For the past month we have been preparing for a special day at ECC. It was open-class day, where the parents would come in and watch their child's class. Since I teach the seven year old classes, we had a more special open-class to prepare for. We did a play about hospitals and the different types of clinics and doctors. It was very fun for the kids and they were so good with the amount of time we spent practicing scripts. On the day of the hospital play, we were all very nervous. All our hard work was boiling down to this moment. I had two classes performing a play. The first class, called Fabre class, have only been studying English for 6 months. They knew all their lines and are always a very loud and entertaining class. The second class, called Edison class, have been studying for 3 years and are extremely fluent in English. They also knew their lines, but they are more quiet and well-behaved. Fabre class was up first and I was expecting loud voices and excitment. They ended up not making a sound, forgetting their lines, and refusing to speak after I whispered the lines in their ears. It was very difficult to get them excited about anything. These poor kids were so nervous in front of their parents and I felt like I had let my partner teacher down. But, we all realized in the end, that they were nervous and I played off the flop of the play as best as I could!
After Fabre class, I was expecting Edison class to go just as badly. The script was much harder for them, because they are more advanced students. Also, the are usually very quiet. Edison class went infront of their parents and were amazing! They remembered all their lines, spoke very loudly, and were very excited during the whole play. I was so proud of them, I bought them ice cream and candy before they went home on Friday. I should have guessed that Edison would do so well because they have been doing plays and open-classes infront of their parents for three years now. This was Fabre's first time speaking English infront of a big group. Overall, the plays went very well and the parents loved it. The kids had so much fun, but I know we are all happy to be done with open-classes.
Apart from those fun-times, my birthday was last Friday and I had a very special day thanks to my co-workers and students. My kindergarten kids made me special cards and gave them to me as a surprise. I spoiled them with candy and played a game with them. My elementary kids were very funny for my birthday. I walked into my last lesson of the day and the kids jumped out from under the table and started singing "Happy Birthday." After school, I had a dinner with some of the teachers and then went out to Uijeongbu and drank the ever famous Korean Soju. We went to a norebang (again! It's becoming an obsession) and we sang our hearts out until the early morning. I wanted to do an all-out birthday celebration in Seoul, but most of the teachers couldn't make it, so we moved it to the next weekend.
Before my second birthday celebration, we were invited to a 1st birthday party for the daughter of my Korean partner teacher. It was at this amazing world buffet in Gangnam. There was gourmet food from all over the world. The choices were endless. We ate ourselves silly and watched the traditional Korean birthday events. The main event was a very common Korean tradition. The baby, on their first birthday, is presented with different items that represent different career goals and aspiration. The baby then chooses an item and that is the path of the child's life. In the modern era, this tradition is just for traditional purpose, but at one time this was how parents decided the future of their children. All the guests had to put their name into a glass that had the name of one of the items. I choose to put my name in the glass that said "pencil" because Linda (my partner teacher) is a teacher and it would be fitting that her daughter become a teacher too. The baby was then presented with a tray that had the items. The items were a pencil for teacher, money for a business person, gavel for a lawyer, stethoscope for a doctor, string for a long life, and paintbrush for creativity. When it was time for the baby to pick, everyone was very quiet and watched her every move. It didn't take long for her to decide and she quickly grabbed the pencil! I was very excited because my guess was right! I was very happy to attend this birthday party because it's just another thing I can add to my list of cultural experiences. My partner teacher was so happy to have the foreign teachers attend as well!
I have been so very busy with all aspects of my life! I am constantly on the go and barely taking a second to just sit and relax. I wonder how different my life will be once I return to America. I could keep myself busy, but I also have the option to just sit and do nothing for a while. I think I will take the second choice, at least for a couple of week! My weeks in Korea are down to the single digits! I keep going up and down with my emotions about leaving. I am soooo happy to go home and see everyone and be in a place where I can talk to whoever I please and I won't be stared at, but I am also so sad to leave this amazing country. As I have learned from these last two weeks, you can't stop time so I might as well enjoy every moment!
My students with the birthday cards they made for me
Singing a few classics on my birthday with Sarah Teacher
Preparing the birthday girl for the "Path of Life" choice.
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