Peace and Beauty

Yesterday I went and explored Unamji, a well-known park near my apartment. The park has a beautiful pond where families come on the weekends. It also has a mountain which is very well-known. If I want a taxi home, I tell them Unamji, that’s how close it is and known. Which, I can take a taxi home now by myself! This seems small, but it is huge, and gives me more independence.

Everything was peaceful and beautiful despite an old lady who continued to stare at me after she walked past me and the nasty biting mosquitoes. Although Chilgok does not have the wonderful chain of lakes I miss, it does have beautiful mountains. Although there are others hiking as well, I felt so peaceful while hiking and sitting at the top of Unamji. It’s amazing how I felt completely away from the busy city.

I also completed my first week of teaching this past week. It had its ups and downs. I absolutely adore my kindergarteners. Although they can be very chatty, I love them. Korean children are beautiful. In addition to my kindergarteners, I have 7 classes and a one-on-one. I teach a different course to each class. I am working on overcoming the challenge of learning the course of what I am teaching to each class, and learning about each child. Some classes have extreme energy, especially the 10-year-olds, and others are completely silent and do not participate, usually the 13-year-olds who just don’t care. I am also strategizing ways to make the classes exciting and bring more games into them. It has only been a week, so I know I have time to grow. I have been observed twice by two different supervisors, and have done well with both observations.

I have a huge gain with having so much experience with children and teaching. Many teachers come to Korea with no background experience at all, but will succeed. Our academy, as many others in Korea, enjoys bragging about teachers that have experience. We write an autobiography that is hung up on a wall where parents can read it. I can now understand why they were excited to have me come and teach at their school.

Although I should have more to write, this is it for now. I am still gaining my ground and learning Daegu.