Hi everyone,
I was gone for the weekend again! Actually I spent Friday and Saturday in Daegu seeing friends and hiking a small-ish mountain with a teacher from my school. I wasn't all that excited to go with the teacher, but I did want to hike. However, it did turn out to be a nice day and I had a good hike.
Saurday night I left for Seoul and met up with friends at a jimjilbang- one of the public bath/sauna places. It was a really nice one and there was a nice place to sleep as well. It was 11,000 won (11 bucks)- much cheaper than trying to find a hotel/motel. It was relaxing and we hung out and woke up the next morning in search of the Olympic torch.
It didn't take us too long to find where the relay started. As we were sitting on the subway a bunch of Chinese students boarded our car. You might ask how I knew they were Chinese (and not Korea) but I knew because these individuals were decked out in red. They were carrying Chinese flags, wearing Chinese flags, and wearing the shirts for the Olympics as well. We pretty much just followed the crowd to get to the relay starting point.
The torch lighting ceremony was held at Olympic Park in Seoul- the Olympics were held here in 1988. There were lots of Chinese waiting to support their country. I thought there would be more foreigners or Koreans, but 98% of the crowd was Chinese. Some were holding sings that said "Tibet IS part of CHINA", "China wants peace", etc.
Now, at breakfast that morning, unbeknownst to me, my friend made herself a "Free Tibet" poster to bring to the relay. I was a little surprised, but didn't think much of it. It was only one sign and my friend was an activist in the states- she had done things like this many times. She kept saying things like, "In the states I have a gasmask to wear at protests" (so she doesn't get tear gased). "You're supposed to write the phone number of a lawyer on your arm so you can make your one phone call if you are arrested by the police." "They tell you to carry nail clippers in your pockets because sometimes the police will run out of handcuffs and use plastic ties- nail clippers will cut through it" and "If you don't have a gasmask you can use a towell/hankercheif soaked in apple cider vinegar to use if there is tear gas."
On the way to the starting point a few Chinese people made comments to her such as, "Tibet is FREE". She was also flipped off at least once and was called "a son of a bitch". However, as the torch lighting ceremony got closer and closer a small group of Chinese (most likely students) spotted my friend and her sign. They came over and started shouting "ONE CHINA!" and proceeded to try and cover up my friends' sign with their huge Chinese flag (by standing infront of her). Several people were taking pictures, video, and a few policeman on duty came over and stood by us (I'm not sure if they would have done anything if things had gotten out of hand...maybe) Soon one of the men taking video stopped to the small crowd. I commented that he wasn't tyring to disperse the bunch, he was telling them what he wanted so he could capture it on video. Sure enough a few seconds later the group was screaming "ONE CHINA" again. This time more people heard and decided to come over. I never felt all that threatened, but it was a bit disconcerting having about 30 people or so yelling at you. Some of my other friends were a bit uncomfortable and rather than having us leave, my friend with the sign moved. The crowd was very happy and cheered when she did.
Now, I have several problems about groups of people screaming at one person who did nothing, but hold up a sign. Hm, things like free speach come to mind. Or respecting/tolerating someone else's belief. And even, blindly following what your government tells you. Clearly Tibet is not free- otherwise you would not have the government cracking down the way it did and does everytime monks and others protest. I understand that although China does have relative free speech, young people my age still don't know about Tienamen Square (and yes I know this from experience).
Later during the relay more people were protesting and a few small fights broke out. Nothing too major though- although Korean newspapers reported North Korean defectors trying to immolate themselves. Not only were Koreans and some foreigners protesting about Tibet, but North Koreans who have defected were protesting because China sends the North Koreans that illegally come into their country back to North Korea where they are subsequently killed or put into work camps. China is continuing to do this while preparing for the Olympics.
I was debating whether or not to go up to Seoul this weekend solely for the torch relay, and am very glad I decided to go. It was a good experience all around and I got to see some friends I have not seen in awhile. I also was able to attend a Fulbright Forum in Seoul and listen to two Senior Fulbright Scholars present about teaching American history in Korean Universities- also very interesting to a history teacher at heart. :)
One last thing- over the weekend in the NYtimes and the International Herald Tribune an article was printed about Korean students getting into Ivy League Universities. It was an intersting article and fairly accurate about high school student life. If you are interested check it out: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/world/asia/27seoul.html?th&emc=th While up in Seoul I visited the Embassy and the people I worked with over winter break. It turns out that my office was one of the sources for the writer of the article. Also, a former Fulbright ETA taught at Minjok and he now lives and works in Korea you should check out his response to the article itself here: http://metropolitician.blogs.com/scribblings_of_the_metrop/2008/04/korean-foreign.html He talks about how the students are able to get into these Universities, but then struggle in the American educational system.
I'm headed to Pohang to see a friend tomorrow and will be away this weekend and early next week. I'm going to the southwest area of Korea- the last place in Korea I haven't seen. I'm super excited!
-me ^^
p.s. I'll be putting up pictures and some video of the Olympic relay and some pictures from the school's 5th year anniversary celebration today (that was a surprise for me!)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
A new look
Hi everyone,
I haven't posted in about two weeks because life became very busy. I've been up to a lot, so I'll highlight what I've been doing. I'm in the process of putting up the pictures and they can be found in a few different folders around Korea, Seoul, Daegu, and wedding.
About a month ago, I went to the east coast with my host family and got to see a cave. That was pretty neat. I like caves a lot and it was really beautiful. It wasn't that long, so it was a pretty quick visit. However, on the way back home we stopped by the sea, after picking up lunch (a freshly chopped fish). We had lunch by the water and ate our fresh sushi (sashimi Korean style), with some rice, vegetables and fresh hand-picked seaweed from the sea. It was pretty good, thankfully I'm not all that picky about what I eat! However, my host father proceeded to pick little seasnail/shell things from the rocks that made their way into our dinner that night. That was a little more difficult to eat! (Pics in Around Korea)
I also went to an apricot blossom festival with some friends- the flowers were really pretty and I got some great pictures! (lots of festivals are happening all over Korea- it seems like there is always a festival.) (Pics in Around Korea)
After that trip, I went to visit some friends on the west coast the following week. It was neat to see another town and see some of my friends and I got to stay with one friend and meet her host family and school. She teaches elementary, so it was neat to see a different school. Along with that visit, I got to see a friend who lives in Taean- where the big oil spill happened. There is still some clean-up from the spill that happened last fall, but not a whole lot. (Pics in Around Korea)
Two weekends ago I went to Jeju, an island off the Southern coast of Korea. It is known as the honeymoon island. We had a conference on the island for Fulbright, it wasn't much of a conference, but it was nice to relax, see friends, and go sightseeing. Unfortunately the weather wasn't all that great over the weekend, but it was at least mild enough to go sightseeing. I went to see the longest lava tube caves in the world (I like caves), the teddy bear museum (pretty strange, but cute), waterfalls, a cherry blossom festival, and I got to stay with another friend and visit her middle school. (Pics in Around Korea)
Last week there were some friends from America in Seoul. I got to go up and meet them have dinner and hangout with them. It was really fun to see them and to share what I know about Korea. Lindsey got her hair cut. (Pics in Seoul)
Lastly, I was in America last weekend for my best friend's wedding. :) I didn't tell most people I would be there, because literally I left Korea on Thursday (my time) and arrived Thursday (US time). I then left the U.S. Monday and arrived Tuesday (Korea time). The wedding was on Sunday and I spent Friday and Saturday helping my friend get ready for the wedding. Her father flew me out with his frequent flyer miles and I was so fortunate and happy that I was able to be a part of her special day! Needless to day, I am still recovering from jetlag, but am doing a pretty good job of it. :) The wedding was great!
And last but not least, I was accepted to graduate school at CU Boulder! This is good, but now I need to get a teaching job so I can do the program that partners me with the district. I'll keep you posted!
-me ^^
p.s. there are a few new pics under Daegu
I haven't posted in about two weeks because life became very busy. I've been up to a lot, so I'll highlight what I've been doing. I'm in the process of putting up the pictures and they can be found in a few different folders around Korea, Seoul, Daegu, and wedding.
About a month ago, I went to the east coast with my host family and got to see a cave. That was pretty neat. I like caves a lot and it was really beautiful. It wasn't that long, so it was a pretty quick visit. However, on the way back home we stopped by the sea, after picking up lunch (a freshly chopped fish). We had lunch by the water and ate our fresh sushi (sashimi Korean style), with some rice, vegetables and fresh hand-picked seaweed from the sea. It was pretty good, thankfully I'm not all that picky about what I eat! However, my host father proceeded to pick little seasnail/shell things from the rocks that made their way into our dinner that night. That was a little more difficult to eat! (Pics in Around Korea)
I also went to an apricot blossom festival with some friends- the flowers were really pretty and I got some great pictures! (lots of festivals are happening all over Korea- it seems like there is always a festival.) (Pics in Around Korea)
After that trip, I went to visit some friends on the west coast the following week. It was neat to see another town and see some of my friends and I got to stay with one friend and meet her host family and school. She teaches elementary, so it was neat to see a different school. Along with that visit, I got to see a friend who lives in Taean- where the big oil spill happened. There is still some clean-up from the spill that happened last fall, but not a whole lot. (Pics in Around Korea)
Two weekends ago I went to Jeju, an island off the Southern coast of Korea. It is known as the honeymoon island. We had a conference on the island for Fulbright, it wasn't much of a conference, but it was nice to relax, see friends, and go sightseeing. Unfortunately the weather wasn't all that great over the weekend, but it was at least mild enough to go sightseeing. I went to see the longest lava tube caves in the world (I like caves), the teddy bear museum (pretty strange, but cute), waterfalls, a cherry blossom festival, and I got to stay with another friend and visit her middle school. (Pics in Around Korea)
Last week there were some friends from America in Seoul. I got to go up and meet them have dinner and hangout with them. It was really fun to see them and to share what I know about Korea. Lindsey got her hair cut. (Pics in Seoul)
Lastly, I was in America last weekend for my best friend's wedding. :) I didn't tell most people I would be there, because literally I left Korea on Thursday (my time) and arrived Thursday (US time). I then left the U.S. Monday and arrived Tuesday (Korea time). The wedding was on Sunday and I spent Friday and Saturday helping my friend get ready for the wedding. Her father flew me out with his frequent flyer miles and I was so fortunate and happy that I was able to be a part of her special day! Needless to day, I am still recovering from jetlag, but am doing a pretty good job of it. :) The wedding was great!
And last but not least, I was accepted to graduate school at CU Boulder! This is good, but now I need to get a teaching job so I can do the program that partners me with the district. I'll keep you posted!
-me ^^
p.s. there are a few new pics under Daegu
Sunday, March 30, 2008
"...a good climbing mind..."
Hi everyone,
How's it going? I'm okay. Nothing too new to report from the week, but I'll share a few stories of what's been happening recently.
At the beginning of the month I found a bouldering gym in Daegu. There are supposedly a few in Daegu, but after walking back and forth past the actual gym for twenty minutes it was a miracle that I actually found this one. I didn't see the place at first, because it is in the basement of a building. The first time I went, I just wanted to find the place, see how much it cost, etc. The people were generally friendly and the place looked fine. I started going once a week- mainly because it takes about 30 minutes to get there with two bus transfers.
Now, I've never bouldered before (in a gym) and the experience was quite new. One of my fellow Fulbrighter's assured me that Korean climbers were friendly and they would help me. I quickly learned that this "help" comes in the form of the owner of the gym with a bamboo stick directing where I should place my "right hand, left hand, right foot, left foot," this is just a sampling of his limited English speaking ability. Of course, his English gets a lot better when he informs me, "No! No! No! Wrong, everything wrong!" He then proceeds to show me the correct way. This has happened every week since I began going to the gym. Now, I profess it is true, I'm not doing things the "correct" way, but I really am trying. I'm convinced that I only need more practice, not someone yelling at me in broken English that I'm doing everything wrong.
Now, last week was the icing on the cake when after a rather frustrating time he proceeded to tell me that I needed to lose weight to be better at bouldering and that I should jog to lose weight. Now, I've come to expect the blunt statements and assessments Korean's make about outward appearances, but like most American's, I'm not exactly thrilled when someone tells me I'm fat. I was pretty frustrated, but was more determined to show them that I could do it, despite being what they consider fat.
The chance to prove my ability came on Saturday when I went rock climbing with the man who owns the gym and several people that frequent the gym. I was invited on Thursday, but never received a call about going, so I craftily tracked down a phone number and made sure I was going on Sat. I was concerned that after Thursday they would try to ditch me on Sat!
I hadn't been rock climbing in almost nine months and it felt so good to be outside! Even if it was freezing outside! (Spring is slowly coming, one day it's gorgeous, the next it's rainy and cold.) We didn't go to a mountain to climb, rather a rock formation that has about a dozen or so routes. The place was pretty busy on Saturday, it was interesting to see so many people (mostly men, but some women) in all their fancy gear. I think most of the routes are pretty easy- mostly varying degrees of 10's.
I got to climb first and impressed them with my knot tying ability (thanks Matt) and a relatively good first climb. They were pretty impressed with my ability since I suck so much at the gym. Mr. Park's statement, "Rock climbing good! Bouldering bad!" After a few more runs over the course of a few hours (there were some other people climbing with us, we took turns) Mr. Park determined that I did not have a lot of power, but I had a good climbing mind- a reference to my stubbornness and refusal to give up. :) Overall, I was very happy that I went and had a good time. I can't wait for the next trip!
One more thing impressed some of the Koreans I went climbing with and that was my gear. I only say this, because, for the most part, Koreans tend to care about brand names and such. It's true and made me stress about what clothes I should wear climbing at the gym. I spent about a week searching for pants and a shirt I could wear climbing. However, this wasn't a thought when they saw the name of my shoes and harness!
I'll be traveling for the next two weekends and won't be able to make it into the gym because of my schedule, but I'll post more exciting stories later!
-me ^^
How's it going? I'm okay. Nothing too new to report from the week, but I'll share a few stories of what's been happening recently.
At the beginning of the month I found a bouldering gym in Daegu. There are supposedly a few in Daegu, but after walking back and forth past the actual gym for twenty minutes it was a miracle that I actually found this one. I didn't see the place at first, because it is in the basement of a building. The first time I went, I just wanted to find the place, see how much it cost, etc. The people were generally friendly and the place looked fine. I started going once a week- mainly because it takes about 30 minutes to get there with two bus transfers.
Now, I've never bouldered before (in a gym) and the experience was quite new. One of my fellow Fulbrighter's assured me that Korean climbers were friendly and they would help me. I quickly learned that this "help" comes in the form of the owner of the gym with a bamboo stick directing where I should place my "right hand, left hand, right foot, left foot," this is just a sampling of his limited English speaking ability. Of course, his English gets a lot better when he informs me, "No! No! No! Wrong, everything wrong!" He then proceeds to show me the correct way. This has happened every week since I began going to the gym. Now, I profess it is true, I'm not doing things the "correct" way, but I really am trying. I'm convinced that I only need more practice, not someone yelling at me in broken English that I'm doing everything wrong.
Now, last week was the icing on the cake when after a rather frustrating time he proceeded to tell me that I needed to lose weight to be better at bouldering and that I should jog to lose weight. Now, I've come to expect the blunt statements and assessments Korean's make about outward appearances, but like most American's, I'm not exactly thrilled when someone tells me I'm fat. I was pretty frustrated, but was more determined to show them that I could do it, despite being what they consider fat.
The chance to prove my ability came on Saturday when I went rock climbing with the man who owns the gym and several people that frequent the gym. I was invited on Thursday, but never received a call about going, so I craftily tracked down a phone number and made sure I was going on Sat. I was concerned that after Thursday they would try to ditch me on Sat!
I hadn't been rock climbing in almost nine months and it felt so good to be outside! Even if it was freezing outside! (Spring is slowly coming, one day it's gorgeous, the next it's rainy and cold.) We didn't go to a mountain to climb, rather a rock formation that has about a dozen or so routes. The place was pretty busy on Saturday, it was interesting to see so many people (mostly men, but some women) in all their fancy gear. I think most of the routes are pretty easy- mostly varying degrees of 10's.
I got to climb first and impressed them with my knot tying ability (thanks Matt) and a relatively good first climb. They were pretty impressed with my ability since I suck so much at the gym. Mr. Park's statement, "Rock climbing good! Bouldering bad!" After a few more runs over the course of a few hours (there were some other people climbing with us, we took turns) Mr. Park determined that I did not have a lot of power, but I had a good climbing mind- a reference to my stubbornness and refusal to give up. :) Overall, I was very happy that I went and had a good time. I can't wait for the next trip!
One more thing impressed some of the Koreans I went climbing with and that was my gear. I only say this, because, for the most part, Koreans tend to care about brand names and such. It's true and made me stress about what clothes I should wear climbing at the gym. I spent about a week searching for pants and a shirt I could wear climbing. However, this wasn't a thought when they saw the name of my shoes and harness!
I'll be traveling for the next two weekends and won't be able to make it into the gym because of my schedule, but I'll post more exciting stories later!
-me ^^
Thursday, March 27, 2008
...a rare midweek post...
I received this e-mail from another Fulbright English Teacher living in Korea:
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200803/200803270009.html
This truly is a sad story, but found the article very interesting. I wanted to know why I hadn't heard of this until it found it's way into my inbox today, so I did some searching.
Here is what the NYTimes had to say:
www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Iowa-City-Slayings.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=iowa&st=ny
And the International Herald Tribune:
http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/03/25/america/OUKWD-UK-IOWA-SLAYINGS.php
Obviously Korea has a national interest in the story, but the slant of the article is undeniable. As far as know, the Chosun-Ilbo is a conservative newspaper.
-me
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200803/200803270009.html
This truly is a sad story, but found the article very interesting. I wanted to know why I hadn't heard of this until it found it's way into my inbox today, so I did some searching.
Here is what the NYTimes had to say:
www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Iowa-City-Slayings.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=iowa&st=ny
And the International Herald Tribune:
http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/03/25/america/OUKWD-UK-IOWA-SLAYINGS.php
Obviously Korea has a national interest in the story, but the slant of the article is undeniable. As far as know, the Chosun-Ilbo is a conservative newspaper.
-me
Sunday, March 23, 2008
I'm a slacker...
...Hi!
Sorry, no post last week. It's not like I've been super busy or anything lately, but I just didn't end up blogging last week.
Teaching is still going well. I'm on week four of class, this week, but I've only taught about two weeks. This is because my students went on their class trip last week (for three days) and I didn't have to teach. I wanted to travel with my students, but wasn't invited- kinda sucks, but I got some time off- always a plus.
Last weekend I went with two friends to see the apricot blossom festival a town about 2 hours south of here. It was really beautiful! It's like an orchard field, so there are many trees. There were tents set up with different things you could buy, typical festival foods, etc. I've added some new pics (finally) of the festival.
After the festival Alison and I went to a basketball game (pics included too) in Daegu. We have our own professional team. It was an interesting game- our team is not very good. We played the Pusan team- they were a lot better than us, but at least we ended up winning. It was funny because it seemed like the teams here passed the ball way more than American teams do. For example, before anyone ever made a shot, it seemed like the entire team passed the ball around- like everyone had to touch it or something. It was a good experience and I'm glad we went. I also ran into some foreigner friends at the game I hadn't seen in awhile, so that was nice- we ended up going out for dinner.
This week- with all my spare time, I went to visit some friends on the west coast. It was nice, I got to visit a friend who teaches at an elementary school and help/watch her teach. It was neat visiting another family and school. I also went to visit a friend in Taean- where the oil spill happened last fall. We went to a beach and there was still some clean up happening (pics included).
I can't believe it's the end of March already. I know the rest of my time is going to fly by- I want to come back, but I know I'll miss Korea and my time here. These are a few things I plan on doing before I leave Korea: attend a concert (Big Bang is huge among high schooler's here, I just bought my tickets tonight!), see a baseball game (let's hope it's better than the basketball), see a soccer game, travel to a few more cities in Korea (Gwangju, Mokpo, maybe Daejon), and take an international trip with all my free time.
I feel like I should be volunteering this semester, but I didn't feel much of a connection last semester and I don't want to do something out of obligation. I think this semester is just going to be a time of rest (traveling and being active). I'm taking a yoga class every day and then going to a rock climbing gym once a week. I also hope to go climbing or hiking on the weekends when I'm in town.
Please leave a note or write an e-mail to let me know how things are going with you! I really do want to know!!!
As soon as I find out info about grad school/a job I'll post it!
-me ^^ (<- Korean smiley face)
Sorry, no post last week. It's not like I've been super busy or anything lately, but I just didn't end up blogging last week.
Teaching is still going well. I'm on week four of class, this week, but I've only taught about two weeks. This is because my students went on their class trip last week (for three days) and I didn't have to teach. I wanted to travel with my students, but wasn't invited- kinda sucks, but I got some time off- always a plus.
Last weekend I went with two friends to see the apricot blossom festival a town about 2 hours south of here. It was really beautiful! It's like an orchard field, so there are many trees. There were tents set up with different things you could buy, typical festival foods, etc. I've added some new pics (finally) of the festival.
After the festival Alison and I went to a basketball game (pics included too) in Daegu. We have our own professional team. It was an interesting game- our team is not very good. We played the Pusan team- they were a lot better than us, but at least we ended up winning. It was funny because it seemed like the teams here passed the ball way more than American teams do. For example, before anyone ever made a shot, it seemed like the entire team passed the ball around- like everyone had to touch it or something. It was a good experience and I'm glad we went. I also ran into some foreigner friends at the game I hadn't seen in awhile, so that was nice- we ended up going out for dinner.
This week- with all my spare time, I went to visit some friends on the west coast. It was nice, I got to visit a friend who teaches at an elementary school and help/watch her teach. It was neat visiting another family and school. I also went to visit a friend in Taean- where the oil spill happened last fall. We went to a beach and there was still some clean up happening (pics included).
I can't believe it's the end of March already. I know the rest of my time is going to fly by- I want to come back, but I know I'll miss Korea and my time here. These are a few things I plan on doing before I leave Korea: attend a concert (Big Bang is huge among high schooler's here, I just bought my tickets tonight!), see a baseball game (let's hope it's better than the basketball), see a soccer game, travel to a few more cities in Korea (Gwangju, Mokpo, maybe Daejon), and take an international trip with all my free time.
I feel like I should be volunteering this semester, but I didn't feel much of a connection last semester and I don't want to do something out of obligation. I think this semester is just going to be a time of rest (traveling and being active). I'm taking a yoga class every day and then going to a rock climbing gym once a week. I also hope to go climbing or hiking on the weekends when I'm in town.
Please leave a note or write an e-mail to let me know how things are going with you! I really do want to know!!!
As soon as I find out info about grad school/a job I'll post it!
-me ^^ (<- Korean smiley face)
Monday, March 10, 2008
First Week
Hi everyone,
Last week was the first week of school and thankfully it got a lot better from my last post. I finally got a schedule- a pretty good one that allows me Mondays off and classes pretty much back to back, so not too many breaks in between. Between all the national holidays and test days I have a few long vacations and I'm excited to be able to travel and get around this Spring.
My new kids are great. I don't think they'll be lots of problems and I am just tweaking and fine tuning lessons from last semester- so not a lot of prep. I'll prob need to create a few new lessons, but nothing major.
In my free time, I started a yoga class, which I really enjoy. I also found the bouldering gym yesterday and will go once a week and maybe on a weekend sometime. I've been trying to study some Korean on my own and have been meeting with different people to practice my conversation.
So, all in all things are going well.
me ^^
Last week was the first week of school and thankfully it got a lot better from my last post. I finally got a schedule- a pretty good one that allows me Mondays off and classes pretty much back to back, so not too many breaks in between. Between all the national holidays and test days I have a few long vacations and I'm excited to be able to travel and get around this Spring.
My new kids are great. I don't think they'll be lots of problems and I am just tweaking and fine tuning lessons from last semester- so not a lot of prep. I'll prob need to create a few new lessons, but nothing major.
In my free time, I started a yoga class, which I really enjoy. I also found the bouldering gym yesterday and will go once a week and maybe on a weekend sometime. I've been trying to study some Korean on my own and have been meeting with different people to practice my conversation.
So, all in all things are going well.
me ^^
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Would it be any less frustrating if I could understand?
Okay, for once I will make my Sunday deadline because I have absolutely nothing to do at school today. It is the first day of school and all of the teachers I am used to seeing in the office have moved to different grade levels, transfered schools, or are on a sabbatical. It's a little sad because I really liked the teachers in the office last year. I'm sure I'll like the new ones too- but to keep in touch with the other teachers, I now need to canvas the building trying to find them.
The odd thing about it being the first day of school is the lack of students. Well, first year students anyways. Although, I think they are beginning to trickle in. I believe there is a welcome ceremony for them in about an hour. I'm going to try and follow everyone for that (no one seems to know where it will be and if I have to attend).
I haven't really been too frustrated with my lack of understanding, however it's a bit different when I'm expected to teach and I still don't know when and who I'm teaching. Supposedly my schedule is being made as I type this out. My two requests: most of the classes in the morning and no classes on Fridays. I've been crossing my fingers and holding my breath for my schedule ever since it was mentioned a week ago. I do understand that my requests are a bit hopeful, but whatevs.
I might even have to teach second year students, which will be a huge surprise and a drag (although I miss my students from last year- so that will be good). Mainly because I wasn't prepared for that and don't have any lessons prepared to teach second year students!!! Actually I think I have an idea of what I could do, but it is a bit inconvenient.
One good thing is the fact that I don't have to change offices. This is good, because I don't want to move all my stuff around. I feel like if I was in an office with others I might be a bit more productive this semester, but I'll just have to buckle down and use my free time a little more wisely.
I think it would be a little less frustrating if I could understand what was going on, but I'll try to be patient and wait for my schedule and a myriad of other details that are important for teaching this week and tomorrow.
I have turned in all the info for the grad application and now I just have to wait. However, I keep trying to contact the school of education and they are unhelpful at best, just like I remember. I want to make sure my application is complete- that they received everything, since I had to submit my app via internet, domestic and international mail. *sigh* oh well.
-me
The odd thing about it being the first day of school is the lack of students. Well, first year students anyways. Although, I think they are beginning to trickle in. I believe there is a welcome ceremony for them in about an hour. I'm going to try and follow everyone for that (no one seems to know where it will be and if I have to attend).
I haven't really been too frustrated with my lack of understanding, however it's a bit different when I'm expected to teach and I still don't know when and who I'm teaching. Supposedly my schedule is being made as I type this out. My two requests: most of the classes in the morning and no classes on Fridays. I've been crossing my fingers and holding my breath for my schedule ever since it was mentioned a week ago. I do understand that my requests are a bit hopeful, but whatevs.
I might even have to teach second year students, which will be a huge surprise and a drag (although I miss my students from last year- so that will be good). Mainly because I wasn't prepared for that and don't have any lessons prepared to teach second year students!!! Actually I think I have an idea of what I could do, but it is a bit inconvenient.
One good thing is the fact that I don't have to change offices. This is good, because I don't want to move all my stuff around. I feel like if I was in an office with others I might be a bit more productive this semester, but I'll just have to buckle down and use my free time a little more wisely.
I think it would be a little less frustrating if I could understand what was going on, but I'll try to be patient and wait for my schedule and a myriad of other details that are important for teaching this week and tomorrow.
I have turned in all the info for the grad application and now I just have to wait. However, I keep trying to contact the school of education and they are unhelpful at best, just like I remember. I want to make sure my application is complete- that they received everything, since I had to submit my app via internet, domestic and international mail. *sigh* oh well.
-me
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