So the 'writing on my blog once a week' one has not been happening... and the 'one book every two weeks?' NOPE.
Since I returned to teaching in the beginning of March, I have become a work monster by week and slacker extraodinaire as soon as Friday afternoon hits (read: this is what happens when Eileen's boyfriend moves to Korea and lives a five-hour train ride away....) Planning for my classes this semester has proven quite a challenge, but with extra work comes the increased possibility that my lessons can actually improve my students' English (Assah!) due to my newly level-tailored topics and activities.
I've also been busy preparing for and going to the Fulbright Spring Conference on the lovley semi-tropical Jeju Island, at which I gave a presentation on keeping students, classes, and lessons organized (no easy feat when you teach more than 1,000 different faces every two weeks!) The conference provided a lot of helpful teaching tips, but it was also an amazing time to reconnect with all my ETA friends who are scattered around the country.
The view from the terrace of our conference hotel
Beilin, Rachel and me with John Mark being creepy in the background
Mount Halla: at 1,950 meters, the highest mountain in South Korea. A group of hiking buddies and I attempted this, but the unexpected snow covering the trail and the miserable rain that dampened our day off turned us all around at the half-way point (except for Jenna, Sonja, and Sean, who are just tough!) Next time, Halla... I'll be back!
Hikers and our plastic ponchos before the hike
Future plans have also kept me super busy lately. Eddie and I are busy planning a trip to Thailand during my students' midterm week, May 6-15th. So while my poor, stressed students hunch over exams, I'll be bird watching from a kayak in Khao Sok National Park, learning to cook from a Thai woman in a mountain bungalow, riding an elephant, and bumming around on a tiny island with some sea gypsies! Assah! "Teacher mean!" Yes, I know ;)
I've also been going crazy trying to figure out my plans for next year and beyond. As of now, it looks like I'll be staying in Korea for another year, hopefully teaching elementary school this time. Eddie and I plan to live in a bigger city, Daegu, teach itty bitty babies their ABC's, and save money for grad school and some more traveling (I want to go to Nepal and India and possibly take a road trip from Korea to Europe via ferry around North Korea!) Then we'll head back home to Kentucky for a year. I want to move in with my parents (if they'll have me!) and soak up much-missed family time while applying to masters programs in library and information science. Of course anyone who knows me knows I change my mind once every couple seconds, so we'll see what actually happens.
I am also sooooo excited to be coming home this summer for almost a month! I finish teaching on July 15th (but who's counting?), and after a potential trip to the Boryeong mud festival, I'll hop on a plane to Kentucky. In August, I'll head to North Carolina to beach bum with my family a bit and then go to Asheville to be the maid of honor in Rhiannon and Alex's wedding!
It's great to have plans to look forward to when lesson plans fail, computers break and students go crazy. But sometimes my students' antics are just as diverting as planning my time away from work:
Imitation is the highest form of flattery? This student, who chose my name as his English name, brought on the charm again the next week when he answered "How are you today?" with "I am happy because I see you."
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