Friday is here...and I feel much better!

Well, today marks the end of my first week teaching at a Korean Middle School.  I survived!

 I have had such a good week.  I feel extremely lucky that everyone at my school has been so kind to me.  Almost every single night I have gone out to dinner with my co-workers for Korean BBQ or coffee and ice cream.  So far it looks like I teach 18 classes a week.  I teach 9 classes of 6th graders and 9 classes of 8th graders.  Then I am conducting an English club for the staff Tuesdays and Thursday afterschool.  This year the principle also wanted English lessons.  Since my contract says I am supposed to teach no more than 22 hours a week, it all fits into my schedule.  If they ask me to give Saturday English Club, I will get paid $30/hour extra.  The school is also interested in me teaching Spanish as a club activity.

The kids seemed like crazy monkeys the first day, but now I am getting the hang of things and am able to control my classes better.  I am using a lot of tricks I learned from Spanish camp.

Tonight I am going to a Daejeon Foreigner party in the downtown.  Then tomorrow I am taking the KTX (fast train) to Daegu--a city where a lot of my new friends from orientation live.  I am going there to celebrate my friend Inji's birthday.  I plan on returning home Sunday around 2pm, because at 3:00pm there is an audition for foreign theatre.  It looks like they put on 5 short comedy plays...all of which take place inside coffee shops.  I thought I should audition, just to try it out.  Why not, right?

I am learning Korean very quickly.  I have the alphabet down and can slowly sound out words.  I also am told I have very good pronunciation and am learning new vocabulary every day.  I hope to be fluent by the end of the year.  That is my goal anyway...

To my surprise, it was very easy getting used to living alone.  I can do whatever I want!  I do, however, make an extra effort to eat dinner with someone every day, just so that I don't get lonely. I have only eaten dinner alone once...so I'd say I'm doing pretty well being social.

I walk to work...it is a 15 minute walk...very convenient.

I feel safe here.  The only thing I ever worry about it getting hit by a car, because there are some terrible drivers here.  I just saw a motorcycle crash the other day.  I always make sure to look both ways a hundred times before I cross the street.

Until next time!  Wish me luck at my audition!
Erica