IT’S ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION

I went to the doctor today after Yoga to get my prescriptions refilled. As always she took my blood pressure and told me it was good. I must be healthy. She asked me how I was and I told her that I sometimes feel light-headed and dizzy. She said, “yes, sunny” and smiled at me. It’s so good to be able to communicate to your doctor how you feel and have them understand.

My life is routine. I didn’t post last night because nothing happened. I get up, go to Yoga, come home, goof off, go to school, come home, eat, fiddle on the computer, read, and go to sleep.

I love Yoga on Thursdays. The instructor doesn’t work us as hard. It’s more cerebral. And she stops after 70 minutes which is better than 90+ minutes. I got there about 1 minute late today and all the mats were taken. I don’t know where all these people came from. There were 21 of us there today. A mat was set up for me at the back. It was a treat to not sit in the front row and be on exhibition. I wasn’t as self-conscious.

I received an email from the agency that placed me at the school saying that they hoped I was settling in well and that they were here for me. I wrote back and told them that this city is boring, my apartment is too small, I don’t like teaching elementary students, and that Kelly is immature and I have no respect for her. I’m sure they’ll be glad they asked. I asked them if there was a nice way to get out of my contract and get a different job. I told them that I realize there probably isn’t, but I was asking anyhow. Maybe their writing was just a matter of good timing and they’ll airlift me from here. Maybe I can sing.

The thought of teaching elementary students for 9 ½ more months is not a happy thought. I tried again to start teaching one of the classes to read. They should already be able to from their regular school, but a few of them are just not with it. I photocopied some pages from a book I bought and one of the things to do was to circle the words that matched the sound the letter makes. If the letter is a “g” and the picture is a picture of a girl, then you circle it. If it’s a picture of a boy, you don’t circle it. I thought this would be easy enough and that all could do it. I read the words so I could be sure that they knew what the pictures were of. I had kids who didn’t listen and just copied from their neighbors. It wasn’t a test. It’s hopeless and I don’t know why I try.

I get tired of looking at tired faces. Tonight I tried to get a discussion going of what constitutes the “best price”. It related to a question on the passage we read. I thought by having a real-life discussion then it would be more interesting. Not. Dead faces but I plugged away trying to explain how you weigh quality and cost to get the best price. I draw a pretty mean scale.

I learned how the school year works in Korea. They start on March 1st and have 2 6-week breaks in the school year. They have a break in July and August and a break from mid-December to February 1st. They go back to school for 2 weeks on February 1st and do no school work. Then they’re off the last 2 weeks of February before starting the new school year in March. I like the way it is here better than North America. I think 2 6-week breaks beat 1 12-week break.

The first school holiday is May 5th and the 2nd is May 8th which are a Friday and a Monday so that means a 4-day weekend. I’m psyched. I don’t know where I’ll go, but going I am. May 5th is “Children’s Day” and May 8th is “Parent’s Day”. There are supposed to be about 15 holidays during the year so this should just be the start. You have to love the “red” days. (Holidays are called red days because someone once circled the date on the calendar red to mark the holiday).

The regular shuttle driver, Jack, was away yesterday so someone else drove home last night. Jack drops me off first but this driver dropped me off last. That meant instead of a 5 minute ride, it was a 40 minute ride. For a small city, this city covers a lot of ground. If I would have known it was going to take that long, I would have taken a taxi.

I went into the bank yesterday to follow up my phone conversation with regards to the credit card. They wanted a copy of my passport. They tried to explain why and it sounded like they needed it as proof as to why they declined my credit card request. Then again, maybe they’re just fans of mine and wanted it as a souvenir. The manager I spoke to was very nice and gave me his card and told me to call him if I needed anything. I just attract people like flies.

Tomorrow (Friday) is my long day. Kindergarten and everything. I sure can’t wait to be in the school for 7 ½ hours.

I only watched ½ of “Lord of War”. I didn’t like it. I found it boring. Did anyone see it and like it? If you answered yes, tell me why.