my apologies

I know, I know...I have completely neglected my blog for over a week now!!! Sorry... I will try to give you a quick run down of what has been going on in our lives over the past week or so.

Last weekend , we went to the movies to see Star Track. I was not very excited about going, but I actually ended up enjoying the movie! After the movie, we went out for coffee with this Korean couple that we met, Andy and Jen. They are so much fun, and they both speak great English. Then on Sunday, we went to Eonyang cave. We even got to take a little boat ride inside the cave! It was a lot of fun, but the best part about Eonyang was the scenery! The cave is up on a mountain, and all around you can see green!!! It was so nice and pretty, and the air was even fresh and clean! After the cave, we played pool, but I'm awful at pool. Anything that requires hand eye coordination is really just not my thing, this my explain my driving record :) Then we were introduced to a new Korean meal by our new Korean friends! I can't remember what the name of the meal was, but I do remember the repercussions of the meal! It was blowing and breathing as if I were a woman in labor (this was seriously the spiciest meal I've had in Korea) followed by awful stomach pains, which lasted all night long!!! On a side note, I do not understand why people so this to themselves! i enjoy spicy food for the most part, but when it is so hot that it really hurts....WHY? I've asked myself this the entire time I've been in this country, and it is still a mystery to me. I have students who by these hot snacks, and bring them into my class and then make ridiculous noises because of how spicy it is. I ask "Why do you eat it then?" And they always respond, "Delicious." I laugh and say "Whatever, but don't ask me if you can go get water!" I know it sounds harsh, but I usually give in when their faces start turning red and it looks like tears my follow! Such a mean teacher...MWAHAHAHA!!!

Let's see...what else have we been doing??? Oh, we watched a mountain burn! I know, that sounds awful, but it was actually entertaining. I hope no one got hurt! We spent about an hour up at the sky park on the 17th floor just watching huge clouds of smoke roll off of this mountain, and then they sent out the helicopters that drop water from the sky. I had never seen this in person, so it was actually really neat!

In other news, Teacher's Day was also this past week! It was such a good day because the students made us feel very appreciated. We got all kinds of goodies like: fresh bread from the bakery, flowers, lotion, body spray, hair clips and lots of really sweet notes. Not to mention, a parent bought this huge cake for all the teachers, which sat right beside my desk all day long! I managed to only eat 2 huge pieces! I don't know why the cake always sits beside my desk, but I'm not gonna lie...I kinda like it! All the other treats we get always sit at the other end of the teachers office and I always feel awkward if I want to get seconds because I feel like everyone notices. However, the cake (which I happen to prefer more than Korean rice dough cake) is always right beside me..what a great desk I got :) An interesting observation that I have made while teaching is that the students that bring me gifts are typically not the ones that I would expect gifts from. You see, since I have been teaching, I've had about 4 or 5 students who have brought me a number of gifts throughout the year. In most cases, these have been students that seem to cause more problems in my classes! I've decided that the parents realize that their child is a little bit on the difficult side, and thus, they feel the need to compensate with gifts!!! Listen to this note that I received from a parent on Teacher's Day and you tell me if you think I'm right.

Dear Amber,
This is Ji Won mother. I am happy you are teacher of my
daughter. I hope you know she is apple of my eye. You may sometimes
think she spoiled because of this. I hope for you rebuke
her when she is wrong~ I do not mind.
Have a happy teacher day,
Ji Won Mommy

Last, but not least...Chris got a bad haircut!!! So, I had to include a picture :) He decided to go to a different place than he normally goes, and he ended up being sorry that he did. She gave him the Korean cut, where it looks like she just cut a circle around his face. It's not awful, but it's not what I would call a good cut either...hahaha!

Take care and keep in touch,

~Am :)