6 Months Down... 6 Months to Go

I’m back! 

Sorry for the lag-time, but things have been surprisingly busy since Christmas break. I taught and “accelerated” Winter class during January, which killed my nice break on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The class was far from accelerated, but some of my favorite kids were there to ease the pain.

 

In addition to the Winter class, the school has kept me busy over the last few weekends with training (5 months into the job… ) and our annual English Concert. The training was totally worth the 3-hour trip into Seoul. Okay, not really, BUT afterwards we visited the Olympic Park and some Neolithic huts that were pretty cool.

 

 

We even spotted some suspiciously-American looking natives…

 

The English Concert was also a lot of fun! I was responsible for New York (the same class from my Halloween posting). 

We were able to pick any song, but management strongly encouraged selecting something that is older and well known. The Beatles, ABBA and cheesy pop ballots, like the one from that movie with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, are extremely popular here. With that in mind, I decided to turn back the clock with The Beach Boys, Surfin’ USA. The kids forgot to sing once they were on stage, but at least they looked cute in their outfits!

 

Honestly, the costumes were ridiculous… here are some other classes and their outrageous ensembles.

 

 

I think this was that story about a troll that lives under the bridge...

Snow White, obviously.

 

Dancing Queen... A BIG crown pleaser.

Other than that, I have been staying busy with a group of foreigners from other schools that I found that living in Gyoha. Last weekend we went snowboarding. It was only my second time EVER, the first time was six years ago. I was not surprised when I came home with a bruise the size of a cantaloupe on my hip. Although I had fun, I’ve decided that snow sports are not my thing. I couldn’t even make it off the lift successfully until my third try… I’d take surfing or rock climbing over falling down an icy mountain any day, but we did look cute.

 

If you’re thinking, “where did Dore get that super cute, totally authentic, snowboarding jacket that makes here look like a professional BAD ASS?” The answer would be CHINA. That’s right, I took a break from all of the fun in South Korea to celebrate the Lunar New Year (also known as the Chinese New Year) in Beijing, China. It was a quick 4-day trip, but I had a blast. Obviously there is plenty to write about just on those 4-days, so please be patient. I finally downloaded the pics and am working on it whenever I can... here is a BRIEF preview of things to come:

 

Some other places I’ve visited over the last month have included the War Museum, Seoul Tower and the 63 Building. The War Museum was interesting because you could climb up into the planes and tanks. It was also crazy to find out how close North Korea was to taking over the whole peninsula. 

Anyways, the tower was also fun to see, or not see in my case. There was so much fog that we couldn’t go up or even see the top. I’ll just have to make a second trip there- maybe when my mom comes in MAY! 

The 63 Building is the tallest building in Korea, but pretty short compared to other tall buildings around the world. Heather and I went just to visit the Sea World Aquarium. It was your basic aquarium, but they did have some otters that were really amusing. We probably sat and watched them for a good 30 minutes .

(Broken Camera = No Pictures to commemorate the moment, SORRY!)

Apart from all of the sightseeing and working, I have just been enjoying myself! 

 

Okay, I think that sums up my extracurricular activities to give you an idea of what I’ve been up to. I have also started planning the next leg of my great adventure. I am considering getting my yoga-teaching certificate in India when I am done here. Instead of touring the country for a month, I would be at a school learning about yoga… but I am indecisive and am just toying with the idea. I would love to hear what you guys think I should do!