At Korean School with a visitor: MY DAD!

Last Friday, my Dad came to visit my Korean Middle School.  As soon as he walked in, my students were gasping and bowing left and right at his feet.  They were very interested in my dad for some reason.  Everything from his clothes, his cell phone clip belt, his USB necklace...the list goes on.  Basically, my students were very excited that my dad was at school.

We went to my office and planned a little PowerPoint presentation to show my students pictures of his hobbies, where he is from, and what his job is.  We simplified some of Daddy's charts and graphs that talk about energy.  At the end of class, we had time for some questions.  Many students asked him some excellent questions about why he chose his job.  Then we had time for some pictures...and autographs.  One student asked Dad for his signature!  Too cute!  They treated him like a celebrity, especially after they found out my Dad was giving a speech at a conference organized by KAIST--which is a very prestigious university located here in Daejeon, Korea!

Daddy also got to each lunch in the school cafeteria.  He was glad to see that I am getting a well-balanced meal at least once a day.  I was really glad he was able visit because now he knows what my school is like on an everyday basis. And best of all, it was the first time my Dad has ever seen me teach!  I love you, Daddy!

Daddy and I enjoying our lunch in the school cafeteria!

Daddy got to see a crazy class of boy monkeys...

This boy really wanted a photo with my Dad and me!

First Ukulele Gig! The ONEZEE Extravaganza!

After the first month in Korea, I found a lovely friend named Lynne.  Although we had very different backgrounds (she is from South Africa and I am from 'Murica) we both shared a common love for singing in harmony to my ukulele.

Our band name is "The Onezee."  We got the idea for our name after we first met...when we went shopping together and saw 2 onesies in orange and blue.  We tried them on for funzies and realized that we both looked really awesome in them.  We wondered if it would be weird to buy matching onesies...but then we realized...we are in KOREA! Land of matching couples!  Who cares!?!  They were a little pricey, but we decided that it was worth it because it could be our band uniform.  The name Onezee not only means "the one" but also is in reference to our band uniform and our friendship!

We prepared a set list of 5 songs:
1) You and I by Ingrid Michaelson
2) Kiss Me by Six Pence None the Richer
3) Hey, Soul Sister by Train
4) Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen (aka the Boss)
5) Baby by Justin Bieber

And then on Saturday, August 17th, my parents, friends, and co-teacher came to the bar, "Free Bird"--the same bar that my play was in.

Mama, Co-teacher Hyehee, Me, and Daddy at my show!

My Co-teacher and me and the show!

We performed our songs and told little stories in between!  We felt so blessed that we received a warm welcoming from the bar owner, James.  He surprised us with an ice cream cake too!  That's some Korean generosity for you!

My English Summer Camp "Party Around the World"

Almost all Foreign English Teachers are required to design and run a summer camp for 2 weeks.  I created a 5 day plan to the theme "Party Around the World" in which each day we would learn about a foreign culture and do cultural activities from that culture.

The Camp Overview was like this:
Monday: American Day
Tuesday: Spanish Day
Wednesday: Indian Day
Thursday: South African Day
Friday: International News Day

On American Day we learned about American holidays such as Thanksgiving and Easter.  Then I created a scavenger hunt for the students to find prizes hidden around the school.  For a snack we brought in American Chocolate Chip Cookies--which was a big hit! After our snack we played Mad Libs about Valentine's Day.  Then we played a good round of Simon Says. To finish off the day we played Kickball and Frisbee outside on the field and came in for journal time.

On Spanish Day I taught the kids some Spanish Expressions such as "Me llamo _____. Como te llamas?"  Afterwards the kids did a Spanish Crossword Puzzle.  Even my boyfriend Dennis came along and helped teach the Spanish expressions.  The kids really loved him.  We told the kids he was my cousin from Spain.  Some kids may have been skeptical, but some kids said they could see the resemblance between us...weird! Dennis also assisted me in teaching Salsa dancing.  For a cooking activity we made Mexican Nachos.  The kids absolutely loved the nachos.  Then we did a Picasso-cubism drawing activity where the kids would draw a face from at least 2 different perspectives.  Some of the kids got really creative and drew animals from 2 perspectives.  It was a great day!

On Indian Day, I taught the kids about the goal of yoga.  Then we practiced 12 different yoga poses and said their name.  We did a yoga routine in the classroom and turned on some yoga music. After we did yoga, we had an Indian Snack: Samosas filled with veggies and curry.  After the snack, we taught the kids about the Indian holiday Holi Hai---the festival of colors.  Although Holi Hai is celebrated by throwing colored powder at one another to celebrate spring, we could not find any colored power. Instead we had an epic water gun fight.  I was soaking wet.  The kids really enjoyed spraying one another and ME, of course.

On South African Day, we learned about the history of South Africa, Apartheid, Nelson Mandela.  Then we learned how to play rugby.  We went outside and played tag rugby.  It was a lot of fun passing the ball backwards.  Then we came inside, made popcorn, and watched the movie "Invictus" with Korean subtitles.  The movie was a little long, so we watched the end on Friday.

The last day was International News Day.  We finished watching the movie "Invictus" and then we played International Trivia.  Some kids had done bonus homework from my workbook.  They translated the poem "Invictus" from the movie into Korean. I told the students to create a newspaper for the camp on posters.    Some groups did a sports sections, others the Art Section, and some just News. I asked the tech guy to print off all the photos from camp.  They formed groups and started cutting out pictures from the camp.  I was really impressed with how the posters turned out and they made a nice momento of the camp.  Dennis was included in the posters.  Some girls cut out his picture in the shape of the heart.  Below was a caption that said, "Dennis Teacher is so handsome."  They really are going to miss him!

Overall, I was very happy with my preparation.  It was wonderful that my school let me create a workbook to use for the camp.  Also, the school had a budget and allowed me to buy lots of food and materials to use during the camp.  I think the camp will be the highlight of my teaching this year!