Short (?) Update

Dear Everyone,

I'm not going to do a play-by-play... Sorry, I know you were reeeeaaaally looking forward to a couple hours worth of reading, but I think it would also require several hours worth of writing... so I'm just going to give a sketch.

Firstly, I am still loving living in Korea! I could see myself here for a long time, if God permits. (I know, I'm still in the 'honeymoon phase'.) I have now been teaching for four weeks - one full month of classes. Wow. It still doesn't seem quite real, but eso, si que es (or, as I like to think it: S-O-C-K-S) (Spanish meaning - Yes, that is the way it is. Not that I know Spanish, but I do know this one phrase... and gracias and hamburgesa and other random words ^_^)

I am teaching students from Kindergarten through 9(?)th grade (at least, I'm guessing that student is in 9th grade... I don't know for sure. Oh, and two pre-schoolers, too! (I love them, they're so cute and well-behaved.) For Kindergarten, I mostly teach Science and Art and Crafts, with a few Phonics classes thrown in for good measure. I especially like the Science and Art and Crafts part - it's a good fit for me. ^_^ The rest of my classes are English - which I happen to know very well! The students are fairly good, except for a few classes which are giving me white hairs (Seriously, I keep finding white hairs. I'm only 22!!!! At least I have a lot of hair, and it's fine-textured, so the whites don't show up so easily...) - I definitely need to work on my classroom management techniques for them. Of course, the Kindergarten tricks don't work quite so well for the middle-schoolers... So I'm being challenged as a teacher, and it's good for me, just like brussels sprouts. Speaking of food, I get a free lunch with the Kindergarteners, so I eat kimchi every weekday, and most Sundays, I think. I've decided that I like kimchi, especially when there's rice on hand in case it gets too hot (I also like pretty much all Korean food that I've tried, unless it's too hot...). Spicy hot is a big thing here in Korea - they sell tubs of chili paste in every grocery store... and it's a big display, not just some little end-cap. In my opinion - chili is harder than wasabi or horseradish to deal with, because it leaves a lasting, burning heat, unlike wasabi and horseradish, which is like - POW! then it's done. However, I think my spicy tolerance is inching up, and I've been told that Sprite/Sierra Mist (or, as they call it here, ci-da (cider)) is a lot of help

I've been looking for a church, which has been going... interestingly... So I'd appreciate your prayers for me regarding that.

It's been rather rainy lately, which I am perfectly fine with for two reasons - a. rainy = cooler (Some locals have said that this summer, Seoul has been feeling more like Bangkok than Seoul) and b. rain gives me a reason to use my umbrella! (If you recall, it was one of my first purchases, but I went at least 2 weeks without using it!) I can hardly tell you how excited I am about having fall!!! And winter, and spring!! Florida just doesn't do seasons well... except for, and I quote "In Florida, we have two seasons, Paradise and Hades, right now it's ________." (I guess it's still Hades for you FL folks.) So I am delighted at the prospect of breaking out (some of) my warmer clothing within a scant month! The fact that I am rotating between only about 6 'nice' tops for work only adds to the delight of that prospect.

Me at my wardrobe on Mondays: Okay, which shirt am I *not* going to wear this week?

I will probably do some clothes shopping after my first payday, which is coming up in about 1 week!

Well, this has been rather short, but it has been an update, of sorts, and I hope you've enjoyed it!

Signing off,

MJ/Miss Chatters

PS If you happen to know any nifty tricks for getting middle school boys to behave well, please share!