3-26-15 #Thanks20 and Strong Minds

10 PM:

Life is good and I'm so happy.

Though I keep quite busy, getting lessons done and prepped ahead of time, making sure my ducks are in a row. Here's some notes I made on Wednesday:

221. Lavender sweater for today! Soft and sweet.

222. Pretty purple turtleneck, bright.

223. Being told that I look like a deer, and learning that that is a compliment--it means to look wide-eyed and innocent.

224. Changho asking if I feel better today, after noting that I had a sore throat yesterday.

225. Mr. B giving me an even nicer class list than I had before--this time, complete with like green carry-folder.

226. Eggs for lunch. I go so crazy for protein.

227. Plenty of Pocari to drink when I'm thirsty--soothes those final bits of sore throat.

228. Realizing that I am in God's debt, and he is not in mine.

229. the book, The Undercover Economist, my current nonfiction read.

230. Sound of gentle silence in the office--this too, is home.

231. 3rd graders being unexpectedly delightful.

232. Plenty of tissues when you need tissues.

233. Frank Sinatra songs. I'm quite nostalgic for eras I've never lived in.

11:40 AM

Class 3-5, 3-6 was bountifully splendid. I walked in the for and they were all waiting to pounce and scare me, which for them was clearly a gesture of massive affection.

It set the mood perfectly. I was grinning from the begging of class onward. My boys. They know they're loved.

And I need to take a moment of appreciation for Mr. B, too. In the past I feel like I've complained about him some, but he now let's me call the roll in class because he knows that I'm trying to learn the new kids names and visual confirmation helps so much.

Also, he's been doing the dialogues with me in front of the kids, helping me demonstrate the pieces they're supposed to memorize. It's very effective and it was his idea, too--he's been a big blessing already this semester.

My friend SY came by my desk--she said she's worried about me because of my isolated position, but she concluded that I'm ultimately alright because I have a bright face and strong mind, she said.

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3-21-15 Best First Saturday Class Evarrrrr....

6:30 PM    Had a GRAND day with the Saturday English class.

I was under the impression that I had to get the introductory speech at our assembly, so I was really stressed about that, but it turned out that I didn't have to. Relief! I simply had to be present at the ceremony, which only involved smiling and waving.

My Hyunseo was the student representative for the kids, so he had to present the Vice Principal with a document and say some kind of "swearing in" pledge for all the kids entering the program. I told him he did a great job and that he had a really cool voice. He said, "I know."


I knew I was going to do a serious/interesting film discussion on the first half of Pride and Prejudice with the kids, but I was stressed about what exactly I'd talk about, I had an hour and a half between commencement and when I needed to start teaching, so I took that time to sling together a really cool outline of what I wanted to talk about.

Because I wanted to strike the right balance of discussing serious thematic stuff like Marriage, Finances, Social Hierarchy, the Importance of Manners, etc. and also making it fun and funny.

 

It succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.

The kids were the best audience ever. In the history of life. They kept laughing and answering questions and they were easily like my American kids back home. Our literature classes were always informative and funny and stunning, and this was just the same.

One of the girls had read Pride and Prejudice translated in Korean, so she knew the plot well. The other kids had no clue, but I was shocked by how invested in the story they were. The boys didn't know that they were supposed to have an innate male resistance to Jane Austen, so they were all up in it. (And now that I think of it, my own dad, who's one of the manliest men I know, has always liked Jane Austen, and I always admired him for it.)

We wrote essays at the end, and it was great. My next class with them, we'll watch the other half of the movie, and they're looking forward to it. I am, too. I just fed them Oreos today, but I might spring for for-reals baking next time.

I asked my JH about how he liked being a 2nd-grader. He immediately started talking about his homeroom teacher, NG. I didn't realize that JH was addressing a complaint rather than a positive attribute when he said, "You know, NG is very chic". I agreed and said he was a really cool person. JH looked confused, so later I looked up the definition of "chic" for Koreans--it doesn't mean fashionable, polished, sophisticated, like it does in English and French. It has some of that connotation, but it more commonly means "cold" or "stand-offish". 

So that's a little sad, that NG's not showing his warm side to JH yet. JH is made of hearts and moonbeams--he's designed to love and be loved, and I know his homeroom teacher last year (Adorable History Teacher, who moved to the boys' high school this semester), really showed him the kind of sweetness and appreciation that built up his spirit.

I saw Sangbin again, which was great. I love him so much and since he lived in America, i can be slightly sarcastic with him and he gets it and thinks it's funny. He asked if the 6 giant boxes of Oreos on my desk were for them, and I said no, they were my lunch because this is what Americans eat, and didn't he remember our lifestyle? He died over that one.

My and JY went out for lunch, along with Jung-Y Teacher, a math teacher who is a very nice girl (she's one of the people from my October vacation, though I haven't talked to her much since). We had good convo, mostly in Korean. It's good practice for me.

Got my  nails done! Which was a tremendous relief, since I haven't had them done since November. Too long to go without cute nail art! :-)

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3-20-15 Late #Thanks19, From Thursday

9:20 PM

Yesterday, my internet was not working too well, so I couldn't post anything. This is Thursday's stuff. I continue to not quite get enough sleep, but to still love my life and gratefully accept all that God offers.

From Thursday:

211. Sunny days after a deluge of rain.

212. Surprise ddeok from the new teachers, a little variety box showing just how diverse a food rice cake can be.

213. Hyunseo, just everything about my Hyunseo. So smart, so sweet, so clever. I'm lucky to teach him twice a week.

214. Orange flavored vitamin water. Are there any vitamins in you? I know not. For my part, I care not, for thou art delicious.

215. I-Love-Yous from Yeonghan, who first said he loved me two years ago, and who has always meant it, and always been a bright spot in every day.

216. SG, willing to go fetch the 3rd grade kids for me when they were confused about where they should be for class. Her willingness to help.

217. Getting to talk with a friend last night, realizing that so many of her concerns echo my own. Being able to offer her counsel and consolation because I've be been there.

218. Having strong arms, lean and steely and ready for anything! I feel like I could scale a wall, honestly.

219. My keychain, a length of ribbon with my USB, computer key, door key, and a silver cross pendant on it.

220. Anticipating my lunchtime walk with JY, since we have ample sunshine and balmy, breezy weather to enjoy.

그대여 나와 함께 해주오 이 봄이 가기 전에
Be with me before the spring ends

11 AM: Gyuseong walked me to school this morning. He's a 3rd grader with surprisingly good English, who hangs out with Jeongminnie often. we discussed whether I'll be playing board games with the k the is at lunch time again this year. I think I should start.

Had Gyuseong in class today actually, a Giant Class of 3rd-graders where there are the grips combined into one. They were my first class that was not really fun. They weren't bad, just not enjoyable in the way that the other kids tend to be.

We'll just give it time! I'm sure they'll get more awesome with time--our first day was just a little confusing because they came to class late and didn't have their levels sorted yet.

Came downstairs to find Hyunseop, Sanghyeop, and Boulder Minsu talking animatedly with JY, and they were talking about me. Turned out, they were requesting to be taught by me since they dropped to C level, which is not where they want to be.

I've got one more class today--little 1st grades, which should be grand. Then I've got tomorrow, which is very very super full, and I've got stuff on the weekend, too.

Saturday class starts in two days, and I've got a fun lesson prepped for that. Then Sunday is preschool (Yoochiboo!) stuff at 11, go home then English worship at 4. Our new English pastor asked if I'd be part of the leadership and I said I would, so there's fellowship after the service, then leaders' stuff after that.

And I want to help, but the idea does occur to me that I'm really losing my sleep-in mornings. But Saturday class is only once a month, and it's not like I want to quit Yoochiboo teaching just because it means waking up slightly later.

It also occurs to me that when I become a parent, that may be the end of sleep-in days, period. Is it? Children=no more late mornings ever? Do I represent the end of my mother's rest? The nap stops here.

2:30 PM  Last class over. They were SG's kids, some of them and I seriously very very much like this crew. I'm having a little trouble with my co for this class, though? She's Mr. B's substitute and I can't quite jive with her style of class management (introductory speech to the kids about how their first infraction of the rules meant a warning, second infraction meant getting hit with the stick).

Which might have just been a speech with no intent to actually follow through, but it felt bad. It also got the kids dead quiet and stiff and worried when I wanted them to be opening their minds and unlocking their mouths to try a difficult and daunting language.

Anywhee, things ended up fine. She sat in the back and let me do my thing, and the kids left smiling. Right now my question is,  can I or should I ask JY to let me teach these classes on my own?

I've had many classes to handle solo in the past, so I'm fairly confident I can do it, plus these children know me enough to have an idea of my character--I don't believe they'll be a problem.

At lunchtime, I got to see Hyo a bit because he and I went upstairs to watch Gyuseong and Jeongminnie play chess. Hyo gates teased for walking with me, and now he's big enough to at least hit people for talking smack. I let him do it. I don't know how bad his situation might have been in the past or how it's affecting the present.

Now that its truly spring, the problem of 3rd graders and shirts, or the lack thereof, has again returned.  On my way to my last class, Soonhyuk was pulling on a shirt in the hallway instead of in his classroom. When he saw me coming, he lifted the shirt back up and asked, "best body,  right?" I told him that he was very strong and special. Hopefully, that one compliment will hold him, and we won't have to repeat this after every soccer practice.

Did I mention taking out a college friend of mine for coffee the other night? I met her at church and even though she's just here in Korea for one semester, she seemed well worth friending.

And it was fun for me, being the unnie again--the big sister. She's 20 and I'm 28, which was almost exactly the age spread between me and one of my best friends at home. we actually complemented each others traits pretty well. Around college students, I'm suddenly this seasoned veteran who knows stuff about Life and How Things Work. and I feel refreshed by her new happy-wonderment view of the world.

My dad sent me an email, encouraging me to ask God to show me things when I read the Bible. my first reaction was that that seems unlikely. I don't know why I look for and fully expect God to reveal things to me from things that friends say or things I read elsewhere, but I notably don't expect the Bible to do the same?   huh.  It's worth exploring. And I miss my Daddy,  I really do.

3:40 PM.  Okay, first thing I read in the bible was randomly assigned to me by a bible app--Joshua chapter 1. It's all this stuff about "every place the sole of your foot shall step, that have I given you" and "I will never fail thee or forsake thee" and "be thou very courageous" and "turn not aside (from the law) to the left hand or the right."

It was kind of splendid and scary. It was written about the Israelites occupying a country, but I feel like it has some application for me in my new place, too. Or is it silly to think that? I prayed for God to show me something in his word, and then I flipped open a bible so and THIS came out. Is it foolish to trust that process? I don't know. But I think those verses are encouraging.

3-18-15 #Thanks18

201. Emailing my tutor, who is moving away, with a million nonsensical Korean questions, knowing she'll know exactly what I mean.

202. Cute little self-made bookmark, from an aquarium brochure, cut into the shape of a seal.

203.  Cool rainy morning with just a nice inbetween amount of wind. In the words of Percy Shelly, oh wind if winter comes can spring be far behind?

204. Navy and white polka dot dress, layered under a maroon sweater, neat as can be.

205. My sweet 2ndChanhee, yelling a greeting so I would come look at his hurt foot.

206. Rows of perfectly ordered desks

207. Looking forward to the Saturday classes and what I'll do with the advanced kids.

208. 1st-grades happily staring at me through the glass of the English room door. For behold, I am exciting and rare, like an albino squirrel.

209. Laughing with 3rd graders over little things.

210. Knowing the truth of salvation, that I've been saved and that I'm always loved.

11:30 AM   First class went fine. 3rd graders were charming and funny, and they think I'M funny, because most of them have never had me in class before, though I was excited to see several of my B-levels from last year moved up to where I am.

My awesome Hyunshik kept telling me, "eoryeowo..." "It's hard..." because honestly, being A-level can be a pain. The work is harder. But I alleviated it by playing them the Chronicles of Narnia at the end, a chance for all of us to kick back and have more fun.

The 1st-graders across the hall from the English room (class10) are officially getting proactive in regards to making my acquaintance. Earlier this morning, one of them named Ruk came into the room while I was talking to Jeongminnie. he introduced himself and smiled a lot, then after my last class left, he came back by again.

Ruk mainly wanted to ask how I spelled my name and to deliver a love confession in Korean. It was very respectful and nicely-worded, so I was impressed.  We left the classroom and as I was locking up, I heard Ruk's tiny-tiny compatriots in class 10 demand a progress report from him. "You didn't even get a kiss?" asked one child, who was almost small enough to fit in my backpack. I had no idea such things were even being dreamt of. What DOES run through the brain of a 1st grader?

12:30 PM    Hyo came by after lunch, to watch a movie with me, but I had to send him off with just some candy because I'm not really set up for having students visit.

Yunho is now almost-blocking me in the hallway. He walks up and parks himself like he's not going to move, them dances out of the way right before I have to push him. I remember back when he was little baby Governor Yunho in 1st grade, so small and bossy. He was a doll in class 9, with Deokrong and Criminal Beomjoon and Woohyuk and Laryngitis Seonghoon. How much they grow. 

3:15 PM. Had another good 3rd grade class. 3-1,3-2 were wonderful, very chant and jokey. Just my style. Happy times!

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3-17-15 Ponytails and #Thanks17

191. Green grape candies from my new 1st grade student Gyeongcheol. I noticed his smartness in class and at the end, as everybody lined up to get goodbye high-fives, he placed a couple of candies in my hand and said "seonmul!" Or "present!"

192. 1st-graders not wanting to leave class when it's over, saying "do we HAVE to go?"

193. Ponytailed hair, a nice change for the middle of the week.

194. Knowingly the Korean word for "" sleigh"--seolmae.

195. Little pink note-papers taped all over my text books, notes to myself.

196. Having a moisturized face , which made it through winter without chafing, chapping or cracking.

197. White marker board entirely filled up with my writing from class.

198. Knowing the school like the back of my hand, which stairs lead where, which rooms contain whom.

199. The serene in between moments.

200. Switching out my old book for a new book.

11 AM. Nice day, good morning classes, beautiful children.

1:30  PM.  JY has a long day ahead of her--6 classes, like my Monday, because she has to do extra to make up for going to Seoul that one day last week.

Went to the special needs room and Youngminnie was there! I knew he had autism, but SG said she didn't think he was participating in any of the special-needs activities. So it was nice for me to see him.

As soon as I walked in, he did his usual salute.  it involved standing up and saying in Korean,  "attention!  And now we greet. Peace be with you..." It's technically what the kids are supposed to do when their teachers enter their class the first week, but Youngminnie does it all the time and doors or solo, without the aid of a whole class to back him up.

And this time I was ready for his super-formal lunch question, because I had studied up. He asked the Korean equivalent of, "milady, hast thou or hast thou not dined already." And I answered with, "Yes, I hath dined."

Then I hugged him before going over to sit with Dohyun, our student with cerebral palsy. We held hands and talked about his new homeroom teacher and the nice warm weather we've had today.

5PM: Worth noting that I wore my hair in a ponytail today and everybody went nuts. JY told me it looked great and she never discusses my appearance, the kids remarked on it often, and Euiseon had a come-apart in class trying with great zeal to convince me that poinytails are the way to go in the future: "Teacher...hairstyle up? Yes, this. Better. Best hairstyle, yes." On the walk home, one kid (who I don't even know) yelled, "You are SO CUTE." in formal Korean. Maybe it's a look I ought to repeat, in that case.

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3-16-15 Archdukes and #Thanks16

7 PM:  Things I'm thankful for and what I did today:

181. My half-dry hair, changing colors from dark to light.

182. Broccoli in the fridge, greens on the stove.

183. A new English teacher saying my Korean pronunciation is excellent, like native speaker level.

184. Handshakes from half a million first-graders who have decided that hand-shaking is a very exciting short of thing to do.

185. Some of my B-level boys from last year moving up to A-level in the 3rd grade, so I get to have them in class. Chanhee, Changhee, and Daejeong.

186. New 3rd grade teacher at lunch, being pleasant and kind. New acquaintances are always welcome.

187. JY translating helpful phrases for me. Learned how to say, "how do they feel about each other" and "he feels guilty", all related to the Chronicles of Narnia film.

188. Solid sweet lemon candy, just on the verge of crunching.

189. SG's student, baby Youngminnie, asking me if I've had lunch, in the most formal language imaginable.

190. Breathing room, thanks to a sudden fire drill scheduled for this afternoon, I've got a wee bit of a rest--5 classes instead of 6. It's peaceful.

1:50 PM.  Doing all right! Got through 4 classes fine and now I've got a breather before my convo class.

I just finished reading a book called "An Abundance of Katherine's" and in this book, a bunch of wacky things happen, but one of them is that a couple of teenage boys go on a road trip that culminates in their finding a town in Tennessee which is the surprising final resting place of Franz Ferdinand.

Except it's not. This novel had me soooooo  perfectly convinced that the final resting place of Archduke Franz Ferdinand--he whose fateful assassination kick-started the World War 1--was somehow magically in Tennessee, but it's not. He's interred in an Austrian castle, like any respectable archduke would be.

Goes to show just how much fiction can affect real life. It actually reminds me of my dad's advice to read the bible for myself when I was younger. Because before you know it, you can rely on hearsay as fact; you'll can accept the word of preachers and teachers as if it was the actual word of God.

I recall a few times over the years hearing a message from a minister that contained something that was flat-out not in the bible. Most cases, I believe these were mistakes or oversights with no ill intent, but they sure SOUNDED accurate, so I would have beloved them if I hasn't checked the facts for myself.

Lessons learned: People are fallible. God's word is not. And the Archduke is not buried in Tennessee.

3-15-15 Shopping Expedition and #Thanks15

2 AM:

Just now getting to sleep because I spent Saturday in Seoul, doing Spring shopping. Then when i came back to town at night, I needed to go out with a friend whose pet died. It's important to be with people when they're hurting. She and I went for late-night kimbap, then coffee, and I'm convinced that she's doing well.

Here's my thanks from Friday and today (Saturday), and some notes from Class on Friday and shopping today.

171. Busker-Busker songs in almost-spring. They're a Korean indie band known for their springtime songs and we are So. Close. To that time of year.

172. Walking to school with a new 1st-grader, Jinman, who made lovely conversation.

173. JY being back today--that neighboring desk feels more homey with her here.

174. My thumb joints. There's just something interesting about thumbs and their two hinge points, not three. 3-13-15

175. Subway for Myeongdong arriving just in time.

176. Sleepy train cars, full of peace.

177. Other women wearing cute shoes. Surprisingly, I'm happy just to see quality footwear on anybody--unique boots, shiny heels, etc.

178. A store with a lot of Jean fabric referring to it's upstairs stock of pants as "The Denim Bar".

179. Dresses on the rack, trimmed in lace and frills.

180. Western-ish fare for lunch, hamburger steak and fries. 

                              3-14-15

Friday, 9 AM

Happy morning! Saw Yunho in the hallway and he walked toward me with one hand raised in a curved pose that I recognized--half of a heart. I quickly figured out the counter-sign and touched his hand with my own half-heart as we passed, neatly as if we'd practiced it.

A minute later, I passed Soonhyuk, who looked upset and demanded in Korean, "with Yunho, did you do this, this, this?" He held up a half-heart hand and pointed to a smiling Yunho down the

hall. I said I had and Soonhyuk stomped off to say something fussy to Yunho.

On the walk to school, I had a really nice talk with one of SG's homeroom boys, Jinman, who stayed by my side for a long time and was excellent company.

Got 5 classes today-- 3 regular, then lunch, followed by 2 conversation classes, but I quite look forward to it--I'm privileged to get to do it.

Saturday, 1 PM: I was standing at the train station platform in my home town, reading "Catcher in The Rye," as I waited for the train. It's a book about a teenage boy who can't connect with anybody--he keeps trying to talk to people, and nobody listens or truly sees him, no matter how hard he tries.

I nearly jumped a foot off the ground when I heard a voice directly behind me say, "Spoilers; nobody talks to him."  It was one of my guy-friends in town, who had managed to sneak up and wittily comment on my literary selection instead of just saying "boo". It was a pretty awesome moment, I have to say.

 And my shopping expedition to Myeongdong is going well. I like wading through the aisles and racks to find MY colors, patterns, fabrics, cuts. It's soothing.