English Festival

So the last week in April and the 1st few days of May have proved to be rather exciting at Jangdang Elementary School. It all started when Hanna asked me to host an English festival because a lot of the parents were upset that their children were not being taught by the "native" English teacher. Now, please keep in mind that I teach mostly 5th and 6th grade students. I have six 5th grade classes which have 25 students in each class and I teach six 6th grade classes that have the same amount of children in those classes. You do not have to be a math wiz to figure out that I see about 300 kids a week a there are 1500 children that attend Jangdang Elementary School. Silly me what was I thinking? I actually thought I was teaching a lot of students, the parents would say other wise I guess lol.

Some may ask, what exactly does an English festival consist of well apparently, it has games, songs, candy and 75 CHILDREN at once in class that is meant to hold 50 people max! Over all the English festival was a success, the parents were happy and children were thrilled. I started the festival out by teaching the children the song, "The Wheels on the Bus". Next we played a game called the "Golden Bell Game" where each child got a dry erase board, dry erase marker and an eraser. The students were asked question via a PowerPoint presentation and had to put the correct answer on the board, those with the incorrect answer where "out" of the game. Korean children are EXTREMELY competitive and do not, and I repeat DO NOT like to lose. Kids were crying and acting a fool because the winners got gift cards. After the game we made fake Easter eggs, the original plan was to have the children decorate Easter eggs, but one of the parents said that the dye would get into the egg because the shell of an egg is living and would poison the children! I did not have the patience to explain that the children would be fine so we just decorated paper eggs and gave the kids hard-boiled non decorated eggs. We decorated the eggs with sentences about Easter and spring in order to integrate writing into the festival. After the festival I was exhausted but over all it was a huge success! My bosses and more importantly the parents where impressed.
Still Seoul Searching...

Strawberry Fest :)

The last week or so have been weeks of randomness lol. I think it all started at the strawberry festival 2 weeks ago. So we were asked if we wanted to go to a strawberry festival with a friend here. I really did not want to go but, I didn't want her to go by herself. I mean I can find rather tasty strawberries right down the street, hell right across the street. I should have known it was going to a crazy day based upon our bus ride there. So, the 3 of us purchase bus tickets, walk to platform 16 as stated on our ticket and get in line to get on the bus. As the driver opens the door mad people start pushing to get on the bus, after we fight our way on we then make our way to find seats. So we get the LAST 3 seats on the bus and notice there are about 5 people who have to stand for the hour ride ( so happy that wasn't me). Carm and Marquita are seated in two seats in front of me and I am sitting in an aisle seat when this woman takes it upon herself to plop her butt down damn near on my lap! I mean she is sitting on my armrest with her back leaned against my shoulder! I was so HOT, lady you have 2.5 seconds to get out of my personal space, not to mention it was hot as hell on that bus!

So we are riding and get to the stop, but it is not where we were trying to go. The festival was in Nomsan and we were NOT in Nomsan. The bus driver starts yelling at us in Korean to get off the bus, we ask is this Nomsan and he picks up a sign on the bus and is pointing at it (which is also in Korean). I remember thinking sir I have NO CLUE what that damn sign says and you yelling and pointing is NOT going to help me suddenly be able to read Korean...sorry dude. Carm then calls her co worker who is able to translate, the bus driver then takes us to the ticket booth to get another ticket. We then proceed to get on another hot ass bus and finally make our way to Nomsan. By the time we make it to Nomsan we are so hungry lucky for us there was food everywhere. After eating we then start to walk around go to different booths and such. While walking around we came to a petting zoo, it was cute and the children really seem to enjoy it. I looking around at all the animals and then I stop dead in the tracks...This was an ONLY IN KOREA moment can someone please tell me why these mugs had a skunk in their petting zoo?!?!?!?! Yes you read correctly a skunk! Who in their right mind has a skunk at a petting zoo, and furthermore what parent would let their kid go and pet one?

So after the petting zoo we continue to walk around the festival when a man with a TV camera comes up to us. He is recording and then is homeboy comes and starts to take mad pictures of us. He then grabs my hand and tells us to come, he takes us to a booth were they are selling strawberries. There are around 3 or 4 photographers at this point and they are posing us and taking all kinds of pictures. After about 50 pictures or so we just had enough! It was like a cross of being a celebrity and a freak show. We start to walk away when they continue to follow us and take pictures, this then prompts the locals to request pictures with us, it was bananas. We start to walk away again, when we he yells STOP and hand us a bunch of strawberries, LOL yes we got paid in strawberries. He then asks us our names and then says "Africa" noooooooooo dude we are American! I think its safe to say it will be a while before I go to another strawberry festival! Still Seoul Searching...

Popular Korean Songs

These are some popular Korean songs. I have to admit I find my self singing them also especially Gee Gee and Nobody LOL enjoy! Even Lil Kim is in the Korean pop market.







Give me food please, candy and Jumanji!

I had officially been really sick for 2 whole weeks, and I was NOT happy about it. After going to the doctor twice he gave me a sinus treatment, which was wild but effective, I will spare you the details and just say it involved...tubes, a pump, fluids, a mini flashlight thing, tissue and my nose...you do the math lol. It worked WONDERS, I must admit! It feels so good to be able to breathe again...LIFE IS GOOD :)!

So I must say Easter in Korea was by far soooooo much different than Easter at home. It is the 1st Sunday in a VERY long time that I have not been in church on Easter Sunday. VERY strange. Not to mention NO Easter grub! They do not really use ovens in Korea so I could not even make my own feast! I had to make due with chicken and shrimp alfredo. It was good but not like the normal Easter meal. I am sure it is because its not really an option but I REALLY want some apple pie, corn bread, roasted chicken, mac and cheese, and what ever else you can BAKE! It's just not right I tell ya! lol

Surprisingly the kids have been pretty good these last couple of weeks. They have been really enjoyable and seem to be learning a lot. So today I was on my lunch break enjoying a rather tasty doughnut, when two students came into my classroom. Let me paint the picture of my doughnut, it was a glazed, extra soft melt in your mouth doughnut! "Hi teacher" they yelled, I said hello. They are not my students but being the only "native speaking teacher" some of the students are excited to speak. I am sitting at my desk when one of the students says "teacher give me food please" picks up my doughnut and takes a bite! Yes, I said it she took a bite of my doughnut! I was soooooooo HOT! I was mad for two reasons, a) I really wanted that doughnut and b) ewwwwwwwwwwwwww! Then her home girl goes on to say "teacher give me candy please" lucky for me the bell rang before I could answer. Dang...I really wanted the rest of that doughnut :( . In my after school class my 3rd graders always ask "teacher are we going to watch Jumanji?". For the life of me I don't know why they love this movie so much, I often want to ask them "You know this movie is older than you right?" but i just don't have the heart to crush their little hearts lol.
Still Seoul Searching...

John Legend vs. The Sinus Infection

So the John Legend concert was GREAT! He was so good and he had the illest play list ever! He was playing all his slow jams and this couple got up and started slow dancing, I was swole lol the supreme hater like ahhhhhh eff yall, ( it was so cute). The concert was held at Olympic Hall which holds 3,000 people and there were only about 150 non Koreans there. The concert was sold out please tell me why the Koreans were IN there!?! lol it was priceless, they love him, they knew all the songs and were singing along, who knew he is so popular here I was shocked. There were only 2 downfalls, 1st of which was I was/am sicker than EVER, and 2nd it took us 3 hours to get home . I was sooo sick my head was pounding so I took my meds and drank a beer and what do you know, I was in pain no more. So after mixing meds with a beer I decided it was time to go to the hospital. The plan was to go after I got off work, I felt like crap but I was going to suck it up and went to work. I have not had an appetite for about 4 days now, so I was only eating so I could take my medicine I was eating toast or cereal. When I got to work I was told I looked "tired" which is translation for you look like poo, Sujin and Hannah were like "ohh nooo you look skinny also we go to the hospital now" I went to the hospital today and was told I have a serious sinus infection and a 102 temperature so fun times. They gave me a sinus treatment and some antibiotics, I have to go back in to days for another treatment so hopefully I will feel better by then, I have to take 5 pills, 3 times a day for 2 days. So I am sure I will be high for the next 2 days.
Still Seoul Searching...