first off, hooray for our new president! i walked into the teachers' room after my last class yesterday and i immediately heard matthew, a fellow teacher, yell, 'it's over! mccain already conceded!' i felt like i could have a glimmer of hope for america again. i also thought, 'sweet, i dont have to purposely avoid the united states for the next four years.' i smiled the entire bus ride home yesterday afternoon. i made sure to wear a bright blue button down yesterday, along with a little black vest, and of course my obama button. it was very political-esque. my students asked me a lot of questions about obama. the concensus among koreans (along with the rest of the world) is that obama is the man for the job. we can only wait and see. and hey, the country (and world) can't get much worse, can it? i hope not.
classes are going pretty well. i certainly do have my favorite class. it is a daily two-hour conversation class for a group of students who take six hours of english class a day. they are about an intermediate level and so chatty. i adore them and i adore going to that class. it is the first class i make lesson plans for and the class that i always leave from with a big smile on my face. i asked those students how to get to a store called home plus yesterday. they told me and then asked what i was going to buy. when i responded with, 'a dvd player,' one of my students said, 'no, i have one that i dont use, i will bring it tomorrow for you.' he refused to accept any money for it, so alas, i now have a region free dvd player that will play the hundred or so korean dvds i have in my place, along with my us dvds, which just happens to include all satc episodes. so the days that i am feeling blue, i now can watch carrie and the girls on a real dvd, rather than my computer.
still no phone, that should be set up within the week. my apartment is looking pretty nice, and it is very homey. ill finish some stuff up this weekend, but its pretty much set. i was taking a shower in my one room shower/toilet/sink bathroom, and i realized, wow, taking a shower in a room that has a drain in it is kinda of normal for me now. the first time i took a shower, i thought it was the most bizarre thing to not have a shower curtain. now its kinda normal. im getting used to putting on my sparkly blue hello kitty shower shoes. they nearly fit. i bought the biggest pair i could find at lotte mart. who wants hello kitty gear for christmas? squishy hello kitty toilet seat, anyone?
korea is getting a bit chilly, but im sure nothing like wisco. i leave my apartment every morning at 6 am (yes, that means that i get up at 4:40ish - this is wrong, as that is when i used to go to bed) to get to work around 6:25 so that i can finish making copies and prepping for class. i teach for six hours, with one break after the first two classes. by the time i am done, i am pooped and pretty much leave school immediately. i cant create lesson plans at school, too noisy and too many distractions for my brain. im starting to develop a system for creating lessons and im feeling a bit more organized, rather than just overwhelmed with everything. it is weird to think that tomorrow will be 3 weeks that ive been in korea. it actually feels like ive been here a lot longer.
more exciting adventures to come. my life has consisted of unpacking, cleaning, lesson planning, teaching, and not sleeping enough for the last week. once the particles settle, the fun will start to be had once again. can't wait for this first crazy month of teaching to be done....
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