Subbing and Singing

When you're substitute teaching, every day is different.  There are new faces, new names, new lessons, and new buildings.  If you are lucky to nab a job that lasts more than one day, life is grand.  You can settle into a brief routine and learn a few names before your time is up.  While this gig can definitely be stressful, it also has it perks - no lesson planning, no work to bring home, and you are only required to be at school during actual school hours.  My 7-month stint substitute teaching in Minneapolis was probably the best thing I could have done to prepare for teaching in Korea.  I had some pretty rotten days in the Minneapolis schools.  Days where I couldn't connect to even one kid in the classroom.  Days where I literally thought a full-on fight would break out and I would come away with a black eye.  I also had really wonderful days, where the kids were well-behaved and ready to work.  It's embarrassing to admit, but after being in the classroom with my Korean kids for over 2 months, I can only tell you the names of maybe five kids.  I recognize faces, know their personalities, know their English abilities, but those Korean names might just do me over.  So, despite my student recognition abilities and planning my own lessons, sometimes walking into my classroom feels like a sub job.  There are good and bad days, but I'd like to think that if I get a better grasp on these names, that bad days will turn into good ones.  Plus, it really is an awful feeling realizing that you've known someone for an extended period of time and don't know their name.  I mean come on, embarrassing!

Beyond my trouble with Korean names, school has been going alright.  I've done lessons on anything from bucket lists to dating to Ultimate Frisbee.  From what I can tell, the majority of the boys are having fun in class and have been engaged, eager to communicate with me through their broken English.  This is the goal, to get them to actually use the English skills they already have.  So, if that means doing more lessons on K-Pop, movies and soccer, bring it on!  The month of November is filled with 'speaking tests' for all of my students, so easy for me, but terrifying for them.  They'll be okay.  We all survived Spanish and French in high school.  They'll survive English class.  The first week of December then is finals, followed by two weeks of movie watching, and then bam!  The semester will be over.  Crazy.

In other Korean life news, I joined the Taebaek City Choir.  The music teacher at my school found out that I like to sing and recruited me to join.  I wasn't sure how serious of an ordeal this was going to be, but as it turns out, this choir means business.  The men wear tuxes and the ladies wear these white, chamber looking dresses for concerts.  The dresses even have sparkles and bows.  We rehearse every Monday and Thursday night for 3 hours.  I only joined two weeks ago, but I've already survived my first impromptu concert and a solo!  Leave it to the foreigner to sing Edelweiss...  All of the music is sung in Korean, with the exception of one Latin piece and some serious Konglish on Summer Nights from Grease.  It's definitely pushing me to get my act together with learning Korean.  I'm doing pretty well sounding everything out, but I still have no idea what anything means.  Nobody in the choir speaks English either, so it's pretty common for them to either talk to me as if I understand everything that's going on, or talk to each other and then look at me, as if I know what's going on.  Either way it's a lose lose situation for me.  So, Korean language, here I come!  We have a concert tomorrow night (Halloween) and I get to wear the white dress for the first time.  Woo!  Our next concert is November 10th.  After that, who knows.  I'm just going with the flow.  I never know what's going on.

Excitement for the future:

-I'm in a book club and the current book is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  It's pretty good!
-My new boots are coming in the mail this week.
-Foreigner Thanksgiving!  Details yet to be determined.
-End of the semester
-SISTERS COMING TO SEE ME!
-Going to Indonesia with Myah for winter vacation!

My life is pretty great right now.  Here are a few nuggets of fun from the past week.

I made banana bread with some friends in my rice cooker!

 I went to church on Sunday.  These kids were too good not to document :)

 I was shopping on Sunday and found this guy just sitting outside the watch/clock shop.

 Then the owner insisted that we come in and take pictures with him.  He is pretty cute.

 Fall colors!  So pretty.

My choir dress...la la la!

I hope everyone's having a great week! 

Love you guys!