Korean Field Day!

In Korea, every elementary school has a full day where students compete in individual games, perform dances and taikwondo routines, as well as compete in team games! The kids have been practicing really hard in anticipation for this day!

Before they compete, they all stretch together (1st graders - 6th graders)! They do a routine, set to music, that has been done for over 60 years, all over Korea! Some of the moms were stretching along on the sidelines!


The teachers stand in the front of their classes line and lead the stretches! Their English names, from left to right are: Crystal, Chloe, Susan, Lee, Lisa, (He doesn't have one) , Ella, Josh, Barbara, and Laura. (All great, great, great people!) I'm blessed to be at Gamjung School!


2 of the 2nd grade girls waiting to start their relay!


This poor girl could not figure out how to put her jersey on! She literally tried 3 times before she finally got it.

This was one of the games for the 2nd graders. They had to run around some cones and then eat a piece of candy, and put the wrapper in their pocket! This is MY kind of game! :)

This sweet little girl is one of my favorite kids at the whole school. She's in my kindergarten class, and is sooo smart, and so sweet! She always hugs me and says, "I love you teacher."

Some of my 6th grade boys running the relay!

Some of my 5th grade boys exhausted after their relay: (left to right) ______, Jacob, John, and _______.

These are some of my 5th grader girls: (Top left) Lauren, ______ , Kristy, Amy (Bottom left) ____, Melissa, Kristin, Skylar, _______.

This is another one of my kindergartners. Her mom is one of the teachers at my school.

These are some of my darling 3rd graders: Molly, Jenny, and ____.

This is another one of my kindergartners. They're so darn cute, I couldn't stop taking their pictures. :)

This was one of the games for the 2nd graders! They had to run about 50 feet and then sit on these balloons until they popped! This is a tame picture... Some of the boys were jumping 2 feet in the air and landing on their butts to try to pop these balloons!

Yes, he is holding a pom pom!


One of the 6th graders games was to walk across this beam with a hulahoop!


The 1st and 2nd graders did the most adorable dance. It's a traditional Korean dance about an old bride and a young groom. The groom doesn't want to get married, because his fiance is old! haha


More pictures of the dance...


More pictures of the dance!

Part of the 4th graders relay was to do a summersault on this mat. It's AMAZING that no one got hurt!

This is my kindergarten class! What a bunch of little cuties huh?!

The last competition of the day, is a good old game of tug of war. The kid in the front of this picture is Garrett. He is one of my absolute favorite 6th grade students!

My 6th grade girls, waiting to hear their score from the judges

All in all, it was a great day! If there's one thing I would bring back to America with me, it would be field day!

Boyz II Men are making a comeback!

One of my co-workers was on my bus this morning and we started making small chat about music. He asked me if I liked "Boyz II Men." He was definitely feeling pretty good about himself because he knew an American pop group. But, when I replied, "yeah. When I was 12 years old, they were very popular," the look on his face was of utter defeat as he realized the pop group he mentioned was less than impressive. Instantly, I knew I had hurt his ego, so I began to say how much I still liked their music... He quickly perked up again! Later this afternoon, he sent me this e-mail:

"Alexis, do you have a this song file? Would you like to hear this file? i love this song.^-^
see you at lunch time ^-^"

-- He attached the song "End of the Road." I have a feeling all of our conversations from here on out will be about Boyz II Men. What have I done?!

Just bought a camera...

... from my own husband! Yep, you heard it right - I bought my husband's CANON camera from him... and it's not because he wanted to get rid of it! 

We were talking about our trip to Japan this weekend and he said "We're both going to be wanting to take pictures at the same time and we'll probably end up arguing over who's turn it is with the camera!  I think you should buy your own camera!"   At first, I thought he was crazy, but the more I thought about it, the more appealing the idea became!  We came to terms that even though it's silly, we will both have our own professional cameras because we know our strengths, and we definitely know our weakness - SHARING!

Happy Birthday Buddah Parade!

Last night, I was shopping for coast hangers at a local market and heard loud drums in the distance, so I walked towards the sound... and found myself stumbling up the hidden gem of the night! It was a parade celebrating Buddah's birthday. It was one of the longest parades I've ever seen, which tens of thousands of people involved! The costumes were beautiful, the lanterns were magical, the floats were cool, the drummers were awesome, and the dancing was beautiful!

These elderly women were sitting in the back of a truck because they couldn't walk the whole parade route!

Anyone up for a day at the mall?

This blog is for those of you who have the misconception that I'm living in a 3rd world country! Quite the contrary.... This blog is just to prove it!

On Sunday, we ventured over to Shinsegae Mall, the biggest, most elaborate mall I've ever been to, which makes sense why it is named the "largest mall in Asia." It had an ice skating rink, an art exhibit, a park, a movie theatre, tons and tons of really fancy restaurants, a salon, a spa, etc...


This is the bakery area of the mall... yes, that's right! There is an entire floor of cakes... and let me tell you, the cakes you see in your Safeway Bakery at home are NOTHING compared to the cakes in Korea! They are intriquitely decorated and taste like heaven!


This is the view from the top floor, looking down from the 7th floor. (and yes, I was shaking taking this picture!)


There is an actual park at the top of the 14th floor of the mall, called Sky Park, that overlooks the city! It was such a beautiful day, so we spent about an hour here just lounging together and enjoying the view.


The view from one side of "Sky Park."

Brunch with the girls!

Jess, Kristin, Kate, and I met up for brunch, Sex in the City style, at Gwangalli Beach this morning!  The weather was good, the food was great, and the scenery was to die for!  There's nothing like eating on the boardwalk in Korea!

 

I'm sorry my blog ate your comment!

Many of you have told me that you've tried to leave a comment on my blog page, but it doesn't work!  I'm sorry... I have no idea why it's doing that.  With that said, I added a new function to the bottom of the blogs where you can click, "funny", "interesting", or "cool."  And if you can't resist sending me a comment, feel free to e-mail me at CALOCAL@aol.com.  I check it everyday and am always happy to see an e-mail from a friend. :)

Date night with Kevin! (worth reading!)

Last night, Kevin and I had our 1st official date night in Korea!  We jumped on the bus and took it nine stops to an area called Hadan, which is next to a University, in search of a DVD Bang.  DVD Bangs are an extremely popular place for young Korean couples looking for some alone time amidst their busy lifestyles, overcrowded homes and overbearing parents.   

At the DVD Bang, we paid the equivalent of $5.00 for a movie and were given a "room number." When we opened the door to the room, we saw that it was a VERY small room equipped with a large projection screen, a couch-bed, and a box of tissues...  Let me just say, I wouldn't want to bring a black light in that room.  Most Koreans, especially those in relationships, will not advertise that they frequent DVD Bangs because other people will immediately assume that they're up to no good.  Kevin and I behaved ourselves, and actually had a great time lounging while watching Amelie 2. 

After the movie was over, we walked, in the rain, through the area!  There were tons of Korean students eating and drinking at the local bars!  If it weren't raining, we would have walked longer, but we decided to go to a club near our apartment.

We took a taxi 15 minutes, and only paid the equivalent of $3.50 to the club!  When we arrived, there were men dressed in matching suits who led us up a grand staircase to a platform where we realized we had just entered the HIDDEN GEM of Busan!   It was a gigantic and fancy cabaret with dimmed lights and red lamps on each table!  There was an elaborate stage and dance floor with more stage lights than you've ever seen at any concert in America!  We started laughing and continued to follow the gentlemen in the suits.  They sat us in the very front, near the dance floor and the stage.  We were given a fancy tray of fruits, nuts, raisins, and some drinks and sat back and enjoyed the show together!  

The first act was 7 girls, dressed in skimpy outfits, singing American pop songs from the 80's and 90's, set to a rave/trance beat.  At the end of their show, one of them gave her best effort at singing the Whitney Houston hit, "I will always love you!"  I'm baffled each time someone tries their hand at this song, as it's botched nearly every single time!  We tried to hold back our laughter, but the 2 girls accompanying her on stage pretending to play the guitar and bass set the whole thing over the top!  

The next act was a group of 7 young Korean guys, wearing what looked like matching red satin bedazzled pajamas!  One guy was pretending to play the guitar, another the bass, and the other, the keytar (the keyboard that you wear like a guitar).   It was AMAZING!  They danced and sang their hearts out to songs like: "It's raining men", "Power of Love" (by Gloria Estefan), "Celebration", "Mama Mia", and my favorite of the night, "Cause I'm your Lady" by Celine Dion!  There is nothing funnier than a Korean boy band singing, "Cause I'm your lady" at the top of their lungs!  

After the boy band finished, a DJ was lowered from the ceiling - literally... and he played Korean pop songs with rave beats the entire night!  I don't mind the rave music sound for a couple songs, but when the entire song list has the same beat, it gets old fast!  Luckily, we had a group of 7 korean women there to spice up the night!  They came over to our table and dragged Kevin and I to the dance floor to dance with them!  They kept "boobi-boobing" with us, which is what Korean's call "freaking."  And whatever dance move I did... they did!  It was awkward, uncomfortable, embarrassing, amazing, and hilarious all at the same time!  We felt famous!

All in all, it was an amazing memory and one of my favorite date nights ever!  :)  I'm not sure how we'll ever top it!! 

"Mom, I want to be that dog!"

So, one of the 4th grade teachers stopped me in the hall today and told me that one of her students saw me at the bus stop waving to a dog yesterday and said to her mom, "Mom, I want to be that dog right now, because Ms. Alexis is waving to it."

Field Trip Day!

Yesterday, we took the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders on a field trip! We went to the Fisheries Museum and the Busan City Museum. I decided to make a slideshow, so I could post all of the pictures! There are 2 slideshows, because there was a photo limit for each slideshow. :) Hope you enjoy:

Some pic explanations (If you care to know!):
1. The picture of me giving the thumbs up, is because the wax Korean figure in the background is making my favorite vegetable pancakes, which are amazing!!
2. The picture of the kids talking to an older lady with light brown hair and an older hispanic guy was one of my proudest moments as a teacher! My kids were running up to all of the tourists and practicing their English! :)
3. The picture of the kimbap (which look like California rolls) and the fruit was a picture of the kids lunch! They all brought kimbap and fruit! There were no chips or cookies!!
4. The crazy looking seafood was my lunch! The parents of the kids all get together and prepare lunches for the teachers! How awesome is that!?
5. The picture of the 3 old men was "just because!" I couldn't pass it up!
6. The picture of the bus is the bus we rode on. There are no school busses in Korea. All fieldtrips are taken on luxury busses, and students ride the city busses to school.
7. The picture of the beach with the buildings is Gwangalli Beach. We were driving on the bridge.
8. The picture of the wedding was on the grounds of the Busan Museum. Apparently it's a very popular place for wedding photos, which, by the way, are taken MONTHS before the actual wedding!
9. The picture of the harbor from on top of the mountain is the VIEW FROM MY SCHOOL! Not bad eh?!
10. The pictures of kids holding food are kids who were offering me parts of their lunches! How cute is that?!
11. Every student you see in these pictures is one of mine! I know them all and love ALMOST every single one of them! :)

"Work it grandma... work it!"

So, my school offers a free class to the student's grandparents on Tuesday afternoons.  Last week, we had a traditional Korean drummer come and teach them how to drum.  This week, we had a traditional Korean folk dancer come and lead dancing classes!  I happened to be downstairs when the class was happening, so I stopped in to see the action!  

There are no words to describe the sight I saw... but I will try!   There were 50+  women AND MEN, between the ages of 70 and 95, mimicking a Korean folk dancer; jumping up and down, flailing their bodies like birds, twirling around, and skipping arm in arm.  I only hope I can be 1/2 as active and excited about dance class as they are when I'm that age!  "Work it grandma!"

Monday Teacher Meetings

Every Monday, all of the teachers at my school have a meeting with the Administrators.  I went to the first 2, but when the 3rd Monday rolled around, I asked if I could be excused... (It's not like I understood anything they were saying.) My Vice Principal made a deal with me that he would e=mail me, each Monday, of whether or not I needed to attend the meeting. Here was today's e-mail:

"Jill. You may not attend teacher's meeting today. So you'll wait in your room. And door lock well. If you an emergency call me to phone 2200-102."

Dinner in the Country!

Sometimes I wonder what life would be like without Mr. Chun!   Most of the coolest experiences we've had have been thanks to him!

Tonight, he invited us  to dinner at his friends house in the countryside!  It's a very rare pleasure to be invited into someone's home in Korea and this was the 1st time we had been invited.  It was one of my favorite experiences to date!

When we first got to the house, his wife's friend had these "appetizers" out on the table!  Yes, in Korea, you CAN'T expect crackers and cheese, or chips and salsa before dinner... What you can expect is fresh lettuce, random leaves, and vegetables picked from their garden!

After we sat for a little while, eating the lettuce, Mr. Chun took Kevin and I on a walk around the neighborhood!  The pathways through the countryside were breathtaking!

On our walk, we walked passed a honeycomb farm.  This was the biggest bee I have ever seen!  It was literally 2 inches long!
 

This was the sweetest little labrador puppy!  Mr Chun told me not to pet it, because it was for food.  You can imagine the look on my face!  Apparently it's common for Koreans who live in the rural areas to raise and eat their dogs.  Every dog we saw after that, I would ask, "for food?" and Mr. Chun would shamefully nod his head, yes.   

Mr. Chun is an extremely chivalrous man!  He always makes Kevin carry my stuff and tells Kevin to hold my hand while we walk, or to give me massages after we go hiking!  I love it!  :) Today, on our walk, he told Kevin to carry me on his back!  Isn't that hilarious?!   

One of the thousands of gorgeous trees in Korea!

When we returned from our walk, there were 4 other couples at the house!  Apparently all of the husbands have been friends since Junior High and over the years, they and their wives, have met once a month for dinner!  We were so excited we were essentially at a Korean dinner party! 

I loved that one of the wives was sitting on the table, and loved it even more when she motioned to me that I could join her!  Really, when do you ever get to sit on the dinner table?! 

When we were leaving, I asked all of the wives if we could take a picture together!  And by "ask", what I really mean is that I motioned with my hands and said "picture!"   Never a dull moment when you have a language barrier the size of the Mississippi!