So many kids at age 23!

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February 23rd 2009

Published: February 23rd 2009

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Miss G

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At an awesome restaurant! There was fountains and ponds and pillows everywhere

As most of you know, I celebrated my 23rd birthday on Friday in South Korea! Wow, I could not have asked for a better day. It truly was a great time. I got to school and was wished a great day by all of my staff. The parents of my students brought me in presents ranging from 6 free movie tickets to the theater in Suji, an awesome birthday cake from a bakery nearby, chanel lipstick, lotion, ect, ect...and my kids all made me birthday cards during "play time"...too cute!

The last half of the afternoon consisted of us eating cake and I bought pizzas for the kids-not just b/c it was my birthday but b/c we had just had Festival the day before (hence why all the kids are in the oddest looking outfits ever in some of the pictures---I didn't pick the costumes out!). Festival is a concert put on by the school once a year. I had been working on it with the kids the last 2 months I arrived in Korea and they had to sing a song and memorize different parts to a story-go to the civic center and perform it in front of all

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and good food :)

the Korean parents...a bit nerve racking! But they all did just fine--super cute to watch (mind you getting 10 five year olds to do this is not the most simple task).

The Korean staff then bought me yet another cake from a bakery nearby (cheesecake!) and gave me $40 in gift certificates to spend at the nearby Lotte (similar to Wal-Mart). That night a group of about 20-25 people I have met so far in Korea met up in Seoul to celebrate my birthday with me...it was so wonderful.

So, the new excitement here in Korea is that 4 of the foreign teachers at my school have fulfilled their contracts so we are getting 4 new teachers! They all just arrived today, and get this-I know 2 of the 4 of them already! A couple that arrived at our school I had met randomly in northern Thailand while traveling. Not even kidding you! We stayed at the same hostel one night and ate pizza and watched movies together. Not only that, the 3rd new teacher hired is from Minnesota...St. Clould Minnesota that is and went to high school at Cathedral and went to college at St. Johns! The

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out on the town with the girls

last random story of meeting people over here...a guy I met the night I watched the super bowl is friends with a guy I somewhat know from college (Ben Bina) and went to college with Megan Buysse (my college best friend Alison's best friend from high school). It is crazy... I seem to know everybody I meet through knowing someone else. I have also met a guy from Sauk Rapids since being here and a guy that dated a girl who lived on the same floor as me freshman year of college.

Wow, anyways, life is very normal in Korea. I honestly don't feel like I'm living any differently than I would be at home so I apologize for the lack of emails but I feel there's not a whole ton to talk about! I will send more once I start traveling when the weather warms up. I hope you enjoy the pictures of my kids!!!! Oh yes, there is also some pictures of a palace in Seoul that I went to 😊

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