Hello all! So my first day of school was pretty good, but it looks like I am going to need to bring something to do each day. We must be there at 9:30 every day and on some days my first class is not until 1:45! I cannot come later in the day, I just have to sit in the office and plan, when I finish planning, I twiddle my thumbs! ( seriously, you can only plan for so long!) Also, I am going to have to find a way to make the classes stimulating for myself as well as for the children because all we do is go through a workbook, I read the page aloud and then the students repeat what I say, then I correct their pronunciation, then they all get out crayons and color the page. example," Ned and Ted are dogs. Ned and Ted run in the mud. Ned and Ted jump in the tub. Ned and Ted sit in the sun. Ned and Ted hop in bed." So there is an opportunity for me to use my creativity, as once we finish the lesson, I don't think I will have them color, like the current teacher does. Mybe we will do something else, like act it out. Some classes are very small, like three students, and there is no class larger than 6 students. They all wear uniforms and are very cute! I love my students already and don't want them to be bored!

Anyway, so meat is super expensive here, I got less than a pound and a half of ground beef and it was 10 dollars! So, i may very well be a vegetarian when I come home. I cooked it into a bowl of rice and then looked in the fridge for something that might give it some flavor, all I had was some pickle relish and strawberry jam, so I added a small spoonful of pickle relish to the pan thinking it might add a zing, and surely the meat flavor would overpower the pickle flavor.... NOPE! THE WHOLE DISH TASTES LIKE PICKLES! GRR!! Things not to do while cooking by Lauren Knabel
1. don't add chicken to a crockpot without deboning it first!
2. don't cook rice in a crockpot.... EVER!!!
3. don't add pickle relish to 10 dollar meat if you don't like pickles!!!
4. cinnamon is not a savory spice, don't add it to stew, unless you want to eat it all by yourself!
etc...

Anyway, I sat outside with several of the other teachers and they drank and smoked and talked while I listened. Most of the other foreign teachers are not nearly as clean cut as I am. They all have tattoos, drink, smoke, talk about their escapades with drugs in the past, etc... but they are nice people. So we were all sitting in the park talking and just enjoying the outdoor evening. And an old lady came up to sit on the bench next to us, suddenly there were two guys who ran up to her and started talking to her very fast in Korean. They took her away and happily settled her on the bench across the park from us. I guess the gist of what they were saying was don't sit next to the foreigners! HMM...

So I am still constantly waking up at 6 every morning. but maybe that will fade with time. I miss you all. Have a great day!