Diffrences between Teaching in the US and Korea

Today has been one of those surreal sort of days. I was giving the practice golden bell quiz to the 5th grade. The schedule had been changed cause the 5th grade also was getting their yearly sex talk. I taught two periods of 5th then my one period of first graders. We were working on parts of the body because they are starting the clinic zone. The plan called for the students to label a cut out of a little boy and say the parts of the body. So I had kids coming up and sticking the labels on. This one little girl got up and stuck the label on for Arm. Then proudly turned around and shouted ARSE! The whole class responded "ARSE!" I somehow managed not to start giggling and then said arM! and the class after 2 more rounds of listen and repeat figured out it was an arM not and arse.
The next period it was back to the 5th grade. One of the boys, who actually is rather smart and good at English, decided while Sunny was out wrangling other students to draw an anatomically correct penis and testicles and label them. After he drew them he then turned his white board to me and asked if it was right.
I think the second he saw my face he knew he was in trouble... I told him to erase it and we'd talk about it after class. I sat down with him and explained that he was in trouble and that for a change I was going to punish him US style not Korean style. (Koreans still use corporal punishment.) He has to over night copy a poem in English 4 times. I gave him "A Picture Puzzle Piece" by shel silverstien to copy. Hopefully that will keep the drawings at bay. He actually came back after school to get the poem cause of course I don't keep things like that ready.

It's been a long day of having to really tighten down on the students. Hopefully the 6th grade boys being kicked out of the English Center except for class for 2 weeks will get them back in line.

Cheusock can not get here fast enough. I'm ready for a long weekend of travel with friends.

Perfect weekend back in Korea.

Round trip ticket to Busan = 32,000 won
Motel for the night= 39,000 won
Drinks, dinner, cab fare= 28,000 won
Playing 6 degrees of separation with a group of Lesbians in Korea and finding less than 1 degree using friends back home = PRICELESS!!!!


Went down to Busan on Saturday and spent the afternoon, evening, wee hours of the morning with an amazing group of women. I'm going to have to make sure I can make it to a few more of these weekends. Not a hook up group just like minded women hanging out and having fun. It was exactly what the doctor ordered. I'm now back in Daegu and getting ready to go do some shopping for the new place and I'm completely relaxed and grounded for the first time in what feels like forever.

I'm probably going to crash hard later today but it was completely worth it.

New place... no more showering with the washing machine.

Here is a short Photo tour of my new place... staying on a second year does have it's perks.

I now have an electric lock on my door. I just have to remember the combination when it's time to get in.


Inside the door I now have a shoe closet so it doesn't look like a centipede lives in my place. I'm really enjoying these and might want them in whatever place I land next.

I have a much nicer Kitchen. The big black box over the sink is a dish drier/ sanitizer. Hopefully I'll figure out how to use it properly soon.

View from the doorway through the kitchen, through the bedroom, to the porch/ laundry area. The bathroom is on the left hand side.


My very blue bathroom, I like it except it's so dark that I have to be very careful if the lights aren't on.


View from my window. It's nice and in the evening I can here the call to meditation from the temple. The tree below my window is a persimmon tree. I'm hopeful I'm not allergic to it.