I am confused about the days...

Disclaimer!!! - When I started writing this post it was still Monday... So the majority of it is about yesterday.

Who else hates Monday's?

  Actually, I never used to mind Monday at home, because I actually didn't mind going back to work. But here, I go to work and have no one to chat with. And, the days are set to return to the monotony of standing around looking foreign. Co is back, and I have been pushed back to the computer. Me and another teacher had a good laugh at the grade 5's reaction to the news Co was gonna teach again - one girl cried. They are scared of him!!!

  I wouldn't say this is a hellish thing, but it does make my time go really slowly. And this is where it would be nice to be in a hagwon. Just go to school, do your classes and leave. The free time is nice, and the holidays are nice but I got a taste of my own classes and now its all I think about. 

Today Co found a video of a good morning song to use for gr 3. Now, last week I actually found a much better one. It has subtitles and everything and a really cute animation that I am sure the kids would appreciate. I offered to show it to him but he seems to think that there is nothing online with subs so we are better to use his. And that was that. I also asked was there anything he wanted me to prepare for the rest of the week. No, not as yet. But he would like me to read over the lesson for tomorrow. Ok. Done. Now what? I can't openly play on fb as he is back in the office. I can't even have the heater on anymore because he is feeling hot. It is currently 10 degrees. Its not hot at all.

I can't watch dramas while he is here. So inconvenient. I am having trouble playing scrabble with him here too... Why couldn't the nice friendly cute grade 5 teacher be my co :( she is super nice. Wishful thinking.

Mysterious Stranger update

I know how keen everyone is to hear how this is going so here we go...

  I saw him on Friday morning when I was near the bottom of the stairs. He was running late (in fact I am fairly certain he would have missed that train) but I still tried to make eye contact. Instead of being able to glance and just smile like a normal person, the Stranger didn't look up and meet my eye until I was looking away. I noticed this exchange and immediatly tried to restablish the eye contact, but if course then he looked away. So I also looked away (not to come across as one of those people who stares) and I saw that he had looked back again. But I just left it - the situation had already gotten weird and I didn't want to make things worse. Plus he was about to miss the train and I didn't want to somehow feel responsable for that. So rather than my planned eye contact, smile and keep walking, I had that weird omg, should I look, no, yes, don't stare kinda moment. Like when you are passing someone on the footpath and you both move the same way, and then you go to move and so do they and it ends up looking like you are doing this weird stupid arm waving dance on the street. It was like that, but with eyes. 

  I ended up not having time to walk down with the dog, becasue I was hungover in the morning and then spent the afternoon with some girls sitting in a park enjoying the nice weather. It got to a whopping 20 degrees C so it was actually really nice. It's back in the teens and lower this week but I am confident that Spring is finally here so we are all good. 

The diet

  As predicted, the diet is failing. I am not sticking to it properly, but I blame this on my condition last week of being both unwell and hormonal. I am much better this week so I will try again. I will also be attempting to be more active after school so we will see how that goes too. I want to go back to the jimjilbang at the end of the month and I really hope I have lost something (weight, obviously, not my phone or wallet). Even just a few kilos would be fine... I am giving myself until Sissy arrives to lose 8 kilos. Doesn't seem to hard huh? Time for good food :) And I have been advised that rice is better than bread, so I will maybe switch the bread up for carbs. Not that I have been eating much bread lately but whatever.

Payday

  Its payday on Friday this week. For all you people out there considering working in a Korean public school, we get paid monthly on the 17th of every month. But this month it falls on a Sunday so they hit us up on the Friday. Its a fairly sweet deal... I usually do my bills first, send money home, then slowly eat and drink the rest. There are some birthdays at home, so I have to account for that and on that note - I need to find the post office. I have no clue where it is. 

  This month will be a little tight cos of the wedding, and I am planning on staying down there overnight. JESS I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED ON SATURDAY! I didn't end up getting a new dress, I have one that is really nice and I can't justify the money. I hope there is good food there I am hanging out for it. 

Oh, and I took Milky to the hairdresser (doggy hairdresser) who gave him a very handsome cut and colour. And a rubber chicken toy for being such a good boy. Here he is in all his glory:

What an adorable guy

Tuesday

Ok, I am now fully prepared to talk briefly about today. Tuesday. 

  Just got home from a teacher's diner. This one was its usual awkward self, but at least the maintenance guy didn't slur on me this time. But I did have a few drunken conversations (they were drunk, not me I was stone cold sober), one with Co and another with one of the new teachers. He also has the last name Park, but that isn't strange because most people in Korea are either a Park, Lee or Kim. So Co comes and sits down kinda next to me to check how I am (I had sat myself on the table he WASN'T sitting at) and I assured him I was getting along fine with the ladies I was sitting with. He asks if I can read the sign... I lied and told him someone else had told me what it said (it basically said congratulations new teachers at Songshin Elementary School) and then listed all the new teachers names. He asked if I could read the names...

"Well, it looks like most of them are Kim" I said. Drunk co laughed so hard soju came out his nose. He repeated what I said to everyone at the table. Ha ha... I think. They all thought it was funny too. I still don;t get it. Everyone is Kim. But whatever. Maybe I missed an inside joke? Anyway he then brough up a conversation we had earlier. I had told him after classes yesterday that I was hoping to be more involved in class this year, and was there anything he would like me to prepare for the rest of the week. He said no but thanks. Ok, I tried. Anyway tonight he tells me he was very pleased that I had asked him that. It made him happy that I had offered to photocopy sheets of paper etc. So the conversation must have struck a cord if we were having a drunk discussion about it tonight. I told him I was serious, and that I am here to teach so please make use of me. He pretty much said that he wanted to lead for grade 3 and 4, and wanted me to lead for grade 5 and 6... Not quite what I want but its a start. So dialogue is happening.

  The other drunk conversation was with one of the new teachers (the Park) who introduced himself, and asked me to call him by his first name. Which I have forgotten. And then said he thought I was very beautiful... Within hearing of some other teachers which made me embarrassed, especially when one asked what he said and the other translated. Ugh. Well, better than being told I am ugly thats for sure.

  The good news that came out of tonight was meeting some of the younger new teachers who seem really nice, and apparently a few live quite close to the station and therefore close to me. So fingers crossed I make some friends. I know it would def help if I ate with everyone but I can't bring myself to eat that crap. 

Anyway, I am kinda sleepy and I need to dry my hair. I don't want to be late tomorrow as Co will be hungover from tonight (a heap of teachers went out to a norebang) and I might have to teach by myself in the morn. 

Have a good night guys xoxox

Cute rice cakes given to all staff by the new teachers at dinner. So cute and tasty! Called 떡