February 2010
1 post
it's been a while.
okay. mom got on my case today, and reminded me that this blog was here. (oops.) so, i figured i should update you all on the past month or so. get ready. it’s going to be long.
let’s see. after the blizzard, it got really cold. wind chills as low as -22°C during january. my work schedule was changed for the month because the kids were on a break from regular school. so, we taught...
January 2010
1 post
December 2009
5 posts
a sweet moment.
living here, i’ve gotten very good at avoiding the awkward “i want to practice my english and you look like an american” conversations with strangers. i generally have my ipod with me wherever i go, and i just don’t make eye contact. it sounds terrible. but it just kind of happens after a while. the conversations get tiring.
however, today… i walked to the edge of...
November 2009
5 posts
VICTORY.
i’m buying a camera sometime this week. get ready to be overwhelmed.
October 2009
8 posts
teacha, my brain is storming!!
at my school, the kids are required to do a brainstorm activity once a week about different topics. then the ones who are signed up for our additional writing program have to write an essay and submit it online for it to be corrected. it’s actually kind of a nice thing. but in reality, most of the kids who aren’t in the program are thoroughly confused about why they have to do it, and they...
as i promised.
here are a few more pictures from mom and i’s excursion sunday.
September 2009
15 posts
a simple saturday.
although life is never that hard here, i really rarely just take it easy. i’m always moving. always going. always doing something. but tonight, michael and i decided to just settle in at a starbucks and relax for a while.
in a foreign country, where nearly everyone speaks a different language than you, it’s kind of rare that you experience even simple human connections. especially...
old news.
we have a new girl at our school. she got to korea last thursday, and she’s starting to observe our classes today. i’m not the new girl anymore. also, i’m a regular at a coffee shop. two of them actually. the baristas know me. they know what i drink. it’s strange. and wonderful. i’m feeling so at home in this country.
weekend tradition.
natalie and i have kind of adopted this tradition of eating galbi every weekend. galbi is basically “do it yourself” korean bbq, and it’s the most heavenly thing korea has to offer. the place we go to in sunae is all you can eat for like 10 bucks. it’s so wonderful. the lady there knows us by now, and today i think she was trying to hook us up with her son (who of course,...
it's already thursday!
these weeks have been flying by. i can’t believe that it’s already almost the weekend again. this saturday, i’m going to everland and carribbean bay with some people from work. everland is a big amusement park here, and carribbean bay is the waterpark that is attached to it. for some reason, all of the teachers/employees at the school i work for are able to get into both parks...
here we go.
ricky brought me a flash drive full of pictures at work today. so get ready for a little adventure.
authenticity.
i just had the most lovely day. my friend ricky (one of the korean TA’s at my school) took me to myeongdong and insadong. we shopped a little bit, then had dinner, coffee, and ice cream with his friend kate (who was one of the greatest girls i’ve ever met). they would constantly start rambling in korean to each other. then kate would realize it, look at me and start explaining what...
open mic.
i just spontaneously sang “falling slowly” (by glen hansard) with a ridiculously good korean guitarist/vocalist at an irish pub. i love my life.
August 2009
22 posts
ahhhhhhh. best news.
my mom is coming to korea in 34 days!!! wooo yeah!
little spots of sunshine.
today, at the end of class, benny (one of my younger level boys) came up to me and handed me a seashell. i asked if it was for me, and he said “yes” and then ran away. it was the cutest thing of my life. it is now proudly displayed on my desk. i love this job.
first day all over again.
today was the start of our fall semester at school, which means that i started teaching my own classes. it’s so nice to finally teach students, knowing that i will be with them for an entire semester. i can actually learn their names! a lot of the kids i have taught before, while subbing for other teachers. so, i knew a lot of faces already. my favorite is this little boy who somehow got...
our brilliant idea.
michael and i decided tonight that we will be sending christmas cards to the states this year, featuring a picture of us at a still undecided upon (but very korean) location. we only have a few months until christmas, so…
mission number 1: take the most awesome picture of all time.
mission number 2: find out where in the heck to print them out.
mission number 3: find a korean friend to...
and he called me that all day.
student: teacher! what is your name?
me: my name is brittany.
student: your name is pretty?
me: no no no. brittany.
student: ahhhh... (giggles). are you here just today, pretty teacher?
1 tag
a little blessing.
for the past week or so i have really really been wanting to make my apartment feel like my home. i just can’t really afford to buy anything right now though, to spruce it up. so, i’ve just been waiting. then today, while rummaging through the cupboards underneath my window, i found the best thing ever. CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. for any of you who know me, you know that i have had christmas...
an example of "ahhhhh".
student: teacher!!! hair!!
me: what about your hair?
student: no... you!
me: my hair?
student: yes! so... (moves hand in twirling motion by her head).
me: my hair is curly?
student: yes!!!!! do you do it?
me: no, this is just how it is.
student: ahhhh!!!
a quick note on fitting in.
over the past few days i’ve have caught myself saying:
1. “reeeealllyy???” (in a drawn out, very “eee” kind of way.)
2. “ahhhhhh!” (once i understand what someone is saying.)
i cannot believe my students have already rubbed off on me.
1 tag
my new favorite place.
today i decided to finally head to ori (one subway stop away from me) and find the homeplus store that everyone had told me about. it’s basically like walmart, but in korea. i wasn’t exactly sure where it was, so i got off the subway and just walked all over. (i now know where most of the restaurants in ori are… including pizza hut. yum.) after about 15 minutes of walking in the...
first weekend.
i’m counting this as my first weekend in korea. last weekend i was alone and horribly jet lagged and didn’t really do anything. so, here is a recap of the fun things i did this weekend.
friday night, i spent the night out with a bunch of the teachers from my school. we met up at one of the girls apartments, and then spent the whole night dancing at various clubs in seohyeon. it was...
what an ending.
i was substituting at michael’s school today, and i just finished my last class. at the end of the class, we had a few extra minutes, so i let the kids ask me questions about myself. one of the girls asked if i would be their teacher only for this day. when i said yes, and that their normal teacher would be back on monday, the entire class went “awwww”. it was the cutest thing....