Monday, July 1, 2013

Saying goodbye and Going Well

Today's blog music is ...not Korean! let's have some of The Beatles because it fits so well and does anyone ever not want to listen to The Beatles? Have a listen: Hello, Goodbye

Sorry that I haven't been updating more here...My reason is kind of selfish. I'm trying to use up my journal so that I have an excuse to buy a new cute journal because there are SO MANY CUTE JOURNALS HERE and it's like torture to not buy them. So, I'll just do some copying from my journal I think, about the last few days and saying goodbye to Janet, one of the teachers that first welcomed me here.

On Janet's last day, we all ate a brunch of crepes together at 10:30 and then headed to Insadong for the famed best Patbingsoo of all time at Slow Cafe. It was such a fun time! Before the bignsoo we just walked the streets and did a little souvenir shopping. I got the last little things I needed for Evi's birthday package! Insadong is a big tourist spots, so there were lots of other foreigners around doing the same thing we were. It was so stinking hot though! Needless to say, we were totes ready for that bingsoo when we finally got there.

This patbingsoo was reportedly better than most because instead of make just with water, the shaved ice was actually made from frozen milk, i.e. extra rich and delish. I think Kate and I ate most of the strawberry one ourselves. They are kind of as big as my face, so even though 7,500 won is a little pricey for a dessert, they definitely can feed two. Or one. Follow your heart when eating bingsoo.

By the time we got back, we were pretty sticky and hot, and I was quite pooped. However, we got a little more peppy when Karen arrived back from the U.S. with Lomie! It's so good to have them here again. A little while later we headed to a duck restaurant for one last meal together with all the Connexus staff and associated acts. One of my favorite moments was when Lomie reunited with her favorite Imo, Minji. She was so excited and gave Minji's head a big hug. It was absolutely adorable. Another was giving a toast to Janet and the great year she's had in Korea and what a blessing she's been to everyone. It was a great time, and really felt like a family dinner all together.

After duck, the teachers went back and hung out at the Connexus flat (woo so British of me) and talked and looked at pics and a had a trivia game to test our Janet knowledge. Then it was time for me to go, and Anna, Janet and Kate walked me to the bus stop. We sang "Brother, Sister Let Me Serve You," a hymn I had forgotten about that Anna reminded us all of. I think it will always be special to me now. Anna and Janet walked arm in arm and I was reminded of every time I've had to say goodbye to a good friend like that. I'm kind of getting all chokey right now thinking about it. Like I wrote in Janet's card, goodbyes most of the time really aren't good at all...but we can still "go well": it makes it less of an end and more of a beginning, a walking forward into something new. I hope I can help my fellow teachers go well with me into what God has for us.

Now that I'm feeling a little blue, let's go on today, which is a little more cheery! Teaching went really well I thought. It was a really special day for Phonics 2 especially, because it was their last day in Phonics! tomorrow they start blue level. I didn't have too much trouble with Haram today either, aka he only lost one stamp and I kept it his chair still for the whole class by holding it. He got pretty huffy when I did that and tried to pry my fingers off a couple times but I kept it in a death grip so he gave up after a while. Seriously the spinning chairs will be the death of me. Anyway, I stopped class when there was 15 minutes left to eat a special celebration snack and give certificates of completion to them. Hye-su and Sungyeon were really excited, but I think the boys were not as into it as they were, or were pretending to not be. I got photos of them all with their certificates and they're super cute. I'll post them tomorrow.

Another highlight was finishing all the storybooks from this month! Blue 6 was especially fun because the kids love talking about the Peach Boy story. I tried to work in some peace-y talk into our discussion by asking them if there was any other way that Peach Boy could have retrieved the villager's treasure from the Ogres other than by fighting them with his stick. One boy actually suggested that he could be friends with them, which surprised me....but then he also suggested that Peach Boy could set fire to their castle or give them poisoned dumplings, sooo maybe that lesson was lost on them.
I have a stack of report cards to write by wednesday, so tomorrow I'm getting up early and meeting the other teachers at Ediya for a report writing coffee party. I was planning to do some tonight at home, but I forgot them at the office, so that plan is out. Ah well.

I guess I'll just have to watch some more Korean drama...what a shame! :-D

Thanks for reading!
-Abby

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