It's Tuesday, and it's already been a long week. This weekend, I went out with some friends in Seoul and got to eat a lot of good food including more Korean barbecue and North Korean-style noodles called naengmyeon. Overall, I think naengmyeon was a totalitarian success: the cold broth dictated the great flavor of the dish while the beef violently oppressed the crunchiness of the pears. The meal was a little short for my taste, though...
Since my friends were older and preferred lesser-known places, we spent Saturday evening jumping from bar to restaurant, eating and drinking like only Koreans can. They also took me to a traditional Korean market where so many people were gathered with the same mission. It was nice to have three Korean tour guides, as opposed to just trying to figure things out.
After such a nice weekend, Monday was a bit rough. The kids all seemed to have their heads on backwards after our two-day week. This was especially true for the elementary students because another teacher and I put on a Quiz Bowl activity day for them on Friday.
We spent the past month preparing for the Quiz Bowl by each focusing on one storybook; mine was The Lion and the Mouse, based on Aesop's fable. Then on Friday, we played a total of four games with the two classes combined. It was a lot of fun, but very exhausting at the same time and it thrust the kids out of their routines, which I think we're paying for now.
Teaching in general seems to be getting more stressful. I'm not sure if I'm putting more pressure on myself or if the kids are just getting used to me or what, but it's been a tough few days at the front of the classroom. One of the most difficult things for me is just having a clear goal in mind. I have no idea what my endgame is at this school or with these classes. Hopefully this week I can take a beat to figure that out and refocus my energy and my lessons.
In other news, my school signed a contract for a new apartment for me! My water has been acting up since I got here, and we've been going back and forth with the landlord about what the issue is so they decided just to end the lease and move me. I'm excited to move -- I'll be in a building with two of the other teachers -- but nervous for any new problems it might bring. I guess we'll see on Monday when I move!
I'm also looking forward to this weekend because I'm going back down to Gwangju for the Kimchi World Culture Festival! Yay kimchi!
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