Back to school.

Some thoughts on the first day of school.

First graders:
They are LITTLE and oh so cute! Well, for the first 5 minutes until they start to chatter throughout my entire lesson. Nevertheless, they are charming. I like the idea of being able to re-teach old lessons and re-vamp some crappy lessons. Since this is the start of a new school year, I am no longer one of the new teachers. The best way to describe this year is as if I have already met the parents of the soon-to-be fiance and have now nestled comfortably in the "circle of trust." :)

Second graders:
THOSE LITTLE DEVILS. As the saying goes, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." The boys are even more rowdy and painfully loud. The girls, on the other hand, have matured and surprisingly eager to speak more English in the classroom and in the halls. The first boys class I taught this year HAD to be the one with my loudest, shortest, and irritating student. He greeted me with " Ohh, Julienne- more pretty this year, I missed you!" (I grumble "sit down and shut up" to myself with a big and happy smirk on my face.) Little does he know, there will be NO candy this year. har har.

I've been "promoted" to snazzy first floor teacher's office!

Ok, so I just made that up, but there is a perk from moving offices. I sit right behind THE most handsome Korean man I have ever seen. Trust me, I haven't seen many attractive men here in Jeju. He is a new teacher, quite possibly unmarried, and dresses up to par. Perhaps I should brush up on my Korean or read the cheesy pick-up lines my Lonely Planet guide has to offer. Or not. That would defintiely be a cultural faux pas. Perhaps in another lifetime.

So the daily grind continues. I wake up (late), attempt to make coffee sans coffee maker (the thought of drinking instant coffee first thing when I wake up still makes me gag but there is no alternative), scurry off to school, teach about four to five classes, twiddle my thumbs, job search, and g-chat in between breaks, make some tea, lesson plan, high-five my students, hit the gym, and then off to my hip hop/jazz dance class. Phew.

So I end this post with a quote. "Don't let one cloud obliterate the whole sky." ~Anais Nin.


Until next time...