settling in

i've continued to be massively in love with my flat, if such a thing is possible...looking out the ceiling to floor length window over the city is amazing...considering the city never completely sleeps, it's really relaxing just to look out and watch...i get to watch the weather, something i've never been able to do before...this isn't always a good thing, as it also means i can see all the smog, and the yellow dust...(we've just entered yellow dust season)...i can see (and usually hear) storms (rain anywho) coming in...and the snow too..
i've been getting to know my neighborhood a bit better...i've found two ice cream stores, a couple theaters, plenty of stalls with street food, lots of convenience stores, and more..there is a starbucks (and at least 4 other coffee chains i've found so far) pretty much next door, several banks, lots of little fuit/veggie stands, etc..
i've adjusted to my "new" school as well..it's been open since 2002, and has been kept in good shape, it doesn't look at all grungy..korean kindergardens differ from american kindergardens in that they are basically little schools..the kids have homework starting as early as two years old!! they're learning to write, both english and korean from 2-3 yrs old...they're doing simple math from 4 yrs old or so..this school is different from my other schools (in addition to not being english immersion) in that they don't encourage me to give very much homework...hardly any at all, actually..this has been a challenge for me because some of the kids could really use the practice at things like forming their letters properly..some of the kids write really well, and some still write letters backward, in all sizes, and not necessarily on a line..at my other two schools, i taught kids who were in their second year of english immersion kindergarten, so they already knew how to write properly..here i've got kids who don't know the sounds each letter makes..i've got kids who think the vowels only make one sound..sometimes i feel like i'm starting all over from scratch..i've got some kids who are so used to not knowing what's going on that they don't even try when we have assignments in class..as soon as i finish giving instructions, they just look at me and say "teacher help".. even though i know they can complete it, they don't even try..one kid in particular starts looking at other student's pages before i finish giving directions..he doesn't yet understand that cheating is not okay..when he says teacher help, he just wants the teacher to tell him the answer, he doesn't want to try at all..it can be really frustrating..on the other hand, some of the kids have been extremely rewarding to teach..one girl is pretty much fluent (her speaking is sometimes a little halting, but her sentences are almost always perfectly constructed) so when she speaks up it's fun..i had two students who started out not recognizing their own (english) written names, but now they can answer some questions, and they understand basic directions..the first day with my 2 yr olds, one of the classes was dead silent, and just stared at me..the other class cried..the first class is still pretty quiet, but they've started to follow me in some of the hand motions, and i've actually heard their voices a few times..(not many, but still, it's progress)..the second class is now all smiles, they sing along with me, and they do the motions..they're almost always a joy..and they have a LONG attention span, it's great..i wonder if i had that kind of attention span when i was that little? probably not..lol..i've got one kid who has a behavioural disorder..i don't know what it is, but he has one..out of all the kids at this school, he's the only one who actually has a behavioural problem..he understands everything i say, and can talk to me about anything..howeva, when i tell him not to do something (which happens at least 10 times in a half hour class) he immediately does it again..i know he understands what i'm telling him, he's very deliberate in doing exactly the opposite of what i tell him to do..he antagonizes the other students in the class, and is rarely quiet..most days i feel as though very little is accomplished in that class because i spend most of the time trying to get the other kids to ignore him and focus on their own work..he is remarkably effective at holding up an entire class..he's been at this school over a year, and no teacher has been able to control him..he's so bad most of the time that even when he's good it doesn't come close to making up for the awfulness..thank goodness i don't have that class all the time! overall, my good/rewarding students FAR outweigh the students who drive me crazy..
this time i feel like i'm learning a little more korean..not a lot, but definitely more than i have previously..part of it is because my school isn't all english, so i hear a whole lot more korean during the day..i think another part of it is because i'm much more comfortable with the language..when i first came here in 2005 it was all new and strange sounding, but now i recognize the sounds and flow, and occasionally even know what's being said!! i practice my reading on the street and when watching tv all the time..(but i still don't read fast enough for that)
i joined the gym, which is a couple blocks down from my building..it's open until midnight during the week, which is super convenient..when i'm busy directly after school i can go to the gym later and not have to worry about rushing..next on my list of things to find in the neighborhood is a jim jil bang, (a sauna)..
i've also gotten back into rugby..i still don't know what i'm doing most of the time, but i'm not a total newbie anymore..i've been able to gain some fitness at the gym (and going out running) so i'm not gasping for breath quite so much..i want to tour with the team, but don't know if i'll be able to afford it..a weekend tour ends up being more expensive than it seems like it should be..i found a web site with a calendar of a bunch of races in korea, and the links to the web sites for those races..i've already entered two half marathons, and i plan to enter many more..a marathon sometime during this year..with all the races i found listed, i could run almost every weekend!! i'd end up with a great collection of race t-shirts and whatnot..i don't go for training runs nearly as much as i should, but i love weekend races..
tomorrow is a theme day at my school..this month the theme is spring picnic..the kids will sing a couple songs, have a "lesson" and play some spring related games..all in all, it's fun..really high energy, but fun..the korean teachers at the school put a lot of effort and time into the decorations..