And they are wearing me OUT! :)
I'll be sure to post about our adventures when I get some free time next week. They're here till Monday! So much to do, so little time!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Four recitals and no funerals (thus far)
Outside the school, a vendor set up to sell flowers and candy bouquets for families to give their little performers. Check out this baller Pikachu bouquet!
Upon arriving at school, the kids went to their classrooms where the teachers put them in elaborate hair, make-up, and costumes. The kids went back and forth from the auditorium to their classrooms and only met their parents after the show was completely over. It was a little bizarre. Even without the students and the recitals being split into thirds, the auditorium was packed. Some parents arrived more than THREE HOURS EARLY to save a spot.
The five year olds were definitely the cutest. The costumes for the first dance were a little ridiculous, but in a good way.
The fives' second set of costumes was much better, in my opinion.
Playing hand drums and dancing.
Another teacher and I made this huge lion for her play!
These are traditional Korean drums.
Playing xylophones and singing.
Ballet
So fun. So exciting. So glad it's over.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Happy Balentine's Day!
(Note: There is no /v/ sound in the Korean alphabet. They usually substitute the sound with /b/ or /p/ sound, so I heard "Happy Balentine's Day!" all day today!) Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!
And happy almost-end-of-the-term! In Korea, the school year is divided into two terms. The first term is from the beginning of March until mid-July; and the second is late-August until mid-February, with small breaks between terms. I'm excited because it means I'll get a few days off while my parents are here!
Right now however, we're all really stressed at school because the end-of-the-year recital is TOMORROW! Over the next two days (Friday and Saturday), our 11 kindergarten classes will each perform three unique pieces -- two in Korean and one in English -- for their parents and families. Then next Tuesday, our elementary students will each give a speech or perform in a play only in English. The preparation and pressure has been grueling. There is nothing more intimidating than an Asian mother with high expectations for her children.
So, my co-worker and I decided to use today to catch up on our fun-having with the elementary students! Yay Valentine's Day!
And happy almost-end-of-the-term! In Korea, the school year is divided into two terms. The first term is from the beginning of March until mid-July; and the second is late-August until mid-February, with small breaks between terms. I'm excited because it means I'll get a few days off while my parents are here!
Right now however, we're all really stressed at school because the end-of-the-year recital is TOMORROW! Over the next two days (Friday and Saturday), our 11 kindergarten classes will each perform three unique pieces -- two in Korean and one in English -- for their parents and families. Then next Tuesday, our elementary students will each give a speech or perform in a play only in English. The preparation and pressure has been grueling. There is nothing more intimidating than an Asian mother with high expectations for her children.
So, my co-worker and I decided to use today to catch up on our fun-having with the elementary students! Yay Valentine's Day!
We made heart-shaped hippos. They all turned into zombies along the way...
My favorite Valentine:
"Dear Mom, Dad
Thank my eat
very very I you love"
(The Korean writing says "omma," which is mom, and "appa," which is dad, and "sa rang hae yo," which is "I love you.")
A class picture from awhile ago that I forgot to post^^
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Gyeonbukgung, Daehak-ro, and makgeolli
After all the excitement of skiing and losing my wallet, I decided to take it a little easy last weekend and rented a movie Saturday night. I've also been fighting off a little cold for a few weeks, so I got some much-needed rest.
Sunday, I met my friend and her photography buddies at Gyeonbukgung Palace, which was first built in 1395, then restored in 1852, for a stroll around the palace grounds and some really good food. The palace is also connected to two museums -- the National Palace Museum and the National Folk Museum -- of which we visited the latter.
The palace was really beautiful, albeit freezing cold. After meandering about the palace grounds, then spending some time in the Folk Museum, we drove up a mountain to a small cafe.
Koreans spend so much time in cafes it's a little ridiculous. There are more than ten cafes within two minutes from my apartment. Throughout Korea, there are many types of cafes including dog and cat cafes where there are animals roaming around and you can buy food to entice them to play with you or just wonder about the sanitation quality of a dog cafe. Also, despite the overabundance of cafes, I've yet to see one empty -- in fact, most of the time they're quite full, illustrating my point that Koreans love cafes. Given how much the culture values community, I guess it shouldn't surprise me.
Anyway, we had some coffee/tea/hot chocolate, then spent way too long deciding where we should eat. My friend picked a famous burger place on Daehak-ro, which is a famous street in Seoul where one of the first universities was founded. It's now a strange melding of the past and present -- like much of Korea, and Seoul specifically. The restaurant was spectacular -- it even had a burger with gold leaf on it! My gold-less chicken sandwich was unbelievably good.
One way Korean "going out with friends" is different from American "going out with friends" is the constant moving of venues. In fact, they have specific words for this -- "ee-chon" means "second place," "sam-chon" means "third place," etc. -- which they will start saying/yelling when the current place starts losing its appeal. Our sam-chon was a makgeolli cafe. Oh, makgeolli.
Makgeolli is a traditional Korean rice wine that is white and milky, but tastes sweet. It's has a little more alcohol than your average beer, and is drank from small bowls or cups. The first time I had it, I was seriously grossed out, but it tends to grow on you, and there are many varieties to try (including the sweeter yellow kind pictured above with some delicious white kimchi).
It was a fun weekend, and I got plenty of rest for the week, which turned out to be a little crazy because my co-worker had the flu and was basically rendered useless all week. Hence, I ended up teaching a double load and only got sicker. Still, it was a good week, and today is my 6-month anniversary of being in Korea! I can't believe I'm already halfway through my contract! Time certainly flies.
Sunday, I met my friend and her photography buddies at Gyeonbukgung Palace, which was first built in 1395, then restored in 1852, for a stroll around the palace grounds and some really good food. The palace is also connected to two museums -- the National Palace Museum and the National Folk Museum -- of which we visited the latter.
The palace was really beautiful, albeit freezing cold. After meandering about the palace grounds, then spending some time in the Folk Museum, we drove up a mountain to a small cafe.
Koreans spend so much time in cafes it's a little ridiculous. There are more than ten cafes within two minutes from my apartment. Throughout Korea, there are many types of cafes including dog and cat cafes where there are animals roaming around and you can buy food to entice them to play with you or just wonder about the sanitation quality of a dog cafe. Also, despite the overabundance of cafes, I've yet to see one empty -- in fact, most of the time they're quite full, illustrating my point that Koreans love cafes. Given how much the culture values community, I guess it shouldn't surprise me.
Anyway, we had some coffee/tea/hot chocolate, then spent way too long deciding where we should eat. My friend picked a famous burger place on Daehak-ro, which is a famous street in Seoul where one of the first universities was founded. It's now a strange melding of the past and present -- like much of Korea, and Seoul specifically. The restaurant was spectacular -- it even had a burger with gold leaf on it! My gold-less chicken sandwich was unbelievably good.
One way Korean "going out with friends" is different from American "going out with friends" is the constant moving of venues. In fact, they have specific words for this -- "ee-chon" means "second place," "sam-chon" means "third place," etc. -- which they will start saying/yelling when the current place starts losing its appeal. Our sam-chon was a makgeolli cafe. Oh, makgeolli.
Makgeolli is a traditional Korean rice wine that is white and milky, but tastes sweet. It's has a little more alcohol than your average beer, and is drank from small bowls or cups. The first time I had it, I was seriously grossed out, but it tends to grow on you, and there are many varieties to try (including the sweeter yellow kind pictured above with some delicious white kimchi).
It was a fun weekend, and I got plenty of rest for the week, which turned out to be a little crazy because my co-worker had the flu and was basically rendered useless all week. Hence, I ended up teaching a double load and only got sicker. Still, it was a good week, and today is my 6-month anniversary of being in Korea! I can't believe I'm already halfway through my contract! Time certainly flies.
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