일 신 초 등 학 교 and 복 촉 초 등 학!

(Il-shin Elementary School and Bon-chon Elementary School!)

I am very happy with both my placements!!! My teachers are excellent and have really gone out of their way to make sure I felt welcomed. I will start with Il-shin E.S., my visiting school.
On Monday morning, I woke up bright and early and immediately started to get ready for school. To my surprise, I was not nervous at all! I was done in 30 minutes (yeah...really fast for me) and went down to wait for the bus.

My ride to school was...interesting! I waited 10 minutes in the freezing cold along with other school children in uniform. The bus arrived and it was a battle to get on. The bus was already bursting with warm bodies and six more people were trying to get on! We managed somehow to fit. At the next stop, no one got off but more people were trying to get on. The passengers on the bus were mostly middle and high school students. At two of the stops, the bus driver just sat there for maybe 4 to 5 minutes waiting until everyone that needed to come on the bus could fit! It was funny to me because he kept on shouting a few words in Korean and some people would move closer and closer towards the back of the bus. But it was not enough! More space needed to be created somehow. What would happen at the next stop?

Fortunately, half the students got off at the next stop but were immediately replaced with more students! I quickly moved towards the back and stayed by the exit door. Now all I had to do was recognize my stop. I tried and tried to look over the many heads that crowded the bus. I saw the 7up and Coca-Cola factories, then the beer factory and knew I was close. Then I saw the middle school..ok, that's my stop. I got off along with a hand full of students attending that middle school. We walked along side each other until they started running to get to the light. 8:15am...ahhh...I have time! So I kept on strolling until I finally arrived at Il-Shin at 8:30am. My school is the very last school, all the way at the end of the street...it was a long walk.
I will go to Il-shin on Mondays and Tuesdays and I will teach 5th and 6th grade students. This week was very busy for the school as the semester just started on March 3rd, so I got to go home early both days. That was very convenient for me because I had to go to the bank and also practice my route to Bon-chon E.S.

Anyway, my co-teacher from Il-shin is a very nice lady. She is a married woman with two children (a boy and a girl). She lived in New York for 12 years, but does not speak English as fluently as her principal thinks! lol...so I am meant to keep this a secret...so don't tell anyone!
The students are great! The first question the studens asked me was "How old are you?" I looked at my teacher and she signaled that it was alright for me to answer if I wanted to. I don't mind, but I did not want to answer a question that they should not have asked in the first place. So then, I spoke to the children some more about me and they asked many questions (some would think would be very personal questions...but not to me). They asked about my family, about my marital status (they really wanted to know if I had a boyfriend and if I wanted to date a Korean man lol), about my height, my hobbies, etc...

They asked about Cedric and wanted to know if he was handsome! LOL These kids are 13 years old Korean age, but 12 years old Western age. The difference is because in Korea, when a baby is born he/she is 1 year old whereas in America, the baby would be 1 day old (zero years). Anyway, when I told them that my little brother was actually 19 years old (20 Korean age), the girl who asked the question laughed and said it was okay! lol lol lol She wanted to know if she would get to meet him! So Cedric, you better come here and meet those little girls! lol
Moving on...I was then introduced to the rest of the school staff. It was a televised introduction by the principal, so I was on TV, speaking English to a school full of Koreans! I have to always remember to speak slowly so that they understand me.

Everyone at Il-shin is really nice and I truly feel welcomed!


Now about Bon-chon, my main school! It's really close to my house, so I walk there. I really love it here as well. It is an amazing school where English is taught starting in first grade (unusual in Korea where English lessons begin in third grade). My co-teacher, I have written about her already, Christine...but I call her Unni...remember? Well, she is really awesome! She introduced me to the other teachers in her group and they are equally amazing people. Some are very shy and reluctant to speak English in front of their peers, but in private, they open up and are able to speak to me more freely. I have found that their English is actually better than they think!

At Bon-chon, I teach both sixth grade and second grade. My schedule is really busy from 9:00am until 2:00pm but I get to breath from 2:00pm to 4:30pm! It's nice since I get to play on the internet a little and plan my lessons to come.
I teach sixth grade with 헉 추 (Hyun Ju) and second grade with the homeroom teachers. Hyun Ju is also great! (Have you noticed a trend here? I love everyone!) She speaks English very well and has been very helpful to me. She is going to help me get internet access at home. We were going to get together this Saturday to do it, but I must have my Alien Registration card first (which I am getting done tomorrow (Friday) but it takes roughly one week)! So I'll probably have it by the end of next week! yeah...

I must tell you that I have many friends now in Korea, mostly Koreans, just like I wanted (sorry foreigners...I still love you though--lol). I have plans to go to the movies in 2 weeks with a few teachers. One of the 2nd grade teachers, 석 영 (Sun-young) is my age and she will help me get a cell phone. That is going to be great since every one wants to know my phone number! I will soon be all settled here. And there are many other teachers here that have expressed that they want us to become friends! It's funny because I used to see that in the Korean dramas: when people met, after introducing themselves, they would tell you their age; and if you were the same age, you would automatically become friends "oh..we are the same age, therefore, let's be friends"...it's funny to me that I've been told "let's be friends"! So yes, I am 100% sure that I have many friends! :-)

Right now it is 4:00pm and I must get ready to go home. I am getting a new washer today! Yeah.....Unni told me yesterday that she begged her principal to buy me a new washer because mine was too old! So he approved and they will be delivering it today, at 5pm. Oh, my principal at Bon-chon is taller than me! Yeah...a tall Korean. I have actually seen quite a few. I don't feel like a giant!

So I will have to finish this later! Sorry.....I am very busy at school! LOL...what a joke!