Chuseok Holiday Continued..

Day Two: Discovering Topmori Beach

So on the second day we decided that we would get to a beach.  We stumbled upon this specific one that's a fifteen minute cab ride from my apartment.  We couldn't find it on any maps and were super lucky to hear about it from some locals.  It truly made me appreciate my small little rural community even more.  This is what we saw:

 Me and the girls.  We've arrived in my little town of Muan.  This is the main street aka "Onion Street."

 Fifteen minutes later we've arrived.  Topmori Beach.  Happiness in a $12 cab ride.

 It was so beautiful!

 Families were out enjoying the holiday.  I was such a creeper snapping pictures of random people.  

 Me at Topmori Beach.

Cool picture I got of Ava and Emily.

Chuseok Holiday

September 29- October 3

Chuseok is known as Korea’s Thanksgiving holiday.  Families get together, eat lots of food, and pay respect to their deceased family members by building “altars” and visiting gravesites. Since I’m not Korean and have no close ties to the holiday, I decided to take this as a traveling vacation.  I’ll split this up into four sections: Gwangju, Topmori Beach, Gunsan and Jinju.  Here goes, I’ll let the pictures to do most of the talkingJ.

Day One: Gwangju, Korea
I've been to Gwangju plenty of times.  But on this occasion I had two friends come visit me from up north.  We decided to conquer Mudeung Mountain 무등산.  Here are some sweet shots I got.

 Teacher Emily... Working our way to the top.

Ava and Emily.  The colors in this were so beautiful!

 This is me at the top!  We made it.. The view was gorgeous.

The sun began to set as we were about to leave.  This is one of my favorite shots from that day.

 On our way down I took this.  Gorgeous lighting. 

Weekend in Wando

September 22-23

I have a friend who teaches in Wando, Korea.  All you need to know about Wando is that it’s super far from ANYONE and ANYTHING.  Luckily he’s a great sport about it and finds pleasure in where he’s living for the duration of his teaching contract. It’s in the southernmost part of Korea and he lives near a beach that’s a three hour bus ride away from my small town.  So in order to make things a little easier for him, about a dozen of us teachers traveled down to Wando on the same weekend and had a blast. 

 Mokpo and Muan peoples on the bus.  Did I mention we travel by bus EVERYWHERE?

 Reunited and it feels sooooooooooo good!

 Cheesy. But we HAD to. 

(It says K-O-R-E-A-! just in case you were wondering.)

 Leaving the beach.  What a view. 

 We love to eat.  All the time. Samgyeopsal always hits the spot.  My friend's mentor teacher owns this restaurant.  It was delicious!!!

After a long week of teaching, we all needed to unwind.  Cheers to a wonderful weekend in Wando. 

Apology #2

SORRY!... Again!

I'm finally done lesson planning for the semester so I should have more time to update my blog on a regular basis!  The first few weeks in my town have been a roller coaster ride.  I have more to write but will get to it as soon as I can!  Also, sorry for any typos or grammatical errors.  I typed this up in a cafe while stealing wifi.  No internet in my apartment yet!  

Okay, the cafe is closing... Until next time.

P.s. Thank you for all the support, never thought this blog would have this many viewers.. EVER!

-Lupe Teacher

We Live... We Learn.

So the first week of teaching was definitely harder than what I expected.  At times I felt like a horrible teacher. I thought my kids didn't want to be in my class and that they didn't understand what I was trying to communicate to them.  It also didn't help that my school was not prepared for my arrival. For some reason they rented out my apartment to someone else and didn't have a place for me to stay.  Another teacher (Jenn) was forced to share her studio apartment with me, a total stranger.  I'll take this opportunity to say thanks to Jenn.  You are awesome!  Thank you for your hospitality. 

------------- 

Lesson #2: When in Korea, expect your plans to be altered at the drop of a hat.  It's just part of the lifestyle here.

--------------

So remember me saying that I sucked at life and teaching?  This was the changing moment for me:  

During the second week of teaching the rowdiest boy in second grade came up to me at the end of class one day and asked if he could stay longer to learn more.  I know this is super simple, but it was so heartwarming. 

First Day of School... AKA WWI

So on my first day, September 3rd, I met my first and second graders.  I was stoked!!!  I had planned my introduction and was ready to make English name tags for my students. 

I don't think any amount of orientation could have prepared me for these kids... They definitely tested my patience and sanity.

First Grade: The rowdiest bunch

 Terry's too cool for the camera...

 Daniel, such a sweet face.  Don't let that fool you!

Angela.. She's an angel.

---------------------

Whoever said that kids from Korea behaved better in the classroom LIED.  

Lesson #1: Kids, no matter from what country, will be kids.  There's no way around it.

Second Grade:

 Jay: I finally met my match. This kid is louder than me!  And if you know anything about me, you can understand what a big deal that is.

 Jerry is Jay's partner in crime.

Tia is the sweetest, most cooperative kid.

Welcome to Muan!

My second orientation, which took place at SBC in the outskirts of Gwangju, was officially over on the 29th of August.  So picture this... My principal picks me up from orientation and doesn't speak a single word of English.  I felt like a pet that was being adopted into a new family or something.

(Above: Me and the other teachers waiting to get adopted.)
After a really awkward lunch and hour drive, we arrive in Muan; my home for the duration of my teaching contract.  Unlike the bigger cities that we've been staying in, Muan is definitely rural.  I myself am from a small town, so this is very familiar to me. So anyways, I'm in this car that's filled to the brim with all my luggage and we stop in front of Muan Elementary School.  He then informs me that I will meet all the staff  and sit through a staff meeting to discuss the beginning of the school year.  But dear friends, don't forget about the fact that I don't speak ANY Korean. Yeah.. Awkward! 

Now, without further adieu... Muan Elementary School. 

 The town of Muan might be pretty small, but Muan Elementary is not.  A lot of kids from villages nearby attend school here.

 This is the entrance to Muan Elementary School.  To the immediate left is the principal's office.  To the right is the vice principal's office.  I walk through here every day.  Oh yeah...Did I mention that it's tradition to say hello to the Principal and VP as you walk in? Oh, and don't forget to bow (yes, bow) as you greet them. If you don't, then you might as well accept the fact that no one will like you.  Respect for those in higher positions than you, or the elderly is very important in Korea.

 Also, notice the lockers... In Korea it's also tradition that you wear "indoor shoes" (aka slippers) inside the school.  Everyone takes their shoes off, even visitors.

 Time to explore... This is what I would call "Onion Street."  It's the main street in Muan.  Notice the street lights shaped like onions?  My little town is known for its onions... Yepp, onions.  

One thing I've fallen in love with is this little park right off Onion Street.  It's so relaxing to just walk around and get stared at for being one of the four foreigners in the entire town Muan.