Blogs from South Korea, Asia - page 382

(Jen writing) Well, I've had quite a bit of fun scaring innocent Korean people. I did it again at school last week. I was headed to class and my students will usually come get me if I'm not there exactly when class starts. I was at the head of the stairs and could hear them running to the stairwell to come down and get me. I stopped at the corner and jumped out toward them to find that it was one of the Korean teachers. I felt so bad that I had scared her! Once she realized what happened she started laughing really hard, but I still felt bad about it. I haven't been trying to scare anyone lately.... As we've mentioned time and time again, for whatever reason we are quite the novelty here. No ... read more

(Jeremy writing)-First, a quick story that relates to cultural observations. The people here, as mentioned, think we are quite the novelty. They openly stare and talk about us, although we have no idea what they are saying. I tend to think they are saying, "What a handsome couple. Perhaps they are movie stars shooting a new Hollywood film." At any rate, another thing they are always amazed by is our language. When people hear us before they see us they always kind of jump-as if our English is abrasive to their ears. So bearing that in mind, the story: We live in a tower that has four elevators. Sometimes, if two elevators arrive at the same time, Jen and I will hop on different ones and race. About a week ago, we began our race and ... read more

(Jen writing) This week really flew by. Now that I've gotten to know my students better and I have a better grasp of their abilities, time is flying by. I'm really enjoying teaching and I really like my kids. Now that we've had six weeks to get to know each other, classes are a lot more fun. When we have behavior problems, we're told to stick the children out in the hallway and have them stand up against the wall with their hands over their head. This is what all the Korean teachers do and it appears this and calling their parents is the only forms of punishment they use. Most of the boys, especially the older ones, find this form of punishment to be a joke. Luckily we don't have too many problems in class. ... read more

Well, Jeremy has touched on most everything that's happened in our lives. The personal space thing is definitely taking some getting used to. Every where I go I get touched. Especially, at school. My kindergarten is out of control. They poke me everywhere and when I inquired about it to the staff, they told me that is a compliment and they like me. (Thanks for the help!) Teachers day was really nice. All the children's mothers brought in food and bought us presents. Some of them were rather generous, while others were interesting. Socks are a very popular choice. Jeremy received two lovely pairs of baby blue and gray print ones. He wears them nonstop. The flowers here are packaged very differently than in the U.S. Roses and carnations come armed with more taffeta and ruffles ... read more

Busy is the word so far. We are busy each second of each day, but once our laptop comes (Thanks Mom and Dad!) we will be able to post from home. Quick update though: This weekend was spent lounging around for the most part. On Saturday we went to a bar on a local beach with a couple of new Canadian friends. The weather wasn't great, but the company was! We then went to a bookstore and got some books (Angels and Demons is great!) and then on to Pizza Hut. I am dying here without my pizza, so sweet Jen came along and humored me. Don't ask how much we spent on a large pepporoni it was crazy! When we get back if you want to give me a homecoming gift take me to Papa ... read more