9 weeks...

9 weeks and counting...doesn't seem like that long, but as you can imagine, super very many* things have happened. (*Our students use "super very many" in any combination and order to describe things that are great in number. The phrase can be used for a wide range of topics, from an amount of money to the amount of intelligence one has. For example: "I am super very genius boy" is quite common. Hilarious.) The Korean adjustment process has come into its final stages, and we feel comfortable in most situations. We order food with confidence and ease (it may only be the same 2 dishes every time, but it feels good), we have become more accustomed to the stares in the street and the supermarket (except the ones from the older generations...they should know better), and we even freely welcome Korean lessons from our taxi drivers. Everything is going well, and school is progressing.

When we accepted our job positions in May, we weren't fully sure of the set up or the details of the school or the position. I haven't explained anything about our jobs yet, so will give some quick details. We work in a hagwon which is a small, private language academy. Korean students go to public school in the morning until about mid-afternoon (the older students go till about 5). They then go to various hagwons - there are English, Math and Science - to supplement their public school education. Some students are in a classroom from about 8 am to 10 pm. Needless to say, they are very smart...but this also has its negatives as well, especially when you are trying to teach the intricacies of the English language. I have included some photos of our students. As you might know, Dan and I are the only foreigners at the school, and the other three teachers are related. We work with Jennifer (our boss), her sister and her sister-in-law. It is a very nice environment, and we are enjoying ourselves.


These are our younger students - they are 10 and 11 years old in Korean years...making them about 8 or 9 in our years.


This is Jack. He likes to take our pencils and bite/lick the erasers and shove them in his nose and ears. He has super very many of our pencils.


The peace sign is very popular, making an appearance in all photos no matter sex, age, weight, height, marital status, or religious belief.


This is Nina, she is 7 in Korean years so about 5 in our years. She is wearing her P.E. uniform.


I love these colors.