Handsome boy and getting mauled by kindergarteners

After much coaxing, here’s another one for your reading pleasure. Sorry it took me so long. I have a list as long as my wing span (I have wings now, don’t you know) of things to include in this one. I’ll have to simplify, otherwise you guys will be reading until June.
It’s funny that I started writing this a week ago and haven’t been able to touch it since. There are not enough hours in a day. I was just explaining to Mom the other night that I can’t believe how much teaching is taking out of me. Once I get home from work, I have about 45 minutes of daylight left. Not only am I exhausted and just want to sleep; I have many things to try to accomplish before I sleep. I always have lessons to prepare for the next day and I definitely don’t have enough hours at school to do that. So… it’s kind of like homework, and kind of a bummer. I’ve also started learning Korean and I’m trying to study for two hours a night, which realistically ends up being more like an hour, at best. I have to go to a coffee shop or teahouse to do it; otherwise I’m left with the option of sitting on my bed. We all know a bed doesn’t facilitate a very productive environment for scholarly tasks. But yet, here I sit ☺. Also, eating alone every night takes some getting used to, so sometimes during the week I meet friends for dinner at various awesome restaurants around the city. That alone sometimes gobbles up about three or four hours. I guess my friends and I have a lot to talk about. My weekends consist, most importantly, of sleeeeeping in. The weeks tax me (although I enjoy almost every moment of it) so my weekends now are more valuable than ever. Traveling around to different cities has become meager… more so than I had imagined. I still haven’t made it to Busan for a weekend yet. Nope, not even for Chuseok (the Korean Thanksgiving). A friend that I was going to travel with ended up getting dysentery and couldn’t manage a 5-hour bus ride. I’ll make it one of these days. So, in a nutshell, that’s my basic week. Not trying to fill your heads with excuses as to why the blogs are thus far so sparse. Perhaps I need to be a bit more tactical with my time. Seoul is in my plans for next weekend. My friend Amy from college is living there and we have another friend, Halyna, (she was also a roommate of ours) who is coming here for about 2 weeks. So I’m really excited to see both of them next weekend.
Moving on… The last couple weeks I had my students doing some (fun) Halloween activities and decorations for the classroom. The ceiling was covered with hanging orange balloons with funny Jack-O-Lantern faces that the kids drew onto them. The walls had paper hand-shaped-wing bats (students traced their hands 4 times and cut them out, glued them together for the wings of the bat). I cut out black googly letters in “Happy Halloween” that hung across the ceiling in the back of the room. One day the students all made masks out of paper to wear for the occasion. We had the Halloween party on Tuesday, but I won’t go into much detail. In my opinion, it was a disaster. Candy and begging, greedy children don’t mix well for me. I was more than frustrated by the end. These kids are mostly second graders, and, if I could think back that far, maybe I was a little choosy beggar. One girl ended up in tears when she couldn’t get the candy she wanted and I had walked out of the room in aggravation. Candy. What a silly thing to get upset over. After all was said and done, no ‘thank-yous’ resonated from their mouths. Not even ‘Kahm sah hahp ni dah, song saeng nim!’ (Thank you teacher). Live and learn. And move on. My favorite student, the one who called me Laura teacher baby (his name is Oo-Meen), came walking into class last week wearing the most hilarious Shrek mask. And I guess he wasn’t really walking, he was lurking into class, and didn’t stop lurking once he arrived. He didn’t take the mask off for class either. Funny kid. He always makes my coteacher and me laugh pretty hard. He recently started answering my “How are you today” questions with “My cousin is Tom Cruise” or “My brother is Michael Jackson.” I really have no idea why he was saying that, but it was funny. Even better, one day he answered me with “My name is Handsome Boy!” He’s pretty ridiculous. Thank God for kids like him.
Yesterday I got to sit through an entire day of a really fun festival at a neighboring girls’ middle school. My school used their gym because we don’t have one. Every fall, students combine their talents and put on a big talent show, more or less. There were a lot of traditional Korean folk dances and songs that the kids performed, along with more modern dance routines. Everyone was decked out in their traditional gowns and sparkly leotards and other things (not all at once, don’t be confused). It was so great to watch. Even the little kindergarteners had a couple of routines. They’re so cute! My coteacher has been rehearsing a Grease song with some students for about 5 weeks now. I think you all might know the infamous Summer Lovin’ song by Olivia Newton-John and Mr. John Travolta. She had to do an English-themed routine since she is, the English teacher. I’m so glad yesterday happened. I can’t tell you how many times I had to listen to that song. Well over 100 times, I’m not even joking. The students had to learn it perfectly, verbatim, and they had it pre-recorded so they could dance to it but still had to sing over it because the recording was pretty awful. It was really funny. My coteacher (I’m just going to call her Ms. Lee from now on) was really worried about that part of it. But it went great. And now it’s over, thank heaven.
Lately, for the last couple weeks, when I get to sit in the kindie class to do the alphabet routine, they won’t let me leave. Yes, I’ve been getting mauled by kindergarteners. It’s hysterical. One little boy started it one day by coming up to me at the end, shaking my hand vigorously and saying, so very cutely, “TANK YOU BERY MUCHIE!” After that, they all followed him and would not let me leave the room. I’ve been having kids wrapped around my legs, all ten of my fingers in the possession of a different child, my arms being held on to by many, and a bunch more wrapped around my waist. Then they chant, “THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!” The other teachers crack up every time, as do I. When I finally break free, I leave the room almost in tears from laughing so hard. The other day when I arrived and sat down a couple kids were repeating the same thing and I looked at another teacher in confusion and she said they were saying that my hair was beautiful. I had worn it down for the first time I guess. Then a little girl stood up and came over to me and put both of her hands at the top of my head and pet my hair all the way down the sides of my face. Then she gave me the hugest smile. Last night at dinner with all the coworkers, the kindergarten teachers told Ms. Lee to tell me that they appreciate it very much that I’m willing to visit their class every week, when it’s not in my contract. I told her to tell them that it’s my absolute pleasure and that it’s the highlight of my week. Because it is, sincerely, the best part of my week. I can’t fully explain to you how much I enjoy it.
One last silly thing I want to share with you, that I’m so very proud of, is that finally, after 25 years; I have completely QUIT chewing my fingernails. Hooray for me. Now I know what it’s like to be able to use them. I guess I got turned off by the thought of putting my fingers in my mouth when I’m in the classroom atmosphere all day long, where kids are constantly sick. Gross.
Tonight I’m hoping to spend my time at bonfire at the beach. My Korean friend, Tae-Ho, has invited a bunch of us foreigners to join him and his friends for a BBQ. It’s starting to get quite cold here, but still warmer than back home I believe, so we’ll see if the fire really happens. These are very nice people, and I’m fortunate to have met all of them. I’m feeling at home.
Perhaps a little wordy, but I hope this filled you in a little. Next time won’t be so far away. I’ll make a point of it. Pictures will be added later, I’m experiencing technical trickies at the moment with my technical objects.

Love you all. Stay well. All my best.