It’s officially been a month. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly.
The Good: I bought a bike.
The Bad: Said bike had a flat at the store and I pumped it up but the next day it was flat again. Try explaining that in Korean.
The Ugly: They gave me a new bike. As I rode away trying to reconcile with the tacky, neon blue bike I now owned I realized I should break for traffic. Said breaks were broken. I looked up and gave God a little head shake and went back. Again.
The Good: I became a member of the nearest theater and have been watching films with the pleasure of my own company and Haribo gummy bears.
The Bad: My favorite thing is to talk about the movie after.
The Ugly: Me searching the faces of the Koreans to get even the slightest sense of how they felt about it.
The Good: I cleaned my apartment again.
The Bad: The wallpaper is still gross and peeling.
The Ugly: I got angry and tried to rip it off and ruined the drywall. I now have to fix that.
The Good: The smiles of my kindy are all powerful and melt me like butter.
The Bad: Between monthly scheduling, progress reports and grading… It’s a lot and I’m tired.
The Ugly: The curriculum is structured solely around text books. These days I’m feeling less like a teacher and more of a facilitator. We have to stick to the schedule and get the pages of the book done or else parents have to be notified. So instead of getting to do a fun, hands-on lesson on plant growth, I’m telling to the kids to fill in the blanks and turn the page, quickly. There’s no room for creativity or alternative lessons. It’s books books books. That’s not what teaching is about.
The Good: On Saturday I rode for two hours through Bucheon and Incheon on my bike just city gazing. I picked up a box of strawberries for 2,000 won from a vendor and stuffed my face on a park bench, eyeballing the tiny Korean dogs that are the norm here. At night I went to a local bar called Rhythm and Booze with friends and jammed to some live music while drinking half off long island ice teas.
The Bad: Nada
The Ugly: I’m a little hungover.
😉
Sincerely,
Savanna
Sincerely Savanna 