Hello all!
I haven't written in a while for 2 reasons: #1- we have gotten into a very unexciting routine #2 - we don't want to bore you.
I feel though that we should check in with our audience to let you know we are still here, happy and healthy, but no excitement at this time.
It has been raining a lot. There is a typhoon at the southern edge of Korea but it should dissipate by Friday. School is going well. I have spent a lot of time in the elementary building lately. Stacy is staying busy with his classes. He has LOTS of grading to do and I have been helping him with his power point presentations.
Most days consist of getting up before the sun, getting ready and out the door by 7:05. Visit with our KIS neighbors while waiting for the bus. Days can be long or short depending on what is going on. Lately we have been staying until 5:20 because of meetings, after school activities, or to just catch up. We arrive home 5:30 and then the domestic goddess comes out in me. I cook, do laundry, help with homework, wash dishes, etc. Stacy continues working or plays with Ethan. Ethan is in bed by 8:00 which is early enough to give Stacy and I time to catch up on our days.
Next week Ethan starts after school swimming lessons and Stacy and I begin Korean lessons. We are going to be very busy but hopefully by next summer when we visit we will be able to speak Korean!
This week is Curriculum Night for all the different grade levels. Tuesday night was elementary so I went to see what Ethan was going to be learning this year. He is going to learn a lot it looks like. He has a great teacher, Mrs. Carscadden. I met several of his classmates' parents. There are only 10 students in his class. What a small class!
SPA DAY!
All the women/mothers in the Gungnea-dong neighborhood scheduled a ladies night out last Saturday. Susan, Kristin, Kris and myself were going early and meeting up with Melanie and Jen later. The four of us met at the local bus stop and jumped on the 5500 to Itaewon. The bus was full so we had to stand. Normally that wouldn't be a problem for a 20 minute bus ride but considering the bus driver guns it until he absolutely has to stop in which case it feels like he breaks hard, it made ME car sick. I was sick and the girls are asking me if I want to get closer to the door. I was focusing on NOT vomiting all over the other passengers. The moment the door opened and I got off...I let it go. Once that was over with, we moved on to hailing a taxi. 3 were stolen from us but the 4th one Susan fought for. Well, she walked over and jumped in the front seat while another guy who clearly saw us standing there waiving down taxis was trying to get in the back seat. Yeah Susan for being brave!
Kris Feller, who is our go to person for everything, was our "tour guide." She got in the front seat of the taxi and told the driver "Hamilton Hotel" because it is the nearest recognizeable place to where we actually wanted to go. I think the driver and Kris repeated themselves 4 times and finally the driver started driving. He seemed confused but probably got the gist. We were less than a block from Hamilton Hotel when we decided to get out and walk the rest of the way since traffic was kind of tight. Kris tells the driver, "here is okay. We'll get out." He looked up and pointed to Hamilton Hotel. We ended up just all getting out instead of arguing with him. Kris handed him the fare and left him confused. Poor guy...
We made appointments at a place called The Green Turtle Spa. The choices were manicure, pedicure, half hour massage, full hour massage, waxing and hair except for the hair was booked. I can't say that the mani/pedi was better or cheaper here but I needed one really bad so it was fine. No massage during the mani/pedi. No foo-foo treatments. Just cut, buff, soak, nail color. For the combination I paid 55,000. Next time I am getting the one hour massage. I heard it is amazing!!!!
After spa time, we did a little shopping. Itaewon is the most international place in Korea or close enough. Just looking around you see more Americans here than anywhere else. Stacy needed basketball shoes in a size 12. In Korean sizes he would have needed a 29.5. Everywhere we looked in our area they carry up to size 29.0 but many didn't even have that size in stock. Found him some at the Nike store. They were very snazzy! This is definitely the place to do some good shopping. The next time we go back I'm going to pick up some souvenirs. We went to an English bookstore called "What the Book?" where I purchased The Calligrapher's Daughter for book club.
We entered this grocery store that was mainly Indian food but I found some staple items that I thought I would never find in Korea and it wasn't too expensive either. I purchased worcerstershire sauce, cumin powder (product of Karachi), what I believe to be pinto beans, and trident gum. Will I ever find this place again? I don't know but I took a picture of the front and plan to print it out the next time I come to Itaewon and show the taxi driver. We'll see if that works. :)
We walked back to the bus stop and hopped on for the return journey at like 11:30. I didn't realize that we were going to be gone from 2pm to midnight. It was a great night though with girl time. Ethan and Stacy were asleep when I got home. I think I failed to mention that it was raining off and on while we were out. Well I had a nice paper Nike bag with Stacy's shoes and my new book, my LV purse, and my groceries. This whole time the shoe bag was getting wet, not soaked but just lightly sprayed. Walking up the hill with these bags to my apartment, I feel the bag shifting. I am literally 20 feet from my apartment entrance when the bag gives and everything hits the WET ground. I juggled the umbrella, grocery bag, purse in one hand while I am trying to pick up the stuff on the ground before it gets too wet. I was happy to make it inside with very little damage to our new stuff.
Sunday, it rained ALL DAY LONG! We stayed in, cleaned house, worked on some stuff, and by dinner time we were ready to get out of the house. Luckily the rain took a break long enough for us to hop the bus, get dinner and return home. That was one of the first times fast food was FAST. Hahaha! I love this place!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Subbing in the 1st grade
"Teacher...this. Teacher...that!" Fitz is kind of hard to pronounce I guess.
A faculty child was sick with high fever since last Thursday and it was the mom's turn to stay home with her daughter. I was called on to cover Monday and quite possibly Tuesday. I received the message late Sunday night so I didn't have a lot of time to prepare Monday morning. Considering every teacher has a different routine, I was not the least bit prepared to teach first graders. Although I live with one, having 15 of them in one room is quite the eye-opener.
First they come in with these confused looks on their faces asking "Where is Mrs. Randall?" I answered each and every child as they asked. They looked so sad to be missing their teacher. That first day was a whirl wind but we got through it and the students were somewhat used to their routine so they filled in the gaps. I was very impressed with the reading level of these students. I would say they are at a second to third grade level overall. Some were at a fifth grade reading level. Writing and math was the same. They don't have the experiences to go with this but nonetheless, their knowledge and quickness was impressive. All the students love to draw. Boys are obsessed with Pokemon. Almost all of the students have great drawing skills.
Lunch was wild! I did get to eat with Ethan though. Ethan also ate half of my lunch because it was SO good! Pork cutlets breaded and fried covered with some kind of brown gravy over white rice.
I enjoyed the experience and now have a better idea of what goes on in Ethan's classroom. I didn't sub for his class but I was in his hallway. He stopped to say hi several times. We had a talk about that too. He was so proud to have his mom there and all of his friends call me "Ethan's mom." I love it!!
The few things about Korean children who attend our school are:
1. many are very spoiled, to the point that their drivers carry their school bags and walk them into school. Many don't know how to tie their shoes because they have people to do this for them.
2. They are under LOTS of pressure to perform academically which means sometimes they make bad choices.
3. Some students have parents that are VPs, CEOs, and Presidents of major companies. Their fathers may talk down to their employees and so the students believe it is acceptable to talk down to teachers sometimes. It doesn't happen often but it does happen more often to the Korean staff.
Overall, we have great students who are vibrant, creative, and enthusiastic about all things they do. We feel very fortunate to be able to send Ethan to such an amazing school.
A faculty child was sick with high fever since last Thursday and it was the mom's turn to stay home with her daughter. I was called on to cover Monday and quite possibly Tuesday. I received the message late Sunday night so I didn't have a lot of time to prepare Monday morning. Considering every teacher has a different routine, I was not the least bit prepared to teach first graders. Although I live with one, having 15 of them in one room is quite the eye-opener.
First they come in with these confused looks on their faces asking "Where is Mrs. Randall?" I answered each and every child as they asked. They looked so sad to be missing their teacher. That first day was a whirl wind but we got through it and the students were somewhat used to their routine so they filled in the gaps. I was very impressed with the reading level of these students. I would say they are at a second to third grade level overall. Some were at a fifth grade reading level. Writing and math was the same. They don't have the experiences to go with this but nonetheless, their knowledge and quickness was impressive. All the students love to draw. Boys are obsessed with Pokemon. Almost all of the students have great drawing skills.
Lunch was wild! I did get to eat with Ethan though. Ethan also ate half of my lunch because it was SO good! Pork cutlets breaded and fried covered with some kind of brown gravy over white rice.
I enjoyed the experience and now have a better idea of what goes on in Ethan's classroom. I didn't sub for his class but I was in his hallway. He stopped to say hi several times. We had a talk about that too. He was so proud to have his mom there and all of his friends call me "Ethan's mom." I love it!!
The few things about Korean children who attend our school are:
1. many are very spoiled, to the point that their drivers carry their school bags and walk them into school. Many don't know how to tie their shoes because they have people to do this for them.
2. They are under LOTS of pressure to perform academically which means sometimes they make bad choices.
3. Some students have parents that are VPs, CEOs, and Presidents of major companies. Their fathers may talk down to their employees and so the students believe it is acceptable to talk down to teachers sometimes. It doesn't happen often but it does happen more often to the Korean staff.
Overall, we have great students who are vibrant, creative, and enthusiastic about all things they do. We feel very fortunate to be able to send Ethan to such an amazing school.
E-mart, Pancakes, and Haircuts...oh, my!!
Thank goodness for sleeping in on Saturday mornings. It was a slow morning. Wake up at 8:30. Get ready. Make it to the grocery store by 10. Koreans don't usually get around until noon because they are night owls. Plus if you try to go shopping after noon, it will likely take you twice as long. E-mart is becoming a more enjoyable shopping experience now that we are familiar with its layout and products.
The one unfortunate event of the day...Stacy left his OU hat on the bus that dropped us at Emart. :( Good thing he had MINE as backup.
Remember back in the first week of us living here we purchased a rice cooker because it is like a staple here in Korea??? Well, nearly a month later, I finally used it! I must be super intelligent because all I had was a Korean manual and the internet. Good news is my research paid off. I made perfectly delicious sticky rice to go with our baked teriyaki chicken and teriyaki vegetables.
Sunday is a whole 'nother story! We had planned to eat breakfast at a new place with Caitlin, our new friend. As I mentioned before, we spend a lot of time waiting on the bus. This day was no different and we have a schedule which we were going by. Meeting time was 11am...arrival time was 11:30. We met Caitlin at her 30 floor apartment building "Paragon" in downtown. She lead us to Butterfinger Pancakes, the Paragon secret! They had a feel good breakfast with all of our favorites. Granted we spent 50,000 won on breakfast, it was money well spent. Our drinks were 15,000 won together. We'll be smarter about ordering the next time we go there. We ordered pancakes, eggs sunny-side-up, potatoes, french toast, bacon, sausage, chocolate milk and I posted pictures on the shutterfly site. I am so glad she shared this secret with us.
Ethan took his first subway ride from Jeong-ja where we had breakfast to Sunea which is where Stacy and Ethan were going to get their hair cut. He thought it was AW-some!!! Now, he wants to ride the subway all the time even when it's impossible. Silly boy!
We had to go to Seohyeon (another district) for a haircut place that we spotted on our way to Bier Gartien Friday night. It had a sign that said cuts were 7,000 won but we paid a couple bucks more. The barber was wicked! He was so artistic and musical about his movements. I liked his work. We'll be going back.
Before heading home, we decided to explore the area a bit more and just walk around. We ran into another grocery store called Lotte Mart where I found the off-brand Nutella!!! Breakfast just got better. ;) lol
The one unfortunate event of the day...Stacy left his OU hat on the bus that dropped us at Emart. :( Good thing he had MINE as backup.
Remember back in the first week of us living here we purchased a rice cooker because it is like a staple here in Korea??? Well, nearly a month later, I finally used it! I must be super intelligent because all I had was a Korean manual and the internet. Good news is my research paid off. I made perfectly delicious sticky rice to go with our baked teriyaki chicken and teriyaki vegetables.
Sunday is a whole 'nother story! We had planned to eat breakfast at a new place with Caitlin, our new friend. As I mentioned before, we spend a lot of time waiting on the bus. This day was no different and we have a schedule which we were going by. Meeting time was 11am...arrival time was 11:30. We met Caitlin at her 30 floor apartment building "Paragon" in downtown. She lead us to Butterfinger Pancakes, the Paragon secret! They had a feel good breakfast with all of our favorites. Granted we spent 50,000 won on breakfast, it was money well spent. Our drinks were 15,000 won together. We'll be smarter about ordering the next time we go there. We ordered pancakes, eggs sunny-side-up, potatoes, french toast, bacon, sausage, chocolate milk and I posted pictures on the shutterfly site. I am so glad she shared this secret with us.
Ethan took his first subway ride from Jeong-ja where we had breakfast to Sunea which is where Stacy and Ethan were going to get their hair cut. He thought it was AW-some!!! Now, he wants to ride the subway all the time even when it's impossible. Silly boy!
We had to go to Seohyeon (another district) for a haircut place that we spotted on our way to Bier Gartien Friday night. It had a sign that said cuts were 7,000 won but we paid a couple bucks more. The barber was wicked! He was so artistic and musical about his movements. I liked his work. We'll be going back.
Before heading home, we decided to explore the area a bit more and just walk around. We ran into another grocery store called Lotte Mart where I found the off-brand Nutella!!! Breakfast just got better. ;) lol
Time is already flying by!!
It has been nearly a week since I have enjoyed the company of my blog. Life continues as normally as before thankfully!
Last Thursday was uneventful. No subbing for me. Stacy did his thing and Ethan had another wonderful day.
Friday was a great end to our week. Ethan received a Phoenix Point for being helpful. I should explain the reason behind Phoenix points. Do you remember Harry Potter? Hogwarts had house teams. KIS has house teams which are the four elements: earth, wind, water, fire. Students are assigned to house teams from their first year and they continue in the same team until they reach high school. HS does not participate in house teams. Each year the house team with the most points receives a special prize. The points can be awarded for anything. Ethan received his for volunteering to throw trash away when another student told the teacher "in a minute." I am such a proud momma!
Happy hour this week was at a place called Gartien Bier but everyone called it Bier Gartien. It is most famous for its tables with beer bottle cooler holes in the tables and for its cheap beer that comes in 3 foot cylinders. Ethan was at the babysitters. His new favorite babysitter who is a student/friend of ours. He loves her! Since I am such a light weight when it comes to alcohol, we decided to eat first. Transportation to happy hour was not provided so we had to take a bus. The bar was at AK Plaza and it was hilarious because we are walking through this mall full of Korean people and suddenly we hear something to the effect of "eight and a half years..." Having been in Korea for almost a month, you get to a point where you second guess yourself when you hear English. Did I hear that or is it my imagination? Stacy is the one who heard this. He looked at me and then starts looking behind him. It was like 6 guys from KIS walking right behind us. We tagged along with them after we heard they were going to eat at DOS TACOS. We had heard a lot about this hole in the wall. It was one of those holes in the wall that were really good. It had a sign that read "Best Burritos." Compared to Texas food, no it was not fabulous but considering there is less than 1% of Mexican eateries in the area...it was pretty darn scrumptious! This might be my next calling - "Antonio's Mexican Restaurant in Seoul, South Korea" I think it might work!
We were at Dos Tacos for like an hour and a half....8 of us walked in and ordered + small kitchen = 20 minute wait and plates came out one by one. We did eventually make it to Bier Gartien. It was a fabulous bar full of Americans. I felt right at home. Stacy and I had a great time and tried not to spend too much. After feeling like we had hung out long enough, we went to the bus stop. Probably the worst thing about using public transportation is waiting. We got tired of waiting. I flagged down a taxi thinking I had put the card with our address in my wallet. Turns out it was the card with the schools address. We get in the taxi and I say in my English accented Korean "Gungne-dong" then the driver says what I think is the same thing but pronounced CORRECTLY. I reply "ne" which is yes. I think we do this like 5 or 6 times and each time it sounds like he says it differently. I pull out the business card and hand it to him. He really must have thought we were lost because the address to the school is not the same neighborhood as what I was telling him. He drove us to the address on the card anyway. So, I thought, "eh, it's close enough. If the taxi can just get us to that side of town we can get home from there." Stacy and I learned 3 new words in the last week which helped us get home without having to walk. As we near the school, Stacy blurts out "jick-jin" which is straight. I am thinking, "really Stacy. You are going to try to direct this driver on how to get to our apartment?" Yep! Needless to say, we know how to say left and right but we don't have the Korean accent down yet. The taxi driver was making fun of us and correcting our Korean humorously. He was nice...I love Korean people who have the patience to put up with us foreigners. :)
Last Thursday was uneventful. No subbing for me. Stacy did his thing and Ethan had another wonderful day.
Friday was a great end to our week. Ethan received a Phoenix Point for being helpful. I should explain the reason behind Phoenix points. Do you remember Harry Potter? Hogwarts had house teams. KIS has house teams which are the four elements: earth, wind, water, fire. Students are assigned to house teams from their first year and they continue in the same team until they reach high school. HS does not participate in house teams. Each year the house team with the most points receives a special prize. The points can be awarded for anything. Ethan received his for volunteering to throw trash away when another student told the teacher "in a minute." I am such a proud momma!
Happy hour this week was at a place called Gartien Bier but everyone called it Bier Gartien. It is most famous for its tables with beer bottle cooler holes in the tables and for its cheap beer that comes in 3 foot cylinders. Ethan was at the babysitters. His new favorite babysitter who is a student/friend of ours. He loves her! Since I am such a light weight when it comes to alcohol, we decided to eat first. Transportation to happy hour was not provided so we had to take a bus. The bar was at AK Plaza and it was hilarious because we are walking through this mall full of Korean people and suddenly we hear something to the effect of "eight and a half years..." Having been in Korea for almost a month, you get to a point where you second guess yourself when you hear English. Did I hear that or is it my imagination? Stacy is the one who heard this. He looked at me and then starts looking behind him. It was like 6 guys from KIS walking right behind us. We tagged along with them after we heard they were going to eat at DOS TACOS. We had heard a lot about this hole in the wall. It was one of those holes in the wall that were really good. It had a sign that read "Best Burritos." Compared to Texas food, no it was not fabulous but considering there is less than 1% of Mexican eateries in the area...it was pretty darn scrumptious! This might be my next calling - "Antonio's Mexican Restaurant in Seoul, South Korea" I think it might work!
We were at Dos Tacos for like an hour and a half....8 of us walked in and ordered + small kitchen = 20 minute wait and plates came out one by one. We did eventually make it to Bier Gartien. It was a fabulous bar full of Americans. I felt right at home. Stacy and I had a great time and tried not to spend too much. After feeling like we had hung out long enough, we went to the bus stop. Probably the worst thing about using public transportation is waiting. We got tired of waiting. I flagged down a taxi thinking I had put the card with our address in my wallet. Turns out it was the card with the schools address. We get in the taxi and I say in my English accented Korean "Gungne-dong" then the driver says what I think is the same thing but pronounced CORRECTLY. I reply "ne" which is yes. I think we do this like 5 or 6 times and each time it sounds like he says it differently. I pull out the business card and hand it to him. He really must have thought we were lost because the address to the school is not the same neighborhood as what I was telling him. He drove us to the address on the card anyway. So, I thought, "eh, it's close enough. If the taxi can just get us to that side of town we can get home from there." Stacy and I learned 3 new words in the last week which helped us get home without having to walk. As we near the school, Stacy blurts out "jick-jin" which is straight. I am thinking, "really Stacy. You are going to try to direct this driver on how to get to our apartment?" Yep! Needless to say, we know how to say left and right but we don't have the Korean accent down yet. The taxi driver was making fun of us and correcting our Korean humorously. He was nice...I love Korean people who have the patience to put up with us foreigners. :)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
First official week of school
I have officially completed my first day of subbing. I enjoyed being a fifth grade teacher today! The kids were fantastic and rather mature for 5th graders. I made a little red-headed friend named Rachel today too. She was a spunky girl. I got a "curse you Mrs. Fitzgerald for giving us homework!" said in a joking manner. That's what I assumed it was as I was just the messanger. :) We worked on madlibs as an assignment. They took a test. Finished up the day with creating a madlib from scratch. They loved it!
I ate lunch with Ethan!! yeah! He enjoyed it just as much as I did. Have to enjoy moments like this as I am sure they will not last forever.
A word problem we started the day off with was...there are 12 people in a room. 6 people have socks on. 4 people have shoes on. 3 people have both on. How many people are barefoot? Can you figure it out? I had several 5th graders get it and one decided to use a venn diagram.
Today also happened to be Korea International School's 10 year anniversary. The celebration began in the Performing Arts Center and then was followed by dinner and refreshments in the conference center. Many Korean leaders and dignitaries attended. The school gave gifts for attending. Nicely imprinted towels. They are in the washer already!
Wednesday was a good day as well. I worked textbooks again but this time I took my laptop and the scanner to each classroom. This was a better way of doing it since it took minimal time and didn't take away as much instructional time. Tommy Toms showed me how to walk from school to the bank. Got back in time to eat lunch. Finished out my day by running errands at school.
I attended my first Social Committee meeting Wednesday also! It is so exciting and invigorating knowing that everyone in my school enjoys hanging out with one another even though we work with one another daily. I am now apart of the Who's Who and I am in charge of social calendars. The school has SO MUCH for you to choose from that you could do something almost every single day. You actually have to give yourself a day off from activities. It is awesome to have so many choices! Did you know that in our WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) report our school received praise for our social involvement. It is an official requirement almost!
September 3rd, Stacy and I will be taking Ethan to JUMP!
The show was a sell-out in London's West End this February following its success as the Edinburgh Fringe box office No. 1 hit in 2005. A splendid blend of championship-level martial arts such as Tae Kwon Do, acrobatic and gymnastic skills, slick choreography and situation comedy.
We are still going 90 to nothin'. Our next school vacation is September 17 for Chusok. Check out the link to read more about it. http://www.pbs.org/hiddenkorea/chusok.htm We plan to explore Seoul in its entirety.
The last BIG NEWS is our shipment is finally being delivered! We no longer have to wear the same 3 outfits over and over. Ethan will finally have his toys and our house will look and feel like home. It's going to be a super busy weekend but we'll finally be settled.
***Word problem answer: 5 people had barefeet*** If you need an explanation just ask! I got lots of practice. :)
I ate lunch with Ethan!! yeah! He enjoyed it just as much as I did. Have to enjoy moments like this as I am sure they will not last forever.
A word problem we started the day off with was...there are 12 people in a room. 6 people have socks on. 4 people have shoes on. 3 people have both on. How many people are barefoot? Can you figure it out? I had several 5th graders get it and one decided to use a venn diagram.
Today also happened to be Korea International School's 10 year anniversary. The celebration began in the Performing Arts Center and then was followed by dinner and refreshments in the conference center. Many Korean leaders and dignitaries attended. The school gave gifts for attending. Nicely imprinted towels. They are in the washer already!
Wednesday was a good day as well. I worked textbooks again but this time I took my laptop and the scanner to each classroom. This was a better way of doing it since it took minimal time and didn't take away as much instructional time. Tommy Toms showed me how to walk from school to the bank. Got back in time to eat lunch. Finished out my day by running errands at school.
I attended my first Social Committee meeting Wednesday also! It is so exciting and invigorating knowing that everyone in my school enjoys hanging out with one another even though we work with one another daily. I am now apart of the Who's Who and I am in charge of social calendars. The school has SO MUCH for you to choose from that you could do something almost every single day. You actually have to give yourself a day off from activities. It is awesome to have so many choices! Did you know that in our WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) report our school received praise for our social involvement. It is an official requirement almost!
September 3rd, Stacy and I will be taking Ethan to JUMP!
Jump tells the story of an idiosyncratic Korean family under the rule of a strict grandfather who insists on keeping up the physical fitness of all family members through vigorous martial arts training. While the daily drills alone leave the audience awestruck, the performance comes to a climax when two stupid thieves break into the house and confront three generations of kung-fu masters, inspiring a series of farcical scenes...
The show was a sell-out in London's West End this February following its success as the Edinburgh Fringe box office No. 1 hit in 2005. A splendid blend of championship-level martial arts such as Tae Kwon Do, acrobatic and gymnastic skills, slick choreography and situation comedy.
We are still going 90 to nothin'. Our next school vacation is September 17 for Chusok. Check out the link to read more about it. http://www.pbs.org/hiddenkorea/chusok.htm We plan to explore Seoul in its entirety.
The last BIG NEWS is our shipment is finally being delivered! We no longer have to wear the same 3 outfits over and over. Ethan will finally have his toys and our house will look and feel like home. It's going to be a super busy weekend but we'll finally be settled.
***Word problem answer: 5 people had barefeet*** If you need an explanation just ask! I got lots of practice. :)
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Day 21 & 22 - Korean BBQ & The never ending bus ride
Korean Barbeque
When your school day ends at 2:45 and begins at 8, it flies by. Well, since I am not in the classroom, it flies by for me but, maybe Stacy doesn't feel that way. Oh, wait, he agrees. :) After a brief meeting with his teacher, I dropped Ethan off with Mr. Feller so he and Elka could play. I went to play volleyball while Stacy finished up his work. We met up with the Fellers around 5pm because they were taking us to eat Korean barbeque for the first time.
We all piled in their car. Per Korean law, only those sitting in the front seat must wear a seat belt so Kris and I and the kids all sat in the back seat. The restaurant was on the second floor of the building near my dentist's office.
There were 2 places to sit. One area was for the more traditional Koreans where you sit on the floor at this 2 foot high table and the other area is what we are more used to. We chose the standard table and chairs while Ethan and Elka chose the traditional floor seating. Because the menu was in Korean, Kris had someone write down our order at school so we just had to show the waitress. They brought a cart full of food. There was soup, salad, dipping sauces, garlic slivers, onions, squash, lettuce leaves, sesame leaves, mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, kimchi, egg souffle, pickled vegetable of some sort and then there was the pork. It was a very fatty piece of pork. It looked like a super thick piece of bacon.
So the waitress comes to your table with this cart and just starts laying it out. Remember, in Korea everyone shares the food and you don't get your own plate. Then she unwraps the foil that the meat comes in and starts cutting it into pieces with scissors right onto the grill. She makes room for the veggies on the grill. This is all taking place in the middle of the table where the grill is located. You then take a leaf, with your metal chopsticks pick up a piece of meat, dip it into either the chili paste or into the sesame oil, stick it on your lettuce leaf, add some veggies to your leaf, then wrap it up and eat it. These can be large bites but small pieces of meat.
It was a neat experience. I think I enjoyed most of the side dishes more than Stacy because their were lots of onions. He enjoyed the meat. Ethan didn't like any of it. He'll learn to like it, I'm pretty confident about that. Elka wasn't crazy about it either. And this is why we went to McDonald's afterwards. The kids got something to eat...and so did the parents, just as a filler. We were on a mission, a food mission. We went for dessert at Baskin Robbins because they have a fondue set. They give you about a dozen pieces of fruit and cake and a dozen or so mini scoops of ice cream. In the center they provide you with a bowl of chocolate for dipping. Okay after all of this, they didn't have it at this location. I was severely bummed. I decided to try their new Waffle Berry Flinn. It was delicious blueberry ice cream in a waffle cone.
The never ending bus ride
Saturday we woke up to an overcast sky. Within an hour, the sky turned dark and it started pouring. Apparently we are getting the outerskirts of a typhoon. We were going to go grocery shopping but put it off for a bit. I think it was like 2 in the afternoon when we finally caught the bus. We took the bus to E-mart but what we didn't know is that we had to go into Shinsegea Mall to the bottom level to get to E-mart. So we did some window shopping. Again super expensive though. Ethan said he was hungry and then I started to get hungry so we went to E-marts food court where we bought sushi from a conveyer belt. You sit down at the counter and pull what you want from the conveyer belt. Then you stack your plates and pay when you are done. We went grocery shopping afterwards. Ate a little more while we were shopping because the store has so much tasty food.
After paying, we head back to our bus stop but didn't stop to look for the stop going the opposite direction. The 390 comes our way so we get on and ride it for about an hour. The driver stops at the end of his route and turns the bus off. He asks us where we need to go. Don't know how we understood that either. After speaking to each other without much communication we figure out that he is taking a 10 minute break and will continue at 7. After a 2 hour bus ride, 2 tunnels, and a sense of deja vu, we finally make it home. It was an exhausting trip but we learned from it. We also got to see other neighborhoods and stores. It was a good experience. You learn through trial and error.
When your school day ends at 2:45 and begins at 8, it flies by. Well, since I am not in the classroom, it flies by for me but, maybe Stacy doesn't feel that way. Oh, wait, he agrees. :) After a brief meeting with his teacher, I dropped Ethan off with Mr. Feller so he and Elka could play. I went to play volleyball while Stacy finished up his work. We met up with the Fellers around 5pm because they were taking us to eat Korean barbeque for the first time.
We all piled in their car. Per Korean law, only those sitting in the front seat must wear a seat belt so Kris and I and the kids all sat in the back seat. The restaurant was on the second floor of the building near my dentist's office.
There were 2 places to sit. One area was for the more traditional Koreans where you sit on the floor at this 2 foot high table and the other area is what we are more used to. We chose the standard table and chairs while Ethan and Elka chose the traditional floor seating. Because the menu was in Korean, Kris had someone write down our order at school so we just had to show the waitress. They brought a cart full of food. There was soup, salad, dipping sauces, garlic slivers, onions, squash, lettuce leaves, sesame leaves, mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, kimchi, egg souffle, pickled vegetable of some sort and then there was the pork. It was a very fatty piece of pork. It looked like a super thick piece of bacon.
So the waitress comes to your table with this cart and just starts laying it out. Remember, in Korea everyone shares the food and you don't get your own plate. Then she unwraps the foil that the meat comes in and starts cutting it into pieces with scissors right onto the grill. She makes room for the veggies on the grill. This is all taking place in the middle of the table where the grill is located. You then take a leaf, with your metal chopsticks pick up a piece of meat, dip it into either the chili paste or into the sesame oil, stick it on your lettuce leaf, add some veggies to your leaf, then wrap it up and eat it. These can be large bites but small pieces of meat.
It was a neat experience. I think I enjoyed most of the side dishes more than Stacy because their were lots of onions. He enjoyed the meat. Ethan didn't like any of it. He'll learn to like it, I'm pretty confident about that. Elka wasn't crazy about it either. And this is why we went to McDonald's afterwards. The kids got something to eat...and so did the parents, just as a filler. We were on a mission, a food mission. We went for dessert at Baskin Robbins because they have a fondue set. They give you about a dozen pieces of fruit and cake and a dozen or so mini scoops of ice cream. In the center they provide you with a bowl of chocolate for dipping. Okay after all of this, they didn't have it at this location. I was severely bummed. I decided to try their new Waffle Berry Flinn. It was delicious blueberry ice cream in a waffle cone.
The never ending bus ride
Saturday we woke up to an overcast sky. Within an hour, the sky turned dark and it started pouring. Apparently we are getting the outerskirts of a typhoon. We were going to go grocery shopping but put it off for a bit. I think it was like 2 in the afternoon when we finally caught the bus. We took the bus to E-mart but what we didn't know is that we had to go into Shinsegea Mall to the bottom level to get to E-mart. So we did some window shopping. Again super expensive though. Ethan said he was hungry and then I started to get hungry so we went to E-marts food court where we bought sushi from a conveyer belt. You sit down at the counter and pull what you want from the conveyer belt. Then you stack your plates and pay when you are done. We went grocery shopping afterwards. Ate a little more while we were shopping because the store has so much tasty food.
After paying, we head back to our bus stop but didn't stop to look for the stop going the opposite direction. The 390 comes our way so we get on and ride it for about an hour. The driver stops at the end of his route and turns the bus off. He asks us where we need to go. Don't know how we understood that either. After speaking to each other without much communication we figure out that he is taking a 10 minute break and will continue at 7. After a 2 hour bus ride, 2 tunnels, and a sense of deja vu, we finally make it home. It was an exhausting trip but we learned from it. We also got to see other neighborhoods and stores. It was a good experience. You learn through trial and error.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Day 21 - Busy, Busy, Busy
We are on day 2 of school and it feels like a week. Today was textbook distribution day and I got to help. I finally figured out where to take Ethan first thing in the morning. Lucky little turd gets to take the elevator when he is with me. So after kind of a hectic morning, I grabbed some hot chocolate and a bagle from the morning deli and went back to my room. I was called over to help in the textbook room. I spent the whole day there. I met a lot of kids. Gave several a hard time. :) We had 2 lines going...kind of a drive through window if you will. I was the fastest of the 2. The students were very polite. Names are going to be hard for me so Stacy will definitely have problems. The students are already laughing at him because he's butchering their names. We finally put money on our meal cards so we were able to eat in the cafeteria today.
I am amazed at how many students have cell phones in the elementary level. First graders walking around in the morning and after school on their cell phones. I mean really!! Oh, and many students have DRIVERS! No, I'm not talking golf clubs. Actual drivers like that are paid to chauffeur. It is even in the handbook. Please parents, guardians, and drivers, drop your children off in the B3 parking garage.
The high school groups still act like teenagers but they actually hurry to class instead of hang out in the hall ways. They all take notes and complete assignments in class. One of my colleagues who teaches grade 3 said she had a student show up with his math workbook completed. His parents purchased the math text book and workbook over the summer and he attended a hagwon (refer to previous blog) where he completed all the lessons. She met with her principal to discuss and he said that this happens a lot. Even though she is teaching grade 3, most students will need more challenging work geared for grade 4.
Stacy was stoked today when he taught his first lesson. They understood the lesson, took notes, were attentive the entire time, and all of them completed their homework that is not due until Monday. They all did great work and he was able to grade them and enter the grades before we left school. Are you exhausted yet because I am!
Since I did textbook duty today, I am severely exhausted from being on my feet all day. I get to do it again tomorrow too. The first issue of The Phoenix Flyer is prepared and ready for publication. You should Google it middle of next week. No need for me to sub just yet but I have had a couple close calls.
The Fellers and us have decided to take turns watching Ethan and Elka after school so we can get work done or have some after school fun time. Today I watched the kids on the playground. It was hilarious watching them work through their differences. They are both talking loudly and argumentatively at one another on the playground that exists between 2 school buildings. The business director must have heard them because he opened his window and watched them from above. I yelled at them to not be so loud because they were disrupting others. Within 10 minutes they were playing "nicely." Kids need to learn to work through differences without adult intervention, right?
We have a family date with the Fellers Friday afterschool to eat Korean bbq downtown. Of course I will be taking my camera and sharing it all with you. :)
This is completely off topic but, the water is really good. Seoul received an award for the best water system in the world and they are currently working on making it taste better. The Fitzgerald's don't know why though because it has no taste.
I am amazed at how many students have cell phones in the elementary level. First graders walking around in the morning and after school on their cell phones. I mean really!! Oh, and many students have DRIVERS! No, I'm not talking golf clubs. Actual drivers like that are paid to chauffeur. It is even in the handbook. Please parents, guardians, and drivers, drop your children off in the B3 parking garage.
The high school groups still act like teenagers but they actually hurry to class instead of hang out in the hall ways. They all take notes and complete assignments in class. One of my colleagues who teaches grade 3 said she had a student show up with his math workbook completed. His parents purchased the math text book and workbook over the summer and he attended a hagwon (refer to previous blog) where he completed all the lessons. She met with her principal to discuss and he said that this happens a lot. Even though she is teaching grade 3, most students will need more challenging work geared for grade 4.
Stacy was stoked today when he taught his first lesson. They understood the lesson, took notes, were attentive the entire time, and all of them completed their homework that is not due until Monday. They all did great work and he was able to grade them and enter the grades before we left school. Are you exhausted yet because I am!
Since I did textbook duty today, I am severely exhausted from being on my feet all day. I get to do it again tomorrow too. The first issue of The Phoenix Flyer is prepared and ready for publication. You should Google it middle of next week. No need for me to sub just yet but I have had a couple close calls.
The Fellers and us have decided to take turns watching Ethan and Elka after school so we can get work done or have some after school fun time. Today I watched the kids on the playground. It was hilarious watching them work through their differences. They are both talking loudly and argumentatively at one another on the playground that exists between 2 school buildings. The business director must have heard them because he opened his window and watched them from above. I yelled at them to not be so loud because they were disrupting others. Within 10 minutes they were playing "nicely." Kids need to learn to work through differences without adult intervention, right?
We have a family date with the Fellers Friday afterschool to eat Korean bbq downtown. Of course I will be taking my camera and sharing it all with you. :)
This is completely off topic but, the water is really good. Seoul received an award for the best water system in the world and they are currently working on making it taste better. The Fitzgerald's don't know why though because it has no taste.
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