Thursday is my really heavy day as far as classes go. I have six of them. The problem is they are all right in a row from 3 to 9 p.m. Six straight classes with only the short 25 minute break at 6:50 p.m. to grab a bite to eat.
Thursday is also rough because Chris isn't here if I have questions. I have no problems going to the teachers to ask what to do, but I sometimes get the feeling that I am bugging them a little bit. The issue is that the English teachers can only teach the units that correspond to what the Koreans have already covered. Sometimes, when we finish our unit or simply finish the book, we have to come up with our own ideas.
Stacy, the head teacher, said all classes are starting new books next week. That means for this week and part of last week, I was bugging them to ask what they recommend I do. I now realize that I have a little creative freedom in teaching the kids when we have those breaks in the lessons.
The best news about today is that my 8 p.m. class is taking a test, so I get that period off. That makes my hectic Thursday a lot easier. It's still five classes in a row, but that isn't a problem at all.
Also, I have two classes today where the teachers said I could prepare something. Last week I came up with a list of questions about the Olympics, and the kids used them to write short essays. It wasn't as much fun as possible, but it was fairly easy since everyone, even non-sports fans, know about the Olympics.
This week, I already used Scrabble in parts of two classes. I brought LCR and Quiddler with me as well. I know LCR is generally a drinking game for us, but I can use it to teach counting and directions. Quiddler will be perfect for the kids because it's a short-word card game. It's
a lot like Scrabble, but doesn't depend on a board to form words. I will see how it goes in my class today.
I finally got my internet hooked up in my apartment. As I suspected, all I needed was an ID and password, which were numbers. This could've been resolved easily last week. I still don't have cable, so we'll see how long that takes. Also, the hot water is not back yet.
Terry, the school's VP, called a repairman, but he needs permission from the landlord. That call should take place today. I hope it does soon, because I am getting tired of taking cold showers. It makes my shower far less relaxing and a little more stressful when all I'm thinking about is how I wish the water was warm.
I have just been approached by one of the other teachers about finishing the old books and starting the new ones. She said to make sure I get the current lessons done by tomorrow, Friday. That won't be a problem. Most of my classes have already finished or just have one lesson left in the current books.
I had my first interesting experience with a Korean stranger in a bar who was very hands-on. I was warned that it would happen at some point, and it doesn't make me uncomfortable, but I think it's worth noting.
Chris, Mike and I went to a bar Tuesday night in Inha, which is Incheon Harbor University. While we were there, a 29-year-old Korean guy started talking to us. But he also would hang on our arms, touch our legs and give us hugs.
Chris said that while it's not totally uncommon for that to happen, that guy was just a weirdo. It wouldn't be any different than if we were in America and a person with a strange personality started talking to us. That being said, the guy was generous and bought our drinks, which would've been expensive because we were at a hostess bar.
There seems to be three different kinds of bars here that I have seen so far. The Korean hoff is the most common, where you basically have to order some kind of food with your drinks. It can be fruit or chicken or soup of some sort. But that is their culture to eat while drinking.
The second kind would be the hostess bar, where you don't have to order food, but bottles of beer are $4 at the cheapest. The third kind is the western bar, which means you can go and order cheap drinks without the food. Guess which is my favorite. haha.
Well, I have about 30 minutes until my five hours of classes start for the day. And there's not as much rush to type the blog while I'm at school since I finally have my internet hooked up. I won't be getting kicked off and signing back in constantly anymore.
I hope all is well at home, for whoever may be reading this. Love you and miss you!
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