Counting down the days....

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Well, only 3 days left! I think this is a good thing, because there are two kids here that I'm ready to throttle....One threw a chocolate milk box at another kid at dinner tonight. Nice. He's actually somewhat defiant which I find surprising for this culture.

Erika and I have firmed up some of our travel plans. We're heading to Busan Friday night on the bullet train (we'll see how it compares to the TGV) and then staying there until mid-afternoon Sunday. Sunday we're flying to Jeju Island and staying there for a few days. We decided to fly out instead of the ferry because the cost isn't too bad (under $100 CDN) and it's an hour flight. We had thought about taking the overnight ferry, but then from what I read online and in my guidebook, it's a nasty ride. Squat toilets, poop and pee everywhere, and no chairs to sit on. NO THANKS! I'll spend the extra $30 and take a plane, thank you very much! Not to mention the fact that if we were to take the train, we'd have to leave at 7:30am, and get to the ferry port closer to the island around 4pm, and then take the ferry! Not the best way to spend the day. At least this way we're there earlier and get to explore the island. I'm looking forward to it because there are lava tubes and craters on the island, and apparently lots of strange looking sculptures. Should be interesting! Check out the link for some quick pics... http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/Cheju

We've also been trying to put together a teacher act for the farewell party. Two teachers have rewritten lyrics to songs that apparently are popular but since I'm not a fan of musicals, I'm not familiar with them. Maybe one day I'll have to watch The Sound of Music.... Nah.

We have our speech contest tomorrow and the only kid who actually wrote her own speech in my class is competing. I can't believe that they are having the beginners compete with those who have had 6 years of classes, or who have lived in the States for a year. Not a level playing field! I hope that she does okay and doesn't get too freaked out. I was impressed that she added her own sentences to the model that I gave the rest of the class! That will take most of the morning, so I hope the kids are able to sit quietly and not fall asleep. Actually, for some, that might be better..... :D

Our final group presentation is on Friday (I think) and two other classes plus my own are presenting a very primary song which has animals, animal noises and actions. Some are reluctant to present, but what else could they do? Not one of the three classes has anyone who speaks or understands English well. It's sort of a "There's a chicken on the farm, the chicken goes Bok Bok Bok" etc with repetition of all the animals that go before and actions. Silly, but at least they're moving....

It was SO hot again today! I think with the humidity it had to have been at least 40C. I think I had heard a high of 34C today before adding in the humidity. I heard that we're in the middle of a heat wave, seeing as it's currently 28C outside right now (11pm) and with humidity that's 31C. HOT! Jeju Island

Anyway, that's it for now. Only 3 more days left and then I'm off traveling!!!!

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Photos

Teaching
Here I am teaching about Canadian money. Not the greatest angle....