Open Class

A bit of an insight into what my open classes are like:

Month before -

Co teacher will tell me we have an open class and ask me to prepare something. I do not prepare anything.

Week before:

Co teacher will give me a perfectly scripted lesson plan of the class, and ask me to learn my lines.

Day of the class:

We practice together on the morning class, and then spend the period before the actual open class cleaning the classroom and practicing our lines.

Open class:

Kids have no idea why all of a sudden we aren't using the textbook and they space out. Class is a fail.

School Open Day

  About 2 weeks ago Co told me that the school was having an open day and we would need to prepare a lesson for the parents to come and see (if they wanted to). It just so happened that the Open Day was to fall on a Wednesday which is awesome because it is mainly Grade 6 and they are all pretty decent kids. Rather than designing a new lesson he decided to go with one we did last year for the Grade 4's on prepositions - which I personally thing was a stupid idea as these kids are GRADE 6 NOT GRADE 4 and they would complete the activities a lot faster. The flip side of this coin is that they will better understand what is going on. And who am I to question anything anyway? I am just the stupid foreigner with nice hair who doesn't speak Korean.

  Anyway so I went through the usual routine before the open class of cleaning and rearranging seats and getting more chairs for parents (if they chose to come) and read over my lines. The class arrived and to our surprise, at least 7 parents came to check the class out. Usually no one turns up to English class - no one cares if their kids speak English or not. 

  The class went really smoothly, I spoke clearly (yay tonsillitis has cleared up woooo) and the kids paid attention and completed the work. I guess it was because some of their parents were in the class, but they seemed more motivated than usual and made more of an effort to speak English. I impressed one parent by understanding her when she said it was ok to leave the window open, and they all smiled at me heaps. I guess they were impressed with my English speaking ability. Anyway after class they all left and the kids did their usual "Bye Bonnie!" "Bye Teacher!" that they do, and the parents smiled at that too. So hopefully I will get a good evaluation from them... But who knows. 

2 of my adorable grade 6 girls

Re-signing?

  I brought up the subject of re-signing with Co, and he said he was planning to talk to me about it in June. I still haven't decided if I want to stay at this school or not - there are pros and cons to both staying and changing. I want to be closer to Seoul, but I don't really know many people in there and I know I would spend more money. 

*sigh*

Anyway just short and sweet today. 

xoxoxo

Latest Stuff

I haven't had much motivation to blog lately... I don't know what changed but it was starting to feel like an effort and the drive left me. Yet, I have been doing stuff so I feel I should put something down.
I have been a bit sick too, I can't seem to get rid of whatever s going on in my throat, and still don't have a voice. And strangely I keep getting nose bleeds... Too much information???

Sissy's second visit to Korea

  Georgia came back for a quick trip before heading to Thailand for a family wedding. The weather was soooo much better for her this time around. We didn't do anything too different and interesting, but we did go into Gangnam on the Friday night with some lovely ladies for drinks and a dance. We went to Bling Stone first, a fab little bar near Gangnam station exit 6 I think (?) for some drinks. It was 15,000 won and you could drink as much as you wanted from a set cocktail list. So we got pre drunk and then went to Club Oz, supposedly the best new club around. It was all electronic music which is great if thats what you are into, but for me I need a bit of variation. We then headed off to a spot and got more drinks and food. We girls stayed at the Ja Guesthouse in Gangnam and it was really reasonable. The link for their Facebook page is here, and I would recommend it. Price was reasonable for the area and they had free breakfast. Always a winner in my books. 

  The next day we went into Seocho for H&M and Forever 21and had a bit of a shop up. It's a really beautiful area there, I would totally live there. Very green and European looking. If you get a chance check it out. 

  That night we got shit-faced in Songtan and then Sissy was in bed all the next day with a soju hangover. And that was her week done. I missed her the second she left. Now I am lonely at home again. Thank God I have my doggie, and great friends. 

Gangnam

Gangnam

Milky (of course)

Buddah's Birthday long weekend

  Last weekend was a long weekend, and a group of us went to an island off the coast of Incheon to celebrate in style. We started the long weekend on Thursday night in Hongdae, drank soju and ate at Monster Pizza (best pizza EVER). We spent the night at Seoul Base Camp, a great hostel near Hapjeong station and walking distance to the heart of Hongdae. It was my first time staying there but the others have stayed a few times so the fact that they are repeat customers says it all I spose. Check out their FB here. 

  We were up bright and early (5am) to head into Incheon to catch the ferry to Deokjeok Do. We were actually going with a tour type thing, a big group of teachers and foreigners - I think there was about 150 people all up. We just paid some money to the organisers and they fixed the ferry and the pension (kinda apartment) where we slept. Ferry took over an hour to get there and I was feeling emo and hungover (if there is anything that will make me feel emo its boys, and that ALWAYS leads to feeling hungover) so the ferry was a little rough. I was feeling gross when we got to the island but it was so beautiful and sunny I soon forgot I was feeling sick and got onto the beach and enjoyed the day with friends. I got mega sunburnt, the entire weekend was a massive booze fest... Friday was really the only day of good weather but we enjoyed each others company anyway. The group of us wanna go again, either to the same island or a closer one and camp out and have a merry time. 

On the ferry

Looking the part (and carrying my bag)

On the pier

LUNCH

Beach was great - sand was nice and plenty of room!

  We were the only people on the beach (the big group I mean) so we had the place to purselves. I felt pretty bad for the Koreans that live there cos as usual the foreigners ran amok. 

Anyhoo I will try not to leave it as long between blogs. And I will endeavour to cheer up. 

xoxoxox

Gyeongbokgung Palace in Spring

Today was the third time I have been to this beautiful place in Seoul - I have now visited in Autumn, Winter and now Spring. And it was so beautiful today I have decided to write a proper review for anyone else wishing to visit this amazing palace.

Gyeongbokgung Palace 경복궁

  Gyeongbokgung was first built in 1395, but the site was abandoned and rebuilt in 1867 by the Joseon Emperors over a few generations. Joseon Dynasties ruled here for years and years until the Japanese trashed the place in the early 20th Century (and they steadily trashed most of Korea over the next however many years). I honestly think this is one of the worst things about war and occupation, particularly with Korea... They had so much of their history erased. The Japanese administration pretty much levelled the entire site and used the grounds and extensive gardens for their own government offices. Anyway, the place is still undergoing reconstruction today, and I think that they are at about 50% reconstruction level. Wikipedia tells me that they were at 40% in 2009, and there seems to be a fair bit of it made pretty now. A few of the buildings are originals, but basically the whole place has been redone. It never ceases to amaze me how much national pride Korean people have - they love their national treasures and the majority of people who visit this palace (and others) are people who live in Seoul and surrounding areas. 

  The palace complex itself is huge, and when you take into account the gardens as well you can easily spend hours wandering around. There are free tours in different languages, you just need to rock up at the right time. They run every few hours though, so if you miss it you can always pop back later. 

  One of the cool things about where the Palace is located is that it is right next to the Palace Museum, and also the National Folk Museum. The Folk Museum has a Children's Museum attached to it, so if you have young kids with you they can go and have a play and learn in a more interactive setting. And yes, there is plenty of English for us foreign folk ;)

Folk Museum literally right outside.

Oh, and the entry to the museums are free... Did I mention that?

  Today was a ripper day, because May 5th is Children's Day in Korea! A day when those little bundles of joy are celebrated. So there was plenty of activities happening around the museum just outside the palace grounds. We had a wander outside, but make sure you keep your ticket with you so you can get back into the Palace grounds. The gardens around the Palace are a perfect spot for a picnic - you are allowed to bring food and drink into the Palace grounds and there are actually bins dotted around the area to get rid of your trash. There is a cafe/food place on the grounds but it is a bit pricey. 

Children's Day festivities

Getting there - 

  We caught the train from Pyeongtaek station to Seoul station, which was around 4000 won or something close. We then jumped on the subway and made our way to the Orange Line 3 (there was a transfer involved) and got off at Gyeongbokgung Station, exit 5. Its a great station, you come out right at the palace you literally cannot miss it. But because of the annoyance transferring lines I actually would recommend doing it a slightly different way (and if you don't mind walking a little bit - its a nice walk).

At Seoul Station, jump onto Blue Line 1 and head to City Hall Station. It is the next stop on the Blue Line after Seoul Station... 

Head upstairs at I think Exit 1 (where City Hall is) and when you walk up head in teh direction of the Arts Centre and all that stuff. If you are standing facing City Hall (a giant glass space-age building) then you wanna head left. Keep walking down that street - it is a really beautiful street and as you get closer to the Palace the centre of the road widens and there is a big grassy strip. There is also a station down there, not sure which one... Purple line I think?? Anyway every time I have been there I have seen some sort of free cultural event. Today was some sort of flea market, street food, and some people protesting something. They were singing to the new Psy song and dancing. Was hilarious actually. 

But if you keep walking down this street you will eventually get the the palace at the end. I love walking past the Arts Centre and it was beautiful today in the sunshine. The streets are really wide and clean here. 

Market Stalls and street food

You can see the Palace in the distance, and Mt Bugaksan in the background

Beautiful green strip

Free concert for the good citizens of Seoul

Cost?

  Just the train, there and back was under 10,000 won. And the subway is cheap, I have a t-money pass so I have no idea what I spend to be honest. The entry to the Palace is 3000 won for adults, I think it was 2,500 for kids and children under 6 are free. All the museum entries are free. There is cheap food nearby, but if you are looking for something a bit more palatable then there are a heap of nice restaurants near the Arts Centre. Have a wander down the back streets too, there are hidden gems of culinary delight... And a bubble tea place that has delish bubble tea^^

Totally go visit. Seoul is so beautiful, and Spring is proving to be my favourite season yet!!!

Till next time 

xoxo

Long time no blog...

  For someone with so much time on their hands int he afternoon you would think I would have kept my blog a bit better lately... Not so. 

For all my millions of fans out there who have been anxiously awaiting the next installment of the rubbish I call a "good read", please be ready to have your mind blown.

Lately I have done nothing of note.

  Not even kidding. I was supposed to go with friends to a cool festival in Gwangju over the weekend, but I have decided that it would be more prudent for me to save some pennies for when my sis arrives (which is next Wednesday for those playing at home). They had a great time from what I hear, and I fully intend on going next year. 

My weekend consisted of catching up with friends who didn't go to the festival, having a few drinks, making an appointment with the vet for Milky, and eating too much food. 

  My week so far has been equally boring. I spoke with mum a few times, Carolina came to visit, had dinner with Jessie's co teachers (cos mine is so shit) and watched Game of Thrones. Tonight i'll hang with Shanda and prob have an early night... Even though there is a day off tomorrow.

What has gotten into me?

I am in need of a shake up. I need to get out of Pyeongtaek this weekend or I think I might go crazy!!! It's not that I don't like it here, cos I do, but I have cabin fever. The weather is starting to warm up beautifully and it's time to do something different. This Sunday I am planning on taking myself into the city and finding a local mountain to walk up. Fresh air and exercise! It will be just what the doctor ordered. I can get some sunshine into my body and feel energised. So now I have written it down I need to stick to the plan...

  Does anybody else feel this way? I wonder if it is the weather... Spring is finally upon us here in Korea and it is more beautiful than winter. And I actually loved winter (although it ended waaay to late. 2 weeks would have been perfect) Did I feel this way at home? What did I do in Australia when this anti-energy feeling was lingering? I walk my dog every night so it can't be that. I hang with my friends almost every night so it can't be that. I speak with my mum more often that anyone else I know in Korea so it can't be that...

... I haven't ridden a horse in nearly 9 months. 

I can say, with 100% conviction, this is the longest I have been without riding since I was about 8 years old. I have owned my own horse for almost as long as I can remember and I rode at least once a week for the last 19 (gulp) years. My legs are not as firm as they used to be, my thighs are not as grippy as they were... My calf muscle not pronounced. My abs are there somewhere but I can't find them. My forearms are weak. My t-shirt tan is no more. I am out of shape. And I miss my horse... 

I have had Beau since I was 15, and he is the shittiest, most loveable horse ever. I wouldn't change him. And Billie, my baby, is growing up without me. Georgia has her cantering now! Will I even know what to do when I get home? I will prob fall off and seriously hurt myself and need a hip replacement or something. 

So what is it that people do when they move abroad and can't activly participate in the hobbies or sports that they were part of in their home countries? I am guessing they take up a new one. So I want to start hiking. I will start off small, and slowly build to bigger hikes. I want to do things that get me out of the house and to new locations on the weekends. And that don't always involve getting wasted. I wonder how long this new "thing" of mine will last??? Hopefully longer than the skipping rope that is hanging on my microwave or the hoola hoop that is next to my bed. 

I am annoyed today.

Here are a few reasons why:

1) The students are learning to play the recorder. They are generally terrible and the sound made me msg my mum and apologise for the months and months I played the same woodwind instrument when I was in primary school.

2) There is water cascading through the downpipe outside my office window. The sound made me need to pee so badly, so I went to the bathroom to do my business... Only to discover that the water flowing outside should be flushing toilets. So the loo wouldn't flush. Luckily I throw my paper in the bin at school, and lucky it was just a wee. The noise is still annoying me, AND it's a gross waste of water.

3) It is a beautiful day outside and I am stuck inside.

4) I have no idea where Co is (again)

But the kids are still cute...

She kicked him...

I want to tell you a stupid funny story

A friend of mine gets her mail sent to her husband's work rather than to their house. No idea why, she is a weirdo... 

Anyway he got a package for her today in the post, from a guy who works in the southern part of Korea. He calls her up and asks who it is, and she has no idea. Her hubby opens the package and there is an uber creepy traditional Korean Mask inside, wrapped in women's clothes. The plot thickens - how does this stranger know her name and address? Why has he sent her a creepy mask wrapped in clothes? The Strange Sender has left his contact details on the parcel so she gives the mobile a call and it rings out. Hubby calls the school (the Stranger has left his school's contact details too) only to be told that HE NO LONGER WORKS THERE. Who is this man and why has he sent a voodoo mask?

My friend msgs me on FB and tells me whats going on, and I automatically ask has sh stalked him on FB. She has, and has sent him a message. I also say that the mask is most likely cursed, and she shouldn't touch it. I mean, we have all seen those movies, and we know what happens when you put on a cursed mask, or even touch it. She msgs hubby and tells him its prob cursed and don't touch it. He has already washed his hands and is considering throwing the thing off his office roof. No one wants a cursed creepy mask right???

Finally, Strange Mask Sender writes back to her msg... He is a friend of a friend who has been in India. While in India he met this girl, who was planning on posting a traditional mask to her friend as a wedding present. The Mask Sender says don't worry, I live in Korea I will post it for you when I get back there... And so he takes the mask, wrapped in clothes for safe keeping back to Korean and then posts it to the address given to him. And it's not cursed at all, just a normal gift. 

And here we are. My friend has received a lovely gift from her friend in India via Mask Sender. And to think her hubby was gonna throw it off a building. Maybe they can hang it in their bedroom. What do you think?

Scary huh???

And finally...

I have been all over Twitter lately whining about boys. So I am going to put it on here too... Boys take note of the following points:

• Girls like hugs and cute compliments - not porn and sex talk
• Girls DO NOT like to be compared to ex girlfriends
• Cute flirting is appropriate for messages - planning your visa aquisition is not (especially after meeting 1 TIME)
• Girls like to receive messages from boys they like
• It is COMMON COURTESY for guys to message a girl after they have gone out
• If a girl tells you she doesn't want to date you, it's because she DOESN'T WANT TO DATE YOU. And no, you don't need a million reasons why...
• One date does not entitle you to interrogate her whereabouts for the rest of her life
• If you are interested, act like it. No one likes mind games. 
• Arrogant is NOT attractive

I could go on and on, but I won't. So if you are thinking about dating me, have a think about this, and if I don't want to date you, ask yourself if you did any of these things... 

Anyway, peace out peeps, if you are in Korea I hope you are enjoying this weather!

xoxox