for a week.  Past experience.

Colds

It is one of those gray, cloudy mornings where you wake up and really don't get out of bed.  I have a cold.  Last night my throat was sore.  So I knew it was coming.  Ate spicy potatoes at breakfast in an attempt to help it moving along out of here.

Because of renovations in the teachers office, it is impossible to meet there for the Wednesday morning meeting.  So we are going over to the small church that is in yet another building.  I have to head that way in the next minute or two.  Maybe grab Geoffrey while I am there and beg him to pick me up some garlic when he goes home.

Writing and Chapel

Today I enjoyed helping my high school students work on their essay.  Each had their own country that they had to research and write notes on.  Now they are putting their information together into neat paragraphs, each paragraph on an aspect of the countries culture.  Writing the first paragraph had it's challenges as they struggled to put the knowledge of grammar to use in real life.  Their English may be good, but using it is different from memorizing it.  Now we are onto the second paragraph.  Explaining how the second paragraph is different content wise but the same format wise is taking a little work.  However we were successful.

I decided to be smart about staying warm in the mornings.  Wore a vest today.
Though I messed up on the hair.  It is french-braided only to the center top of my head.
Whenever I bow or act goofy in class, the remaining braid flies every which way.
I can honestly say that my sophomores were amused in world culture class.

In chapel today, I asked my translator what happened to her knee.  There was a large square bandage on it. She replied, "Teacher, I was running and became tired.  I wanted to rest.  So I tried to stop, but it didn't work."  Basically she was running and while slowing down, she fell.  I like how my students talk.  You have to really listen to understand and sometimes their phrases are refreshing insights into how one views life.

Pictures from Tracy's Visit

When Tracy came to visit, Lon took these pictures of us and emailed them to me.

That was a really good day and I am glad that she came.

Today is going alright.  The school is trying to plan out a divider of some sort to place between my desk and the rest of the classroom to offer a resemblance of privacy.  I've changed the password on my laptop so people will stop getting on it.  Can't keep them out of my desk, but this is the best I can do.

It is getting chillier out now.  I like fall, but I wish it lasted longer.  Spring and Fall are only a week long here.

Fall Sunday (60+ pictures)

Spending my Sunday in the office... or rather, the classroom.  With all the teachers being rearranged around due to renovations in the high school, I was moved out of my office to another building.  So my desk in now in the back of a classroom.  I'm the only teacher to have been moved to a classroom.  Everyone else is still in offices of one form or another.  It will take some getting used to.  I'm watching resources that were bought with money from the International budget being used for other purposes.  Funny how Koreans do things.  Just need to get used to it.  Otherwise it's a pleasant Sunday.  Someone saw me in the building and told me to go take a rest because it is Sunday.  Without internet in my apartment though, coming to school was the only option left.

I figured you all would enjoy seeing pictures from the Chucheon trip.  I'll put a few of those in here for you to admire.  We had a lot of fun.

 This is a tunnel... with like 4 red buses in a convoy.  Koreans go through their mountains.

 This is a tunnel at night.  The longest tunnel took over 2 minutes to drive through.

 The rice is dried and ready to cut.

 This is a favorite picture I got.  The mountain has morning fog from the river.

 There was fighters up in the sky practicing their stunts...

 Hi there to myself.

 Where we at the famous chicken at.

 Backrow: Mindy and Willis.  Frontrow: Geoffrey, Vice Principle, Charles, Keith

 Charles and Willis...

 Geoffrey

 Our server preparing our chicken.  Heeku is in the background.

 Mindy

 Mindy

 Some trees are beginning to change color.

 At Chuncheon there is a dam that creates a mountain lake.

 We went on a small boat to the far side of the lake to visit a temple.

 Geoffrey's reaction to learning that the temple was a 2 km walk uphill.

 Mindy

 random resting cat

 graves

 creek

 Mindy

 Our group: Keith, Mindy, Willis, Vice Principle, Charles, and Geoffrey.

 creek

 Mindy

A princess... her story is in the picture below.

 A turtle rock... and the picture below explains it.

 A wonderfall.

 An explanation of the pond below.

 Finally made it to the temple: Charles, VP, Willis, Geoffrey, Keith, and myself.

 Back: Heeku, Geoffrey, Mindy, Keith.  Front: Charles, VP and Willis.

 Mindy

 Temple...

 Bell....

 Geoffrey running down some steps from where he had been.

 Up to in the rafters are prayers.  The entrance/exit is underneath.

 bridge....

 Dinner... or for us who need to distinction... supper.  Beef stew with rice.

This is tne Wonju SahmYook high school... and our competition.  The VP transferred from this school to our school.  It was impressive.  The roofs were completely solar-paneled.  There was an observation deck on the main building with an observatory.  So jealous.