Just a quick blurb to let you all know: I LEAVE FOR SYDNEY IN TWO DAYS!

I'm so excited, for a number of reasons... I can't wait to get out of the winter that officially set in this week, I can't wait to eat some great food, I can't wait to go to the Sydney Opera House and hear their choir/orchestra, I can't wait to stay at a frickin' cool hotel, I can't wait to see the vineyards in Hunter Valley, and I can't wait to travel with my amazing partner again!

All in all, I have a strong feeling that it's gonna rock!

Have a great Christmas, everyone!

Love, Kayleigh

Christmas season

Hello all,

Happy Thanksgiving week! I have spent the last few days making jokes with my students about how I wish I could eat turkey on Thursday and showing them clips of Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving special.

I have been researching how I could possibly pull together a Thanksgiving dinner, and I think I'm getting close. I've been able to find ingredients for mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and maybe even pumpkin pie (if I can find a pie tin that will fit in my toaster oven). Sure the green beans may be canned, the gravy from powder, and instead of turkey there will be a rotisserie chicken... but I'm not complaining!

The spirit of the season was furthered today by the fact that I received my first Christmas present! It was even wrapped! My parents mailed me a package that included- among other things- the movie Bad Santa and some Christmas Tree-shaped pretzels dipped in white chocolate and green & red sprinkles. Talk about holiday spirit!

Christmas isn't a very big deal in Korea... the only places that ever look Christmassy are the department stores, and even then, it isn't that Christmassy. Christmas is seen as sort of a couples holiday, not a family holiday, and no one really talks about it or has any traditions for it. Yet, all of these little things- the chance of a half-way decent Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas presents in the mail, and the clock ticking down until I escape to Australia, is just enough to get me in the mood to start the Christmas music.

More Library Pics

Here are some pictures of the finished product!!

This is my vice principal and my co-teacher, Seona.

This is the classroom!

This is one of my favorite parts of the room- my students are always astounded when I point to Korea, and then I point to Minnesota. ("Oh, teacher! So far!")

This is my desk in the library

This is the computer counter and the theatre.

This is inside the theatre.

Some of my 5th grade students in the theatre.

Inside the library (The shelves are much more full now that we got our order of books in!)

The Bob Marley was all me! (The typo was not!)

Our posters at the back of the classroom.

Inside the library.

Information on how to use the library.

The entrance to Yangji English World (the name was not my idea).

So there ya have it, folks! That's the new room where I get to teach!

Hope you're all well!!

New Classroom!

Hey there!

It's been a long-awaited delivery, but here are some pictures of the construction of the new English classroom/library! I'll make this post all about construction and the next all about the final product, only because I can't upload more than 5 pictures per post!

The construction took a total of about two months, and then about another month to get all of the books and DVDs in. As I speak there are some 4th grade students enjoying, "Horton Hears a Who" in the theatre. :)

So here's the pics, along with some captions! Enjoy!

A wall that had separated two rooms was partially demolished to turn the two rooms into one larger space.

This is what would become the main teaching space with a blackboard, tv and side whiteboard.

This is the same area, only a few weeks later, after the main part of the construction had finished and the decorating had begun.

This is the theatre that has a small stage for role-plays as well as a tv for English movies. It also has graded seating that the students typically treat like a jungle gym.

This was taken while standing at the back of the classroom and looking into the library. The man pointing is the head of the project from a design company and the woman in the skirt is my co-teacher, Nam Seona.

Oh, Korea

Today, I planned a standard lesson for my after-school class out of the textbook, doing nothing but writing and reading. At the last minute, I ditched this lesson plan in favor of a review lesson from last week. Last week, we studied rhymes and how to make them.

The review lesson consisted of reading a couple Shel Silverstein poems together, cutting out words from a list, coloring them to match their rhyme (i.e. "shoe-glue" would receive one color) and then gluing them in the appropriate place on a worksheet.

Surprisingly, my students hated it and were begging for the textbook by the end of the activity. Who knew?

One month deep

Happy pre-Chuseok! This weekend is the big Chuseok celebration (Korean Thanksgiving) and I am greatly looking to my 4 day weekend! Andrew and I will be heading up to Seoul where we will meet up with a couple of friends, enjoy a more diverse selection of food than is on offer in Ulsan, and just bum around in general!

Being back at school has been good- it feels as though I never left. We are in the new English classroom, however, which is really nice! There's kids running around here all afternoon, which is different from our last classroom, but it's nice to see them enjoying the new books and DVDs!

I have also convinced my vice principal to give up his (free) English lessons with me and start teaching me some more Korean. Today I learned 공부 합시다 (gong-bu hapshida), which is, "Let's go study". But I also learned 공부하자, which is "Let's study!" (gong-bu hadja) for when you're angry at the students! I'm pleased to be learning more Korean- I feel like kind of a bum having been here for only a year and only having some basic survival Korean.

After Chuseok, I'll have a lame weekend of hanging around Ulsan, but then the weekend after that is Andrew and I's one year anniversary. We'll be heading to Busan to celebrate. We've got plans to go to the aquarium, eat some Mexican food as well as some fish and chips, and enjoy the last weekend at Haeundae Beach before it gets too cold!

So that's the skinny here- hope you're all happy and well!

Back in Korea

The travels have subsided and I'm settled back in Korea. In total, I've been away from my school for about 5 weeks. This includes summer English camp, Tokyo, my time at home, and my quarantine.

My summer camp went surprisingly well. I was happy with the other teachers and with our camp organizer. The organization of educational institutions in Korea can feel kind of slap-dash, so when something actually ends up coming together at the last minute, it's a pleasant surprise.

After camp, Andrew and I left for Tokyo the next morning. Tokyo was a whirlwind of fun and amazing things. Tokyo is, in essence, incredibly cool. I was overwhelmed by how the population of an entire city can look so effortlessly pimpin', but they manage to pull it off! People were also very helpful and friendly. We were approached by an attendant in the subway who helped us purchase our first tickets, we had a wonderful hostel, and found people very considerate in general. (What? People will actually move out of your way in a crowded aisle? No way!!!)

I think my favorite part of Tokyo was in Shinjuku. I think that Shinjuku largely encapsulated what I had always imagined Tokyo to be like- lights everywhere, tons of people, fun fashion, all sorts of shops to look at, as well as lots of different food to eat. The whole place absolutely came alive at night, and it was a wonderful thing to experience! In addition to Shinjuku, we went to Harajuku, Asakusa, and Shibuya. Each area was different from the next. It was so amazing to see a city that had just so much on offer.

I arrived back in Ulsan from Tokyo at about 11:30p.m., and had to leave Ulsan the next morning at 6:40a.m. to catch my flight in Busan to go home! It was a quick turn-around that resulted in me being quite stressed when it appeared as though the flight from Tokyo might be delayed by a minor medical emergency. However, the plane left relatively on time, and I made it back in just enough time to pack up for home and catch a bit of sleep before taking off.

I arrived at home at about 5:00p.m. the next day and was able to make it to my friend Rachael's wedding by about 6:30p.m. It was such a special thing to be present for and I was so happy to have been able to make it in time. Having missed several weddings last year and knowing that I'll miss at least one really important one this next year, I definitely did not take Rachael's for granted.

My home leave was also filled with seeing as many friends and family as possible. I was able to spend some good time with my parents while I was home, which was the major priority. I was also able to spend some time with good friends. I also celebrated my 23rd birthday while at home, which was a good excuse to get a lot of people together all at once. All in all, I left my home leave feeling very grateful for all of the people who went out of their way to come and see me. Being away for a year and then seeing people like that again really makes you realize who the important people are to keep around.