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!