Not having internet makes updating this a pain. It took longer than I expected to move into my new place, which happened finally on Wednesday, and I've been too busy learning CDI structure and setting up my crib to ask the school about helping me to set up my own internet account. I'm kind of using February as my irresponsibility month, which I think is perfectly acceptable and I will freely pass on the torch of not-having-to-do-anything-but-live-in-Korea to the newcomers next month.
As I spend a good portion of my teaching encouraging students to identify a topic and main idea, I feel the need to include that here: My first two weeks in Suji have been a wonderful, and relieving, adventure full of good food, fantastic friends, and fun students. Be sure to underline the topic, main idea, major supporting details, and the minor details within each paragraph - also don't forget to circle transitions!
Each night, a good chunk of the staff (and with an 8-person staff, it's still a pretty small chunk) go out to dinner together, and this month will bring the departure of two of the key players of our nightly dinner rituals. These are the guys who've introduced me to such foods as chicken galbi (totally unsure of that spelling), pork bone soup (not my favorite at all, but worth the ehhhhh for that place's _fantastic_ kimchi!), bulgogi dobap, bibimbap in the stone bowl, the Korean version of fried chicken (which is quite similar to the American version), dopoki, and donkasu (again, totally not sure of the spelling of the last two...but I think the fact that I remembered them (!!!!!) should be celebrated as my coworkers have been incredibly patient with having to always reexplain what I'm eating!). Eating out here is so cheap - I think my most expensive Korean meal has been the equivalent of $5. Well, let me be a bit more specific: Korean food is cheap; American food is insanely expensive. Coffee shops are a good 20% more expensive than in America, and American restaurants are insane! Lisa - my HI - and I went to On the Border on a Mexican food craving, and things were about twice as much as they were at the OtB's in the States - plus they tack on this foreign tax..
Although, Suji is kind of the shaft when it comes to apartments, I totally lucked out with coworkers. They're all freaking awesome and, the best part, like to do things together (though, apparently this is new). Friday night, most of us gathered at Jen's and post-dinner snacked. It was a nice contrast to the staff breakroom. Somehow, I became the expert on how to prepare whipped cream (yeah, those of you who know me see the irony in this ;)), but it turned out, so I think I'll continue to let everyone assume that I know what I'm talking about when it comes to preparing milk products. Aaron brought these fantastic cookies and I'm refusing to ask him what they're called lest I purchase a giant package everyday.
Last weekend, two coworkers rescued me from purgatory in Suji and took me to Seoul. Saturday, Lisa and I had a girl's day at COEX mall as I decided that I really needed a handbag (do not ask why I didn't pack mine - I'm still confused as to what I was thinking when I was packing my suitcase). We searched all over the mall and eventually found one when we stopped at E-Mart on the way home. The day wasn't a total loss, though - there were lots of cute guys AND we found an On the Border. Expensive as all get out, but we found reasonable combo meals. I miss Mexican food soooooo much. On the subway back to Suji, we randomly got into a car that also contained one of my training buddies! It was so weird - out of all the subways in Seoul... Sunday, I was much more traditional with my Korean experience - Ben took me to a few street shopping districts near the Women's University in Seoul. I took pictures, which I promise to upload!! (Yes, I know I haven't been good on that promise..) That was the day I officially discovered street food, much to my mother's chagrin. When I am more confident in my Korean, I want to go back and look through the stalls for gloves and scarves.
To fund these shopping habits (including a very bad Lotte Mart hat addiction), I get to spend 6 hours a day with students who were *nothing* like I expected. I'm going to go ahead and break down stereotypes: Korean students are just as lazy as American kids, and many misbehave just as much, too. However, unlike Americans, they haven't really discovered the opposite gender...actually, the female students are usually my favorites (it was so opposite in America). They are the ones who usually find the right answer and participate the most. I often make reference to my "Birdie girls" - two classes of elementary students in what CDI labels the "Birdie" level (the easiest way to put this is to say that they are in the middle of the highest tier). They are the ones who have fun with the class and like to talk to me over break. One of my Birdie classes has decided that it's their job to teach me Korean so that I can read restaurant menus - they taught me the spelling for "bibimbap" and next week will teach me "bulgogi dobap". The middle school boys are one of two personalities: either they don't talk _at all_ or they do everything they can to cause mischief. One boy reminds me so much of the type of student I'd find in America that I sometimes forget that he is Korean. The elementary boys are more fun - they like to shout out answers and play hangman.
It freaking snowed last weekend and now I have to put forth a lot of effort at thinking about not falling. I tempted fate the other day when I slid (on purpose) across the basketball court that I cross on the way home from my apartment, as afterward I slid on accident and almost fell (and possibly would've brought Lisa down with me - I told her that if I fall, she's falling, too).
Must prep. Am an idiot and forgot to print out the teacher guide - I never use it except for the answer key to the exercises. I'm such a bad English major - I don't even know the correct answers to exercises made for middle schoolers!!
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You'll get used to the snow, it doesn't take much effort. Although, you may still fall when trying to intentionally slide on ice, I know I've done that more than my fair share of times. At that point, you spread out as wide as you can once you fall to make it look like it was intentional, and that you were trying to slide around like a penguin.
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