Swimming, Grading, Service, More Grading...

Last weekend was busy, but enjoyable. On Friday after classes I helped out in the middle school dorm until about 10:30. I always like going to the dorm because it's great to see the kids in a different light. I can just hangout with them watching movies, eating, sharing music. We even had a pillow fight. haha. Middle schoolers can be crazy sometimes, but they sure are a lot of fun!

After working in dorm I unsuccessfully tried to do some grading. I had so much work to do because 3 of my classes had just turned in final reports. Writing always takes a long time to grade, and on top of that I one student hand in his paper in English, one student type paragraphs into an online translator, and two others who did not complete the report at all! [That is, until I forced them to write it on the way back from the swim meet. Luckily they were on the team! hehe] We were supposed to have everything done by Monday morning (including comments for each student). I was fairly certain I wasn't going to make that deadline so at midnight I gave up and went to bed. I awoke at 5:45 to be at the school for a 6:40 departure for the last swim meet. The swim meet was great! Not only was it exciting because we were on the base (meaning more Taco Bell and Subway!), but also because our swimmers did great! We actually won some events for the first time ever. I think everyone cut time in at least one event, and several placed in the top ten. It's so much fun to see the kids accomplish their goals. I think it's the #1 reason I enjoy coaching so much.

When I returned from the swim meet it was back to grading. Same on Sunday until 6:00 PM when I hit a wall and just had to leave my apartment. I walked to my friend Anna's and wrote more comments while we watched a movie. The social interaction and food intake gave me a burst of motivation. I finished the rest of the Spanish comments that night.

Today began Christmas Service Week at the middle school. Today, the entire school took a trip to Nuri, a disabled children's rehabilitation center. Parents send their kids to this place because they aren't able to provide the care they need at home or because they are ashamed of their children. I know it sounds awful, but it was only about 10 or so years ago that people would admit to having a disabled child. There were over 100 kids at the center with physical and mental disabilities. Most of them were autistic. Our students split into grade groups and attended information sessions about the services of the center, performing the Himelech Manuever, and the difficulty of using a wheelchair. After lunch, the kids had time to play with some of the kids at the Nuri center. I was so impressed with the TCIS students. I think it was a great experience for them. They played basketball, soccer, 조꾸 (like kick volleyball), and dodgeball with the kids, as well as danced the macarena. haha. Everyone had a great time, but the day went so fast, we all wanted to stay longer! Tomorrow service week continues by making and delivering soup to homeless people at the train station, making thank you cards for the people at Nuri, giving the high schoolers--who have a break in their finals--hot chocolate, and delivering coal to people who live in the country so they can warm their homes this winter. I hope these service activities have a great impact on our students, all of which are so privileged and don't even realize it.

Well, you probably won't be hearing from me for awhile now. I leave on Saturday morning for my Christmas holiday in South America. The two other Spanish teachers and I will be going to Buenos Aires, Bariloche, El Chalten (in Patagonia), and Santiago over the three-week trip. I'm sure I will have many stories when I return! It will be strange to be away from my family for yet another Christmas, but I have many packages from them. Plus, I have my house all decked out for the season so I'm still celebrating here. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Samsung Bluefangs

I just had to write a quick post about how I spent my evening. Lyndsey and I decided to cancel our Korean lesson again this week and instead we went to a professional volleyball match. It was awesome! I have posted a video so you can virtually experience the craziness of the game. Go Samsung! I love Korean sporting events. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know it's a bit late, but I wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. This is always the most difficult time of year to be away from home. I miss Grandma's cooking, seeing my family, and watching football. It's a holiday that holds so much tradition for American families that usually most people get down a bit this week. Luckily, I have so much to be thankful for! I had a fabulous holiday: two feasts, shopping, and many Christmas movies. 

Here at TCIS we have to work on Thanksgiving, however, on Thursday Sheila, a fellow MS teacher, cooked dinner for a few of the single teachers. The food was delicious...she is an amazing cook. I had been waiting all year for that caramel pie and it didn't disappoint me! On Friday we had a half day of school, so at noon I went home and decorated my house for Christmas. My Christmas tree and lights were up, and I was in the Christmas mood, so after cooking some strawberry banana bread (while listening to Christmas tunes), I decided to watch "The Holiday." When it finished it was time to head to Thanksgiving dinner at the school. Just like last year we had an abudance of food and I ended up coming home with almost a whole loaf of banana bread. After dinner a group of us headed to the movies to watch "A Christmas Carol" for my friend Mike's birthday.

The next morning, Saturday, I woke up early to catch a school trip to Songtan, the shopping area outside of Osan Air Base. We spent the whole day shopping, except for the stop at the Mexican restaurant for lunch. I got all my Christmas shopping done, but it was a long day...we didn't get back until around 6:00. I invited everyone to my house to eat 치켄마요 and watch some my new DVDs. We watched "Four Christmases" and "Christmas Vacation" before calling it a day. It made for the end of a very happy start to the holiday season.

Weekend fun

Despite the fact that I came down with a nasty cold on Saturday and spent all day Sunday in bed, I had a wonderful weekend. Friday night I helped with a 7th grade Thanksgiving party. We are attempting to unite each grade by doing various social events and this was the first of the year. I spent the evening playing Uno, Blackjack, Boggle, and "Piggy" (like pig in basketball, except more letters. hehe. I guess they've never heard of horse.) with a great group of middle school students.

When it finished I headed to bed because Saturday morning the swim team departed at 6:00 AM for SIS. Our first jamboree was a success; there are some really talented 6th graders this year. Others on the team have improved so much this season so it's fun to see them so proud of themselves! Overall, a great event and everyone had a good time...although it felt like I spent the day in the tropics. It had to be 90˚ in that pool!

We returned to campus around 3:30, so I headed straight down to the gym where the annual Christmas Bazaar was taking place. I bought some DVDs and books from MS STUCO (Student Council), chatted with some people, and then had intentions of resting. However, by the time I got home it was after 4 and I had made plans to meet friends for dinner at 5. I basically dropped off my things and met up with Anna and Ben for some Korean BBQ. Yum!

After dinner Anna and I got all dressed up for some fellow teacher's "Halfway to 90" b-day party. All guests were supposed to dress like they thought (or hoped) they would look like when they were 90. We raided the drama dept's costume closet and found some great pieces to wear. The party was a blast! Everyone was so into their role, the food was great--candy "pills" and many desserts since "we don't have to count calories anymore"--and the games were "age appropriate" as promised. My favorite part was that they gave everyone a sticker on their back related to a funny problem people have when they age (dentures popping out, not hearing well, wandering off, falling asleep at random, not being able to see, etc.) and we all interacted accordingly. It was a hoot!

This weekend looks to be another busy one. Although Thanksgiving isn't really celebrated here, I am having Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and Friday (Yes!). I will miss the football and parade, though. We do have school on Thursday, but we get Friday afternoon off to cook for our Friday evening feast. I am going shopping in Songtan on Saturday (in line with Black Friday in the U.S. :-D) and planning to catch the new Christmas Carol movie, too. Oh, it's time to set up my Christmas tree. I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving! There is so much to be thankful for!

Groundbreaking

It's official! Today was the  groundbreaking for the building of our new school campus out in Techno Valley, a newer part of town about 30 minutes from where we are currently located. We aren't relocating until August 2011, but all the same it was an exciting day just knowing that what we've been dreaming about will become reality (picture is of projected new school). This afternoon the school decided to put together a groundbreaking ceremony. I, along with most of the staff, was skeptical about the notion of busing 800 people out to an empty hill where everyone will freeze for an hour while some higher-ups talk about the history of TCIS and what the move will mean for our school. I am happy to say that I was mistaken! The event was great. Yes, we did freeze, but getting everyone out to the site was much smoother than I thought it would be; and it was really nice to have everyone in the community together for the big event.

Before the ceremony, no one really knew what to expect. It was funny to clarify with the students that we weren't moving into the school so they didn't need to bring all their belongings, and no, we don't need to bring a shovel. hehe. I was expecting lots of TCIS banners, but it turned out to be much more than that. There were inflatable banners, banners flying high in the sky, tons of flowers sent as gifts, a stage with lots of cameras projecting the podium, and many honorable guests including the mayor of Daejeon, city council members, board members, presidents of various international schools, and even Korea's equivilent of the Vice-President. Only an Obama visit (hey, he was in Korea today!) could have made a more distinguished guest list. After a short opening prayer and a welcome from Dr. Penland, each of the guests, as well as student body co-presidents, gave 2 min. speeches stating their congratulations and gratitude. After the speeches, all of the administrators grabbed gold shovels to "break ground," and as they did confetti shot into the air! After that admin went to the "button=pushing ceremony." That had us all confused. What does the button do? No one was expecting the spectacle when they pushed the button. There were fireworks and more confetti and colored smoke and hundreds of balloons released. It was actually pretty cool! Plus, they gave all the students and staff snack packs on the way home complete with an orange, cookies, M&Ms, and a brownie! It was quite an afternoon. And in 16 months when we all return to that place there will be a wonderful new TCIS in place of the windy empty hill. Yay!

It's kimchi makin' time!

Each day at the beginning of class I ask my students what they did the day before, over the weekend, etc. This week, I had many excited students respond, "I made kimchi!" I'm not a kimchi eater myself, but I know that most Korean people are addicted to the stuff. It is served at every meal in the cafeteria and with any dish you order in a restaurant. For these reasons, I was curious (and thought it was important to know) how to make kimchi. My students were pleased with my interest and shared with me what the process is like. So, now I'm sharing a my newly-found cultural knowledge with you!

The first step in making kimchi is to wash the cabbage in salt water. Then, you cover it in red pepper paste. My students said they just buy the red pepper paste from the store, but that their 할모니(grandmas) make it from scratch my crushing dried red peppers. Next, they put the red pepper paste-covered-cabbage into a giant kimchi pot and let it ferment. I am unsure how long it has to stay there (they told me three days, but I would think longer...maybe it was lost in translation), but the entire process takes quite some time. Many said they do it for a couple days for a few hours each day. It seems to be a family affair, too. And, Korean families make SO MUCH KIMCHI! The kimchi pots are huge! Plus, in all of the 가개 and supermarkets there are cabbages stacked in every spare square centimeter you can find.

Maybe I will grow to acquire the taste of kimchi, but I just can't get past the spicyness...maybe some day. In the meantime, I will marvel at the process and appreciate the family time and hard work that goes into making this Korean staple. And if any of you come visit me, be prepared to give kimchi a try!

Happy Peppero Day!

It's that time of year again. Time for the genius marketing scheme that makes everyone in Korea purchase chocolate candy sticks called Peppero. I love this holiday around the middle school because of all the drama that takes place surrounding who gave Pepperos to who. hehe. Plus, who doesn't like to receive some free Peppero. I have just received my first ones, and boy are they tasty. :)

Besides Peppero day, the middle school is a bit crazy because of H1N1 vaccinations that 400 students are receiving here today. The Korean government is paying for all school children in the country to get the vaccination if they want it. Kind of ironic since everyone else in the world has a shortage. This week the flu has hit hard and each day we have about 15+ students absent. After they are confirmed positive they can't return to school for a week so the number will likely keep growing. I just hope we don't close down and have to do ODL (online distance learning) again!

Since volleyball has ended, sadly, I haven't had any more free time than I did before. In fact, I often find myself feeling more stressed out than I did during the season!! Last Sunday I spent about 7 hours getting caught up on grading that had been a growing stack during the season. I have also been keeping busy with middle school swimming. Even though it is only until 4:30 two days per week, it is so exhausitng. This year we have around 40 kids on the team and only 2 lanes to practice in. Plus, because we have to drive to the pool, change, practice, change, and drive back, we are always in a time crunch. One of my fellow coaches described it as feeling like a race everyday. I am constantly thinking "Go, go, go..." The first practice we arrive late and missed the bus and had to find alternate transportation for 13 kids. Since that day we are determined not to do it again. It just means we really have to keep those kids moving! Usually by the time practice is over, I am completely wiped out.

Time once again is passing by so fast that I don't even know what I am doing with it. Less than 50 days until I leave on my South America trip. I'm looking forward to that and in the meantime am working, trying to stay healthy, and enjoying the beautiful fall weather here in Korea.

잔명 Hiking with 1000s

Yep, that's what I did this weekend. I went hiking with 1000s of middle-aged to old Koreans. My friend Laura and I decided to go hiking on Saturday since the weather was perfect and the leaves were changing. We left Daejeon for Daedunsan at 10:30 an hour later we found ourselves stuck in a traffic jam about 1 km from the base of the mountain. When we finally arrived, we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed to the cable car so that we could just hike to the peak and back down. We were surprised when we went to buy tickets only to find that the cable car was sold out until 2:45! Usually the cable car only runs every hour, but this day it was running every 5 min...and each time it carried another 50 people up! We decided we didn't want to wait that long so we just hiked up the mountain ourselves. It was a really nice hike and we were glad we decided to walk. However, several times on the way up the mountain was so crowded and congested that we had to slow up and wait in line!! Although we couldn't enjoy nature and being out of the city as much as I hoped, it was a great cultural experience. And we had a lot of fun crossing the bridge and climbing the steep ladder...it was worth the wait. After 3 hours we made it to the peak (along with about 50 other people. hehe) and enjoyed a beautiful view and the satisfaction that we had climbed the whole mountain ourselves. It's still amazing to me to think that all those people decided to spend a Saturday hiking a mountain. I don't think that would happen in the U.S. You can enjoy some pics from the day here.

Welcome back, Life

I now officially have my life back. There hasn't been much to it these last couple months since I have been so busy with coaching volleyball, but this weekend was the conference tournament, marking the end of the season. The boys finished in 5th--despite an injured setter and our freshman setter-in-training playing for the whole tournament (he did a great job under so much pressure!)--after winning the final game against Daegu American. It was great to end the season with a win. It was full of ups and downs, but now we are done and I've had a chance look back, I see that it was a great season. I really enjoyed getting know the boys. One of my worries before the season started was being able to form relationships with them like I did the girls on the swim team. Although the relationships were different, I think I found it easier than with the girls and now maybe even feel closer to the boys. Even though we had a losing record, I don't think that reflects how good of a team we actually were and how much improvement was made. Plus, we had so much fun! I am proud of the guys and how they represented TCIS this year. And I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to be a part of the team. Although I will enjoy having some free time, part of me will miss going to practice everyday. At least I have next year to look forward to! Go Dragons!

To Re-sign is the answer!

I just wanted to let you all know that I have decided to renew my contract, so I will be here at TCIS for another 2 years! Although the decision was a difficult one, after listing the pros and cons both sides the list appeared very lopsided in favor of staying. Now that the decision has been officially made I am super excited about all the opportunities and experiences I will have in the next two years. It also means I won't have to make any more life decisions for awhile. Yay! :-D

APAC VB-Dragon Pride!

I wanted to update you on the amazing weekend I had in Beijing! Last Wednesday at 2 AM I awoke from the floor of a basement room in the high school (although I don't know if I ever really fell asleep thanks to lots of snoring going on around me :-P). Then, I woke up the 12 volleyball boys so that we could head to Beijing for the Asia Pacific Activities Conference (APAC) tournament. It was an early morning, but ended up being a great day! Upon arriving in China, both the boys and girls teams were picked up at the airport, and after a wonderful Chinese lunch, we visited the Great Wall. It was the same part of the wall I went to in June, but it was beautiful with all the fall colors. I walked the other way on the wall this time. The students had a really great and memorable time. We bought panda souvenirs, hats, and t-shirts; jump-roped on the wall; took pics with Samarai--and lots of others of course; and rode the toboggan down. One of the boys even took a loose brick from the wall! (Shh! haha) It was a really good bonding time for our team, and it was nice to have time to enjoy hanging out and being in China before playing volleyball for the next three days.

The tourney was held at Western Academy of Beijing. It was quite an impressive school and they ran a very smooth tournament. There was an opening ceremony in which all the teams paraded out holding their school's flag (similar to the Olympics) and then they had some dancers and guys doing martial arts, etc. After that the games began. We played three games everyday and when we weren't playing the girls were, so we watched them. Since we hadn't won a game in 5 weeks, the guys didn't have much confidence going into the tournament. The competition was really good, but after a slow start, the team came the second day ready to play. After beating Hong Kong International School in straight sets, we became a different team. It was amazing to me how much we improved in just a couple days with a newly found confidence. We played two more great matches that day, including a play-off match with Brent International School of Manila that went to five close sets before we pulled it off and earned their way into the 3rd place match. We ended up in 4th after a hard fought game in which we were leading the first two games and then they slipped away. The guys played so well, though, and I am so proud of them for being able to battle back!

Besides watching my team and the girls (they got 3rd!) play great, there were several things I enjoyed about the weekend. I got to watch GREAT volleyball. The boys team from WAB was one of the best I've ever seen. One of the guys is going to try out for the Austrian national team, and two others have parents who played on national teams of their respective countries. The girls Championship Match was also quite a spectacle; 5 sets in which every point mattered. It was back and forth all the way until the end. APAC was also a great opportunity to get to know people from all the other schools. The students have homestays and all the coaches stay in a hotel. We ate together every night (really good food, btw; we even had Mexican one night) and got to know each other a bit. I feel like I now have friends all over the world in the international ed. community. We all hugged goodbye at the end of the weekend and said, "See you next year!"

Luckily we have had a couple days of professional development so I have been able to gradually adjust back to teaching. I haven't been able to catch up on my sleep though.  Tomorrow it will be back to normal school for a couple days before the KAIAC conference tournament this Friday and Saturday in Seoul. After that I will have so much free time I won't know what to do with myself. hehe.

To resign or re-sign? That is the question.

Contracts were put in our mailboxes at the end of last week. Now the madness begins; everyone always asking what you are going to do, trying to figure out who's staying or going, stressing out themselves with making another big decision.  We have until November 13 to decide to resign, renew the contract for 1 year, or renew the contract for 2 years. It's kinda funny because it is such a difficult decision, but the process is so simple. Check the box and sign. Such a big decision in a little task! I have some more thinking and praying to do before I make my decision, but I will let you know when I do. I'm sure it will be a huge relief. Next life decision...check!

Hai Japan :)

Today was the first day back at school after a wonderful, much-needed break. September ended with SEW, Spiritual Emphasis Week, so we did not have any class. Instead, the day is structured more like a youth conference. It was a ton of fun! I went to noraebang with a group of 6th grade girls, played soccer, took some awesome pics with my homeroom group, squirted kids with squirt guns, worshiped with a talented musician from the U.S., played a giant 'prisoner's base'-type game, and made some great connections with the middle schoolers. It was great!

After SEW we had a five day weekend for Chuseok, the Korean harvest holiday. I went to Osaka and Kyoto with 5 friends and had a fast and busy break. We arrived on Thursday night in Kyoto and stayed through Sunday morning. In that short time we ate a ton of good Japanese food, including sushi; visited monkeys and a bamboo forest at Arashiyama Park; shopped outside the Silver Pavilion; pondered life along the Philosopher's Walk :-P; visited Nara, the first capital of Japan and the origin of Buddha; took pics with deer that roamed around Nara; saw Kiyomizu-dera at sunset (where Bethany and Ike got engaged, I think); walked around the many gates at Fushimi Inari; and woke up at 6:30 AM to shop for random goods at a monthly flea market. Kyoto is a beautiful city, and I had a fantastic time.

On Sunday morning we left for Osaka. When we arrived we dropped our bags at our hostel and then headed to Osaka Castle. It is in a really nice park and provided a great view of the city. After, we met up with Sarah's cousin, who works for Cirque du Soleil. He gave us a backstage tour of the show and we saw the sound equipment, walked behind and under the stage where the techies do, touched some of the props (like the trampoline bed and the giant rings), saw the performers--including the giant and the little man--resting between the shows, and visited the house where the audience watches. It was so cool! We even got to wear guest tags. It's funny because we all agreed that it was exactly like what we were expecting the circus to be like. :-D After our tour we hopped a train to Universal Studios. I had never been there, even in the U.S., but it was so much fun. It was dark while we were there, making rides like Jurassic Park and Jaws even better. Plus, we got to see the magical starlight parade, which made a feel like kids again. We returned to our hotel pooped, but not too tired to dress in our bathrobes like ninjas for a photo shoot. hehe. What a great, but fast, trip to Japan!

Then today it was back to the real world. After not having class for so long it was a little strange. Luckily, I only taught one class because this morning and tomorrow morning the students are taking standardized tests. Tomorrow and Friday I have away volleyball games, too, so Thursday is my only full day of classes. This week is going to fly by...in fact, I think this month is going to fly by and before I know it November will be here! I will try to update more than I did last month. It's looking to be a pretty eventful one!

Be sure to check out my pictures. Here you can find pics from my Chuseok trip to Japan, and here are pics from SEW, volleyball, and other random happenings of this year.

Volleyball Overnighter!

Life in Korea is so busy this year. The good news is that it is a different kind of busy from last year at this time (when I was overwhelmed with school work). This year I am busy with volleyball. Since the "flu break," as we are now calling it, we are back to having practice everyday. Plus, we are in full swing with games every weekend and many Wednesdays.

Wednesday of this week we played GSIS, our sister school. In between the boys and girls game there was a big ceremony to commemorate the event since it was the first varsity athletic competition between the schools. My team didn't play well, but pulled off the win in five games. Whew! It makes me nervous when they are so close!

This past weekend we had our first and only overnight in Seoul. All fall sports travel together so there were probably 60 of us setting out after lunch on Friday. That afternoon we played at Korea International School, and Saturday we played Seoul International School. All the volleyball teams played well both matches, but the boys ended up losing to SIS in a really close game. I'm confident we'll get them next time, though!

Because there were back-to-back away games in Seoul, we stayed at SIS; boys on the gym floor and girls in the locker rooms. It was...interesting. I slept better than I thought I would, but it was quite an experience. Everything from no A.C. to a fan that shut off when the lights went off, to really bright exits signs, to students cell phones (that the coaches had collected!) going off at 5 AM, to a strange man walking in in his underwear clearly shocked to see so many girls sleeping in the room! haha. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it (especially my burger for dinner in Itaewon!), but I'm happy we don't have another overnighter!

Back in Session

School is back in session, and boy was everyone happy! Although sleeping in and teaching in my PJs was nice, teaching online was a real challenge! And it wasn't very fun either. We were quarantined...and alone. It was so boring that some days I just had to get out of the house for some social interaction. I felt like I spent all day sitting at my computer replying to emails. The students didn't like it much either and felt overloaded with homework. Poor kids! Some of them didn't even realize lessons were being posted online until this week. Unfortunately, with the way things are going, we may end up closing again. So far about 40 schools in Korea have been shut down.

We started up again on Wednesday. As excited as I was to be returning to face to face instruction, I was dreading the day. I feared it would be mass chaos because the school has begun to implement "Swipe Away the Swine Flu" which requires each student to get their temperatures checked before school starts, dismissing the kids early to wash their hands before lunch, and using paper cups at the drinking fountains. The day went a lot smoother than I was expecting and after today I feel like we are starting to get the hang of the new procedures. Every now and then I forget to stop class early so we can wipe down the desks, computers and doorknobs, but other than that things are back to normal. I can say one thing, this experience made us all a lot more thankful for the chance to come to school each day!

Besides Swine flu excitement, not too much has been going on. We aren't allowed to travel yet, but my friends and I did purchase plane tickets to Japan for Chuseok (hopefully the let us in and out of the country!). I also bought a new road bike so I enjoyed a couple rides during the school closure. Now that school is back in session, volleyball is in full swing (no pun intended! :-P). I enjoy coaching the boys more than I thought I would. They are a great group and it is such a blessing to be around them everyday. They are so encouraging, and there are some really great leaders on the team. We are supposed to have our first game on Wednesday, but it is against our sister school, GSIS, who was closed down all this week due to cases of N1H1. If we don't end up playing, we will play our first game on Friday the 4th. We haven't had much practice, but I am excited with the progress I see already. I can't wait to play some games!

Pass the Swine (Flu)

Ever heard of the game "Pass the Pigs". You know, the one where you roll the pigs and get points for how they land. Well, a friend of mine cleverly gave the game a new name..."Pass the Swine Flu." Unfortunately, but a bit ironically, this title pretty much describes TCIS today.

Since school began we have been giving our student H1N1 questionnaires each morning. I really hadn't been taken them too seriously and thought the measure was a bit ridiculous. However, this week a ton of people have become sick so the Korean health officials came and tested many people who had been sent home this week. It hasn't been as noticeable in the MS, but about half the senior class was gone as well as some faculty. Today, as school came to an end we got an interesting announcement. School will be closed until further notice due to confirmed cases of H1N1!!! All school activities were canceled, dorm students were sent home, and we were told that we will most likely be closed at least the rest of the week...maybe longer. I guess normal procedure is that a school is closed for 6 days! After an all-staff meeting to update us on the situation, media crews were swarming the front gate. It was surreal! We are the first international school to be closed by the Korean health officials, but more are expected to follow. Apparently there are already two people who tested positive at KIS in Seoul. I'm starting to think it will be a miracle if we get all of our volleyball games in this year...I mean, it would require that neither school has been shut down due to the virus. :-S

Although I am kinda looking forward to these free personal days (we aren't supposed to be in groups with TCIS people or anywhere with large groups of people), this will bring great challenges to a school year that was off to a smooth start. We are going to be transitioning to online learning so that students aren't sitting at home doing nothing. It means that I am going to have to rethink some of my lessons and come up with things the students can do at home. Most of them do not have their textbooks (and the school is closed as of 10 AM tomorrow so I can't even scan pages) so I will have to get creative. I think overall it will be a great learning experience with ODL (Online Distance Learning) and using various technologies to communicate with students; but it means I have a lot of work to do!

Be praying for the members of our community that have H1N1 and pray also that we are able to reopen soon. I have a feeling this no school, no friend gathering, no traveling stuff is going to get real boring real fast!

Arrrrgreat Weekend!

Saturday a group of RAs and teachers decided it would be fun to escape the heat by heading to Caribbean Bay, a huge pirate-themed water park outside Seoul. Unfortunately, due to Saturday being Korean Liberation Day everyone else in the country had the same idea! We arrived at the park around 12 only to learn that we couldn't get in until 5 since the place was over capacity. Stupid overpopulation! However, after pondering for awhile about what we should do, some fellow foreigners told us that we could buy the tickets to Caribbean Bay and get into Everland, the amusement park next door, for my favorite price of FREE! So...we spent about 5 hours at Everland where I rode a couple rides (including the T-Express...the best wooden coaster I've ever ridden), ate some great burgers, sweated out every cold drink I purchased. By 5 I was ready to hop into the pool! When we got to Caribbean Bay it was still packed. After finally finding a locker we hit up the wave pool, which looked more like a wave of human bodies. It was fun though because instead of many waves in a row. there is one big tidal wave that pushes everyone back about 20 ft. See video here (but with even more people!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQleV-uw_yY&feature=related. We also went on an awesome waterslide that was like a rollar coaster because we were in tubes and the slide went up and down hills. Tons of fun! Not to mention we had a great time floating along the lazy river.

Even though I was pooped after a long day of fun, I decided to join my friend Christine and head to Seoul to visit Sylvia, another friend who used to teach at TCIS. We spent the night catching up on our summer travels, current lives, and the new school year. The next day we slept in and met some of Christine's friends for lunch. We ate at Dos Tacos...a pleasant hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant. Such a great find! It was a fabulous weekend, but today I'm exhausted. Time for some much-needed rest. Good night!

I'm back!

I have safely and smoothly arrived in Korea after a wonderful summer traveling, visiting friends, and spending time with my family. I have many stories from my around-the-world trip so if you want to hear some shoot me an email. In the meantime, I will be posting links to the pics I have. I also had a great time on RAGBRAI--Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa--with Tami (my roommate from college), Sarah (who taught with me here in Korea last year), and many new friends. It was a great feeling of accomplishment when I finished the 7-day, 442 mile ride. It was definitely a challenge, but it was also a ton of fun. Training consumed most of my summer days which prevented me from getting bored in Washington, too.

Although the summer and the break from work were awesome, it feels good to be back. The community here is so caring and supportive. I had missed them. There are some really great new staff members as well. I got in early on Friday morning so I am almost over jet lag. I have spent my time so far doing things around my apartment that I wanted to do all last year and never had time to do. In addition I have been preparing for the first day of school which is quickly approaching on Monday the 10th. I can't believe it is here already! There is a lot to do, but I feel so much more prepared than last year when I had no idea what I was doing. My class load is exactly the same; 5 Spanish classes and 1 7th Sheltered Bible. The biggest adjustment this year will be that I do not have a heavy and light day/week. I teach 3 and have 2 free periods everyday. I am curious to see how I will like it or if it will make time go by slower or faster. This fall I will be helping coach JV volleyball so that will be really fun, but will also be another adjustment as I will be busy everyday after school. In general, I am very very excited to see my students and start the school year. I will be busy, but I am going to try to keep my blog updated regularly. Thanks for reading!

1 Year Down, 1 Day To Go!

I have officially completed my first year of teaching. Today was the last day of school and it was by far one of the ost exhausting. But now...it is done! Tomorrow I am going to our last divisional meeting and then cleaning out my desk before returning home to start packing. I leave on Sunday for my long-awaited around-the-world trip. Eeek!

Since it is the end, I have been thinking a lot about the year as a whole. Here are some of my reflections: 1.) I have grown so much; I feel much more like an adult than I ever have in my life and am content moving past the college days. I feel as though I have settled into a real life. 2.) I have once again adapted to a new and different culture. Things that used to be foreign now seem normal. I still, of course, have the occasional surprise...which is good. Keeps life interesting. :) 3.) I have formed meaningful relationships with colleagues and students. The middle school teachers that I work with are incredibly supportive and I have learned so much from them. I don't think I could ask for better colleagues. Also, it was rewarding these last couple days to hear feedback from students about what they learned from me. Many of their comments related not to Spanish necessarily, but to the relationships we had formed after being together for a year. They are so encouraging and awesome! They were truly as sad as I was to say goodbye, so that felt really good. 4.) Life is good. I am so blessed to have a chance to live and work in a place as amazing as TCIS. I know I am in the right place and feel comforted knowing that the future, although unknown, will be full of adventures.

Ok, well I need to get some rest. Tomorrow is a busy day. And it won't slow down for a couple more weeks. Pray for good weather and smoothe travel because we will be on the move! As for those of you readers back in Iowa. I will see you soon!!!

May Update

I can't believe I haven't written the entire month! I thought I was doing better than that at keeping you all informed as to the happenings here in Korea. Well, I will do my best to give a brief rundown on what's been going on this past month.

The month started off with I-Fest (International Festival). It was good fun, good food, and good entertainment even though it was a little rainy. I sat in the dunk-tank for awhile which was more fun than I thought it would be. I also worked in the prize tent in addition to eating, shopping, and listening to music/dancing acts. The night concluded with a famous TCIS fireworks show.

Another highlight of May was visiting Busan the next weekend to see Ike and Bethany. Ike spent the week in Korea so it was fun to see him and hear his first impressions of the place. I took a much-needed personal day on Friday and met up with Bethany and her friend, Anne, early. Then, Ike came on Saturday evening and Sunday I took them to Taejongdae. It was just as beautiful as in the fall.

The next weekend was Middle School Retreat...a church camp-like weekend get-away for the kids. About 80 kids and 10 adults went to a place called Sunday Beach that was pretty much in the middle of the mountains far from all cities. It was beautiful and really peaceful. I stayed in a cabin with a group of 7th grade girls and I really enjoyed getting to know them better and talking about more spiritual things with them. The kids were funny though because they thought they couldn't survive in such a bug-filled, small, isolated place without their cell phones for a whole weekend. We all had a good trip though. Once again it was rainy and cool but that didn't stop the kids from swimming in the river or making smores. Mmm!

That brings us to this past weekend. On Friday after school I caught at train to Suncheon to see Bethany. I stayed with her host-family on Friday night and then on Saturday we got up early to hike Jirisan, one of the highest mountains in Korea. It was a great hike...up for an hour and down for about 5. It was absolutely beautiful because everything was green and it had rained the day before so there were waterfalls everywhere. I really enjoyed it but I am pretty sore today!

Today was church potluck, softball playing, and the swim team final dinner. Everything is starting to finish up here. Last week was the middle-school talent show (an year-end tradition) which was a good time. Also, we said goodbye to my friend Sarah who spent the semester student teaching here. Now there's only one more week of classes and then a fun week at the MS which will be filled with awards ceremonies, class parties, the creative arts show, and a trip to Everland--an amusement park in Seoul. Next weekend is graduation. I can't believe how fast this year has gone. Two weeks from today I will be starting my around-the-world trip and less than a month and I'll be back in the US of A!

End of Season 1

As I am sitting here listening to Big Bang, a famous Korean pop group, I decided that I should write a weekly update since I have nothing better to do. :) It's nice to not be too busy right now. I spent today at a bridal shower for my neighbor and resting at home. This week went super fast. It was my "light week" meaning I only had my full day of teaching on Tuesday and Thursday. On Thursday I gave all the students a proficiency test so I wasn't really teaching that day either. I spent most of Friday grading the tests, though. Tomorrow I will give the students the oral. It is interesting to see what they remember and see how much they learned this year. Makes me feel like I am doing something even when it sometimes seems like they aren't making any progress.

The highlight of the week was this weekend. On Thursday evening I went to the HS musical production of Urinetown. It was wonderful! Then, on Friday night I had all the girls on swim team over for a spaghetti dinner. We had a good time playing Catch Phrase and eating ice cream fondue. They also gave me a really cute giant card. It was nice. Then, on Saturday we had our KAIAC conference championship meet. We left at 6 AM and didn't get home until 7:00 PM so it was a long day, but a lot of fun. Most of the swimmers had their personal best times. Unfortunately, one of our last relays got disqualified for an early start so we ended up getting 7th place (our goal was 6th) by just 3 points. Overall it was still a good day though. It will be nice to have more time in my week, but I think I'm really going to miss seeing my team everyday. Luckily, most of them will be back next year!


Most of the swim team before the awards ceremony. The end of a very long day.

Time is flying...

Time is going so fast that before I know it I will be home! Ok, to update you on this week I have to start with last Sunday. I spent Easter Sunday at a Hanwha Eagles game. The Eagles are Daejeon's professional baseball team. It was a beautiful day to be outside so a bunch of us decided to check it out, and it was quite an experience! Baseball games here are so different than in the U.S. At home, baseball games are about socializing and eating, but here, the entire crowd was doing chants and banging thunder sticks for the whole 9 innings. It was unbelieveable...I felt like I was at a basketball game in the student section, not watching baseball! It was also funny because they didn't have a 7th inning stretch, but instead, after the 5 inning, the players came on the field fou about 10 minutes and actually stretched! haha. It was a good time, though.

Monday through Thursday our school was being evaluated by a visiting committee from WASC, our accreditors. It was kinda nerve-racking when they popped into my classes, but nothing too bad. The worst was on Tuesday when I wasn't teaching. They came and found all us teacher in our workroom and started grilling us about our curriculum writing and assessments. I tried to make an escape to the teacher's lounge, but was unsuccessful because I was caught by the WASC guy. Oh well, I think we got all good marks and feel confident that we will get the full 6-year accreditation.

This weekend went so fast. Saturday we had a swim meet (which I almost missed because my alarm clock didn't go off. Eek!) that actually went really fast. Our team swam well, too. We just have one week left; next weekend is our conference meet. Then, last night I went with some of my friend to Outback and then to the movie New in Town or Miss Lucy or whatever it is called in the U.S. It was hilarious because it is set in SE MN and it totally plays up rural life. It reminded me of home and made me laugh...a lot. Today the weather was so warm--80 degrees--so I went for a bike ride. I'm starting my training for RAGBRAI. I think I got in about 20k today and maybe 15k on Friday. I hope the weather stays nice so I can keep riding regularly. I don't have any more traveling planned for the rest of the school year so now it is a straight shot to the end. I'm looking forward to my around-the-world trip and for some time at home, but things are still going well here. I hope everything is going as well stateside!

Just call me nurse!

I have finally found time to write about my amazing Spring break mission trip to Boracay, Philippines. Early (2:30 AM!) on Saturday, April 4th, 17 of us--5 leaders, 11 boys, and 1 girl--left for our destination, and after 2 flights, a bus ride, and a boat ride we arrived...17 hours later. For being such a tourist spot, the island sure is difficult to get to. It was definitely worth the hassle, though, because the place and people are absolutely beautiful.

We were hosted by a ministry called On the Rock which is currently building a four-story community center for the people of Boracay. The 1st floor will be a preschool, the 2nd a Bible school, 3rd floor is a medical clinic, and 4th floor is a gym/auditorium. It is BIG project; we spent every morning of the week working on the second floor. We actually only poured concrete one day, but the other days were used preparing for the pour mostly by hauling endless piles of gravel and sand up the bamboo stairs via a bucket brigade, measuring them, and putting them into bags. It was tough work and it was hot so our biggest challenge was keeping everyone hydrated! Some of those boys earned the nickname "ox" because they seemed to never tire.

We mostly had the afternoons free to relax; however, we usually headed for the beach...less than a 5-min. walk away. The beach was lined with restaurants, shops, palm trees, and awesome white sand by clear blue water. Some days we swam, other days we got henna tattoos, we also enjoyed plenty of mango shakes and cerealicious (cereal, milkshake, candy, and ice cream in one!). My favorite day on the beach was when a group of us rode the banana boat and fly fish. We had a blast, but got thrown off a good number of times. hehe. Another highlight of the beach was the little Filipino kids who were always around. One day we played frisbee, volleyball, and rugby with them. They speak English pretty well so we could communicate with them. They were so cute!

We all had plenty of opportunities to interact with the kids at feeding sites. Everyday at four we split into two or three groups, hopped into a tricycle, and went to a more remote area of the island. Sometimes it felt like we were headed into the jungle! While we were there we sang songs with the kids, performed a short skit of the story of the lost sheep, played with the kids while they colored, made paper airplanes (they LOVED them), passed out candy and vitamins, and did basic medical treatments on their many wounds. They also receive a meal there. I think this was my favorite part of our trip because it was so cool to see the boys with the kids. They were so good with them!

Other highlights of the trip included eating dinner every night on the beach. I mean, our tables were right by the water so you could hear the ocean and see the stars. One night we went on a sunset sail. Absolutely gorgeous! On the way back we saw a beautiful moonrise, too. I had never been sailing before, but it was cool how we were kind of like flying on the water. So relaxing. On our last day we took an island hopping tour where we snorkeled and had a picnic lunch at a beach on the other side of the island. But despite all these awesome things, the biggest highlight was getting to know an awesome group of high schoolers. It's crazy how close we got in just one week. It was cool to see them all get along so well and grow so close by the end of the week. One of them even shared that they were "like brothers" by the end of the trip. :)

I think one of the reasons that we all grew so close was because this trip was far from perfect in that we had a lot of mishaps. The most evident being sickness. Now, before we left I had been declared the team nurse. Who knew it would be such a big job! The second day of the trip we had two boys come down with a very bad illness. Both had fevers and 0 energy. One even had to be on an IV for 2 days. One morning I woke up and took his temp and it was 103.5. It was scary, but a couple of the boys stayed behind and helped take care of him. After several visits from the doctor it was discovered that he had hookworm (that he apparently got in Korea...Yikes!) so he was given treatment and recovered in a day or so. The other boy recovered as well, but the next day 3 more people weren't feeling well. On the last day we made yet another trip to the clinic to find out that one of the boys had a perforated ear drum. Ay ay ay! We as leaders had to take turns staying behind with these sick people basically the entire trip. It was a lesson in service that I wasn't expecting. I was prepared to serve the Filipino people, but sometimes it is just as important to serve those who you came with. Luckily, they have all made full recoveries. :)

Well, this is quite long, but it was such a great week! We all had a blast and grew a lot. I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to go on the trip, to meet the amazing people on the island, and to help with a variety of really awesome things that On the Rock is doing there. Plus, now there are 16 other people on campus that just make me smile when I see them because we shared a week full of good, bad, hot, fun, challenging, rewarding, memorable times.

Be sure to check out the pics! :)

My computer's fixed!

After a long week or so of having a broken computer I have finally got it working again. So, I guess it is time for another blog entry. :) So far nothing too exciting has been going on in my life. Just the normal: work, coaching, more work, hanging out with friends. Time is still flying by though. We started 4th quarter this week. I can't believe we only have 8 more weeks left of school! I have survived the final parent-teacher conferences of the year. They are always so interesting since not all the parents speak English. I always wonder how much is lost in translation. haha. I did get to talk to a good number of parents, though. After the conferences were over all of the middle school teachers went out for sam-gae-tang, which is a small whole chicken in a bowl. It was tasty...and something I hadn't tried yet.

What I am most looking forward to now is spring break. We leave next Saturday (just one week! ahh!) for our LASA trip to the Phillipines! We are staying on the island of Boracay...home to one of the best beaches to visit I'm told. And we will only be 5 min. away! I am going with a great group of kids and adults. The high school Spanish teacher, one of my RA friends, and two other middle school teachers make up the leaders. As for the students, I don't know many high schoolers, but I actually know some of the team members from swim team. There is only 1 girl going so that will be a little strange, but I don't think it will be a problem. Pray that we have safe travels (it will take us 6 hours--2 flights and a ferry ride) and a safe trip as we will be doing some pretty intense construction I am told. I guess they had students up on scaffolding on the last trip, which makes me worried because I'm the trip nurse! I'm sure I will have plenty of stories upon returning so stay tuned. :)

A busy week...whew

Hi all, so much has happened this week that I thought I would write a quick entry so I don't get too far behind. I am writing this post from school because my computer crashed this week! Sadly, there will not be any pictures for now, but I will add some later!

Ok, so this is my week:
Monday: After a full day of teaching we had the World Hunger Banquet to raise money for Zibabwean refugees in Mozambique. It was a great event in which all attendees were split into low, middle, and high income sections. I was in the middle so I got a slice of pizza and a can of coke for dinner. Most people got a bowl of rice and a select few got an amazing pasta and grilled chicken dinner with chocolate cake for dessert. The students did a good job presenting information and providing entertainment...and promoting the event. There were over 250 people there and with a 25,000 won ticket they raised over 9 million won!

Tuesday: Tuesday was my b-day and I had a great day. After school I had swimming practice. As soon as I got back to the school I was met by a group of friends. We went out to eat at a local restuarant and then headed to the middle school band concert (so much fun!) which was followed with some cake in Jaesoon.

Wednesday: After school I once again had swimming practice. After eating dinner with a couple of teachers and the new student teacher, we went to a performance of "The Knights of the RAD Table" by one of the middle school drama classes. It was a great performance. I mean, I was laughing out loud! After that some of my hogwan friends came over to celebrate my b-day and chat until way later than I wanted to be up!

Thursday: School, practice, and then a meeting for our upcoming LASA trip to the Phillipines. I am so excited for the trip! We are going to Boracay. There are a few swimmers going on the trip with me so I already know some of the students. We will be doing work, distributing food to 50 little kids, and spending a good deal of time after work at the beach that's 5 minutes away. Yay! Anyway, after the meeting my friend Lyndsey and I hit up Jin and Kino's--a great little American restuarant by the school that had been closed for quite awhile since Jin and Kino were in the US--before heading to the high school band/choir concert. I wanted to go since lots of my swimmers were performing, but I was definitely tired after and went right to bed!

Friday: Today hasn't been any less exciting than the rest of the week. This morning we celebrated Pi Day by having a contest to see who had memorized the most digits of pi. One of my 8th grade students was the winner...88 digits!!! After 2 classes and lunch we began the middle school Creative Arts Show, a quaterly event in which the students present what they have been doing in their art classes. It was great. When it finished there was only about 1/2 an hour of class left. After school I went to my Korean class which left me mentally drained, but I feel like I'm learning something. Now, I am at school working on calculating final Q3 grades which are due on Monday. Eek!

Well, I gotta get back to work. Hopefully my computer will be fixed soon and I can get some pictures up from all these great events (and our second swim meet tomorrow), but until then you will just have to imagine the fun...and chaos...that I have been experiencing this week. :)

Hola again

Hello all. Sorry it has been so long since I have written. I hope you are still reading! Over a month since the last post...wow. Time is flying here in Korea. I will try to update you on the happenings of my life in as few sentences as possible.

Last time I wrote we were just finishing up Lunar Break. Since then, we have had another break. We had all last week off and while most people traveled, I stayed in cold Korea. It was wonderful because Mom and Dad came to visit me! It was so fun to have them here and for them to experience my life here. Besides the food and the crowds everywhere, I think they enjoyed their trip. We spent the first few days in and around Daejeon before heading to Suwon to the folk village and on to Seoul, where we did all the touristy stuff: Insadong traditional markets, Seoul Tower, palaces, museums, the DMZ tour, and my favorite--Nanta, a modern-day dance/percussion show with tidbits of Korean cultural dance.

Besides my parents visit, I have been keeping busy around Daejeon. Many of my friends have celebrated birthdays recently, so I have been getting my fill of cake! Mmm. Recently I have met lots of people from church who don't work at the school and have been spending time with them. They have introduced me to a Korean class. It is pretty intensive. 1-on-1 instruction for 1.5 hours. My head hurts so bad by the time it is done, but I really really want to learn so it's worth it.

I have also been staying involved in school activities. On February 13-14 Seoul Foreign School hosted a 30 Hour Famine. We had about 50 students from TCIS attend and I chaperoned. Along with the 130 from SFS the students raised $25,000! It was an awesome event. A bit challenging to get 60 middle school girls all sleeping in the same room to shut up and go to sleep, but besides that it was a lot of fun.

On Friday, February 20, all of the middle school World Language teachers collaborated to plan an event in which all the students--Korean, Spanish, and Mandarin--came together and had a joint class. We called it the World Language Festival. The students gave presentations about what they have learned in their respective classes and we all learned a little bit of all the languages. Then, the students formed groups with all the classes mixed up and went to various stations and played games from Mexico, Korea, and China. There was also a station where they made mandu, or dumplings. At the end of class we broke a pinata. The kids loved it and it was a lot of fun...and educational of course. :)

Now I am coaching the high school Swim Team. I am still getting to know the girls, but so far I am enjoying it. We have our first meet on Saturday so hopefully it goes well. I'm sure it will be a good time no matter what because it is at OSAN, the U.S. Military base. And that means we get to eat lunch at Chile's! I'm pretty excited.

Well, I hope this is a sufficient update. Things are still going well. My leg is finally healing and I can pretty much walk normally now. I still have a little pain sometimes, but I am going to the doctor again on Friday for hopefully the last time.

I am looking forward to the rest of the year here. In April, I am going on a mission trip to the Phillipines. Then, just a short 6 weeks later, my friend Lyndsey and I will be embarking on our around-the-world adventure. Beijing, Cairo, Spain, Toronto, and then home for the summer. It won't be long now!

Snow, Snow, Snow

Yep, snow is falling as I speak. It has snowed here almost everyday for the past 2 weeks. I guess it is really uncommon to get that much of the white stuff here. It's been pretty cold, too, with wind chills in the single digits (farenheit). Maybe I just bring winter with me wherever I go. hehe. Those of you that know me well know that I don't mind snow when it doesn't last long, when I don't have to drive in it, and when I get to go sledding. Luckily, the snow never last very long here. It is usually melted by the time school gets out with the exception of yesterday where there were a couple inches all day! I do not have to drive in it which is so nice. I do not miss scraping the car, that's for sure. The only bad thing about this snow is that I can't go sledding in it. I am still recovering from my broken leg. I got the cast off on Thursday (YAY!), but my muscle is so weak that I can't really walk properly. I am trying to do stretches and build up the muscle as quickly as I can so that I can get back to being active.

Other than the weather, things are going well here. Right now we are in the middle of a five-day weekend because of Lunar New Year, the biggest holiday in Korea after Chusok in September. I am just hanging around Daejeon resting, watching movies, and being with friends. It has been great so far to get some much-needed relaxation since I have been on the go a lot lately.

I am posting links to some pictures. Just click on the underlined words to see them. You will have to go to the end of all the albums to see the new ones. Some are from Alicia's visit to Daejeon the first week in January. Others are from our time in Seoul together. We had another swim meet on Saturday so I have added more to the swim meet album. I also have some of my co-workers and I on twin day at school. Last week was Spirit week so we had dress-up days. Monday was black and gold day, Tuesday was crazy day, Wednesday was twin day, Thursday was opposite gender day, and Friday--my favorite day--was "bring a cuddly stuffed animal to school" day. The kids were so funny, and almost everyone brought a stuffed animal. It was great fun. I wish I had more pics from the week, but be sure to check them out.

Cabbage decorating the side of the road. Why use flowers when you can use cabbage? :-D