Some more randomness :)

Well, I just talked to Boss James yesterday and supposedly he wants me to take up some Pre-school classes come December. We are at a shortage of teachers (as usual) and nobody really knows what's going on (as usual). Anyways, it will be nice to make overtime wages but not so nice to do overtime hours :)

Random thought: So at E.C.C the students refer to the teachers as "(first name) teacher", so the students call me Laura teacher etc...Even our colleagues refer to us that way...it's kind of odd...hmm.

Last weekend Kevin, Danny and I went to Bukhansan nat'l park again (in the middle of the city) and hiked Bukandae peak (the highest peak in the park, but it really wasn't that high). This is the one that Danny and I tried to do a couple weeks ago but ended up on the wrong side of park due to the taxi driver dropping us off at the wrong end. (all the gates sound exactly the same anyways). There were a lot of people at the top which was rather discouraging, but it was still a decent view. Behind us is another mountain which is where the hard core rock climbers like to go. I unfortunately won't be going there anytime soon...hmm..

This weekend we are having a going away party for the 4 girls leaving within the next week. Other than that I think I will take this weekend off from hiking and buy some Christmas gifts for the family, attempt to find a half decent coffee shop, and maybe hit the sauna. pretty chill.

It's easy to spend a lot of money here with things being so cheap (I just bought a wool sweater for $3 last weekend). Food is relatively cheap as well. yay :) I'm getting use to sweating while I'm eating (food is sooo spicy!)...my taste buds will be shot by the time I get back though, but then again I was really never that picky of an eater to start with as most of you know :)

Oh, so here is a pic of some of my students with their true colors coming out . This was during the Halloween party fiasco. Basically a day full of chaos. This is a class that I actually love :) Great students, decent English, and a long attention span :)

Okay, so I think that is about all I have to say for now:)

My journey thus far

Well I have been here for about a month and a half now and figured I should start a blog rather than the mass e-mailing. I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the scattered/randomness of this blog. I'm hoping I can give you a quick summary on what has been going on so far...I hope you don't get bored! :)
When I first arrived it was an interesting transition to go from the grizzly bear, granola eating, backcountry life of Montana to the apartment surrounding, kimchi obsessed Bupyeong, South Korea.
The first couple weeks upon arrival were difficult/interesting for me. One of my friends from back home was here visiting some friends, so it was nice to see a familiar face. Basically though I felt overwhelmed by my job, lack of friends, people that looked like me etc...
I guess being surrounded by Koreans has been the most difficult experience thus far. Taxi drivers, pedestrians, sales people, students etc....all assume that I can speak Korean and I just stand there staring at them, it's really great...hmmm.
Let's see, the weekends have been great. I've been able to hike basically every weekend, mainly in Bukhansan Nat'l Park (in Seoul). On my off days I also have been taking the subway into Seoul, checking out markets, sights, bars, and coffee houses (or lack thereof).
(Buses and Subways have also been a new experience...not the same as my great '85 chevy cavalier...:(
Work has been getting better, yay!! I'm starting to understand the students a little better and how they work. I usually work about 30-35 hours a week and have anywhere from 4-8 classes a day. The children are anywhere from the age of 6-16. Crazy...I love em...at least most of em ;) I start work at about 2 or 3 p.m. and go until 9. We have a new curriculum starting this month, so it's a nice change.
Oh, I also started studying taekwondo about a week after I got here. I am loving it more and more. I go with my friend Mason 3 times a week. Seeing that there is a language barrier between my instructors and me, I've been learning a lot through observing.

Everything here is about trial and error and learning from my mistakes. I am figuring out what personalities I am clashing with and which I get a long with, what food I like, what teaching style works for me etc...it's good for me but it can be a frustrating process.

Okay, I gotta get ready for work. I'll write more later :)