The adventures of me.: June 2006

Okay all those months back when i realised what a life channging decision i was making coming here and not doing the normal (travelling thing) well i definatley made the right decision. As a brit abroad i am making the most of the culture here and finding it to be something i will never forget. It is annoying at times just because of selfish reaons in that its not england where i live and they do not live the way we do but after a while the moaning becomes acceptance in that i came here! so abide by the rules, don't moan and get on with the experience!! yes this is leanne talking, maybe i have grown up slightly and i think i have. i am becoming alot more confident here and realise that i have done something that not alot of us would do so make the most of the opportunity. comming in to my fifth month now i can say that i have adapted to life in asia and its not only fun but very rewarding, i mean its not everyday when a bunch of 5 year olds tell you they love you and even when you have repeatedly shouted at them to behave, sit down and stop talking, they show you affection that i can honestly say i never showed any of my teachers.
Things that i craveed for in the early days for example cheese, bacon and just the english life have become treats. I look forward to receiving marmite and brown sauce from my parents, listening to radio one and missing out on hollyoaks makes me feel that i am a lucky girl and am very humbled by the way people live here.. I am probably the first person to be annoyed by ethnic minorities living in england and wanting to live life the way they do but me and the est of the teachers understand that this will not happen here. we have Itaewon as the foreigner area where we can purchase magazines, books and cadbury chocolate but on the whole its nice to experience the mission of buying food, spending an hour looking for food remotley distinguising to the eye and cooking a meal that we could get at home.
I have never felt as healthy as i do now living here, yes i eat burger king and other fast food but 5 times a week i eat a school dinner, this consists of food i still don't know what it is most of the time but hey the korean girls are beautiful and thin so i presume i am on the right track. Spinach, Cabbage and fish are on the menu daily so i take every opportunity to get as much as i can. My first few months i couldn't eat the food at school, erin my friend also a kindergarten teacher told me i needed to eat more. After a while the reality that the food infront of me was not only healthy but free became the goal. It was easy to get a sandwich from the local shop but i felt bloated. There is no denying that adapting to a new culture is a difficult thing to do but i ahve done it. I now eat all my school lunch apart from the Kimchi that its so rediculously hot and spicy but take seconds on the soup( its so nice) I know the dinner lady must think i am a fatty but hey i like it, plus i am staving by 11:20 (lunch time) even the kids tell me they have finished their lunch so i say well done and that is so cool.... feel like a mummy... leanne teacher i finished !!! well done ha ha
I have a total respect for korea, they may be out of the world cup which i am in fact mortified about as my kindergarten class were so excited but on the whole they are quiet people, very family orientated and very into education i mean all my kids play an instrument, piano or violin! they are always tired and the parents spend so much on private classes for them.. bless them.
I had a converstion recently about play time at school and the games we used to play!! went down like a lead balloon! mina said we dont go to school to play! we get told off!! i was mortified... she asked if i was angry with her i said no it was just different in england.. i wanted to hug her and play hide and seek with the class. I remember school being such a fun time but not here! i teach in a hagwon its an after school institute, some of the kids won;t get home till 9:00pm and thats affter a full school day. friday i had a cookie party for the afternoon kids, we had coke and cake, they loved it and they chilled out! probably should have done more work than they did but hey i think they work hard enough as it is.... i am a push over ha ha. Don't get me wrong i think languages are a good resourse but kids are kids and when they fall asleep in lesson it either means my lessons are terrible or they are burnt out! the latter i think is true.
So coming up to my fifth month i am having a great time, would recommend anyone this experience, my school is great, the kids are great and the only bad side is that i am 11hours from my family, mum, dad, ry and grandad. but i only hope i am making you proud and sorry but i am not ready to come home yet....
although i wouldn't mind our sunday roast dinners xxxxx God my mouth is watering!!!!
for now i am i content with noodles and dodgy dinners!!!
By the way i found my first cockroack tonight!! screamed the flat down, drowned it to death with my shower head and threw it off the balcony!! ahhhhhhhhhhh was terrified!!! checking my bed constantly!!! need some zantack i think!!
Weather is hot! think i may have mentioned this before but its only going to get hotter!! i can only cope with this heat by wearing a bikini and being on a beach therefore i am a complainer and say its stupidly hot!!
Anyway i think i have said enough for tonight! 24 school reports await me, that means 24 different lies that the kids are behaving and are top of the class! may need an online thesasaurus!!
bye for now
lea xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hello everyone!

yes its been about a week since i last updated this (god i am becomming obsessed) so i thought i'd tell you the news.

Well world cup action in Korea is fun time! firstly the team are call the Red Devils: this means that every match day the kids come to school with their little devil horns on their head and Lets Go Korea T shirts!! how cute! Only a couple of children are vaguely interested in how england are doing and thats only cause i force the england schedule on them and tell them to watch it!!

They informed me that one of the korean players has yellow hair (just like mine) but he is not from England, he is korean! and my eyes are different so i am wierd apparently! and obviously not Korean.... these are the types of converstaions i have with the kids....daily.

Funny story! the kids in my Cherry class think i still live in england and go home their every night, i have repeatedly shown them the globe and pointed out thats its an 11 hour flight but they still don't get it! yesterday the kids were waving at me getting into a taxi on my way home! they thought it was taking me to the airport!! how cute!

News update: my flatmate ariel has gone back to america, i am therefore home alone but i do get a new house mate at the end of July and she is from ENGLAND. there is only currently me at the school who is from the UK so that will be nice.

My mosquito bites have gone into overdrive and currently have four crackers on my legs, nice!! No one else seems to get bittten but me!

Currently getting ready for the monsoon season. not looking forward to that but at least its only for about a month!

Anyway the video below is of this game called the maze! you have to concentrate and get to the next level. I think you will understand what happen next when you see the video.