Updates, Schmupdates...

Don't sleep in my class!

Most Korean teachers do nothing when they find students sleeping in their classes because Korean students stay up all night studying and get hardly any sleep as it is. However, my students only see me once a week, and if they sleep through my lesson, then they won't see me again for a while. Thus, it's really important that the kids stay awake. Lately I've developed some great new tactics for keeping kids awake. Sometimes I make them stand in the back of the class, sometimes I'll slam my hand down on their desk right by their face, and still at other times I threaten them and promise to throw water on them if I find them sleeping in class (I haven't actually done this last one yet but I do carry around a bottle of water just to scare them). I know that probably makes me sound like some sort of tyrant, but really, I'm not. Most of the time I just give them a push and make them stand up, but it can get really boring and hard to teach when half of your class is drifting off. I have, however, found that threatening them with water is a pretty effective preventative measure.

The Blair Witch Project

On Halloween last week I went up into the woods by Courtney's school with Song Ju (my dance teacher's daughter) and we prepared ourselves for one good scarring! While we were hiding behind trees and bushes, Courtney went to get her student's out of class and brought them up to where we were, sat them down in a circle, and began telling a scary story. I was hiding in the trees making noises and listening to the girls scream. Song Ju was hiding by a tree covered by a dark green sheet. When I gave signal, she ran out from the tree, flashlight shining on her face, and sent girls running into the woods, screaming at the top of their lungs. But it wasn't over. When they finally returned and started laughing about the incident, I started making noises again from my hiding spot. It wasn't long before I came tumbling out of the bushes, growling like some sort of monster. I ran into the crowd and jumped on some of the girls which sent even more girls into the woods! It was so much fun! Once they returned we really sat down for a ghost story and I told them the one about the hook on the car door (the same one I had told all of my classes). They were so surprised and yet so happy to be celebrating a real Halloween tradition. I had the best time too. It was almost like being at home except that I can't say I've ever had so much fun on Halloween before!

Get your clothes on!

Every Friday I have a class at the boys school that immediately follows a PE class. Those boys are usually quite exciting but nothing gets me more jumpy than when I walk in to the room and find half of them naked or zipping up their pants! Yes, that's right--they change in their classroom! I've been victim a couple times of some unsightly scenes but I'm learning fast to give the boys about 10 minutes before I come to class so that they can properly dress themselves! When I asked my female co-teacher about this, she just laughed and said, "Oh, those boys don't mind. They don't think of female teachers as women, they only think we are teachers and so it's no big deal to change in front of us." Yeah, no big deal... right... I just feel like a pedophile every time I walk in to that class...

Smoking in the Boys Room

So many of my students at Munchang sneak around school and smoke. On several occasions, when I asked were a student was, I've been told that they were in the bathroom smoking. I must say that I believe them. Whenever I pass the boy's room I have to hold my breath. It's so bad... In addition to plugging your nose when passing the bathroom, it's also wise to shield your eyes--the double doors are often wide open, providing a clear view to the pee troth. I'm desperately trying to break this bad habit of looking in to rooms with doors open... I don't want to see any more of my students peeing... And since I have to walk by a big bathroom everyday on my way to class, I think the sooner I break that habit, the better.

Doughnut Day

Lately I've been working on trying to win brownie points with my school. Today I brought doughnuts for my boys debate class and for all of the teachers in the big teachers office. It was a hit. Apparently they were all impressed. My strategy: butter them up and then ask for my vacation days. :) I'm hoping they will give me extra time off during the winter vacation.

My newest little friend!

Min yo, a baby boy at the orphanage, is my new little friend. He's about one year old but oh so cute! On Saturday I went there to volunteer and found myself holding this little guy for about two hours! What a sweet baby! I miss my nephew so much! If any of you want to adopt a sweet little kid from Korea, I know of one. I would take him home myself but I don't think it's a good idea to raise a kid on my own. :) Let me know if you or anyone you know is interested in a kid from Korea.

Singles Group

So yeah... God's timing is pretty much perfect... After posting Saturday about my unfortunate quest for love, I was introduced on Sunday to a group of single girls from church who meet every Sunday for Bible study. Granted, the study is in Korean, but they all speak some English and they're all my age (they're all college students in my city.) One of them, the leader, speaks English very well and is a leader for Campus Crusade. I'm so excited to finally be meeting new people and making some new friends! Woo hoo! Maybe now I'll have someone to commiserate with!