Importing
I’m currently in the process of importing some of my posts from my old Korea blog, Lost in Translation: Korean Edition into this blog. Not all of my old posts will be added, but a good amount of them will.
Let’s Sleep Together
Yesterday was Buddha’s birthday, so there was no school and, for me, it was the start of a long vacation. Next week, my students have class trips so I don’t have class until June 4th. Tomorrow, I’ll be heading to Xi’an, China until Tuesday with a teacher from school. Hopefully I’ll have some pictures to post when I come back.
Last night, the host family had one of their chicken and beer nights and the topic turned to my impending departure. My host father commented that the year has gone by quickly. Sometimes the days feel slow, but looking back the year has definitely flown by.
My youngest host sister has commented that she will be sad when I leave. She asks, in Korean, “Who will I buy snacks with? Who will I brush my teeth with?” Last night, she made a new request. All year, she has asked to take a shower with me and sleep in my bed with me. Well, last night she begged me to let her sleep in my bed (with me) for at least one night. Hmm.
Video Post
Here’s a video that I randomly came across during my after-school internet surfing. From what I can tell, it depicts a fictional, modern Pyongyang. It prominently features the Ryugyong Hotel, an unfinished hotel that towers over the skyline. If it had been finished, it would have been the tallest hotel in the world.
Hiding Place
Today in class we reviewed direction words. As practice, they had to hide something and give another student (whose eyes are closed) direction to find it. After the seeker left the room, this conversation ensued:
Me: Where should we hide it?! Any ideas?
Student: In teacher’s breast!
Hmm. This isn’t the first time that students have joked about hiding things there.
Countdown Continues – Part Two
My mind has definitely checked itself out of Korea. Do you know those contemplative moods y’all sometimes have? Well, I’m currently experiencing that 24/7 with it hitting me in full force on the weekends.
I have ideas for my remaining handful of lessons, yet I can’t make myself sit down and come up with the detail. Instead, I spend the time contemplating my life, the people in it, the near future and so on. I walk and think, or sit and think, or think and then nap. Unfortunately, the current state of turmoil makes this feel like a full-time job. It’s quite exhausting. The guilt I feel about my premature mental checkout makes it even worse and more exhausting. I want to be finishing those lesson plans, not daydreaming. I can’t even force myself to do it.
As I mentioned in Part One, I realized that it’s not about wanting to leave Korea, but wanting to go home and tie the loose ends that currently are racing through my head. Or just finally facing the things that can be avoided when thousands of miles away.
Sometimes I think I set myself up for disappointment by thinking a bit too much about how I want things to be. When life doesn’t turn out like my thoughts, it feels like a let down when perhaps it shouldn’t be.
Because I think my writing sounds more depressing than I actually want it to, I’ll leave you with this quote from Stephen Colbert: All Over You Like Egg In a Bowl of Bibimbap
Sports Day – Tug of War
I really enjoyed attending Sports Day at my school. It made me really love my students–until I had them back in the classroom. ::Wink::
Sports Day – Hula Hooping
This exciting competition took place during Day 2 of Sports Day. Unlike me, these girls really know how to use their hula hoops.
The Countdown Continues
I have a countdown on my computer telling me how many days I have until I go back home to the States. Usually it’s not important, but sometimes I pay a little too much attention, like today–the last day of midterms. I don’t want to go back. It’s not that I dislike Korea, I just feel done. There are too many days on my countdown.
What do I covet most? Personal space. I don’t get enough of it and it’s been slowly wearing me down. The thought of two (+) more months without it sometimes scares me. But hey, I’ve done it for ten months already so I’m quite confident that I can do it for another two! Plus, I always feel the most frustrated after having a few days off.
I know, I’m so dramatic. Honestly though, it’s not Korea. While I still have my struggles with teaching, I love my students, particularly my second graders.
The next two days at my school are sports days. That should be an interesting time.
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