Again with the new classes

May 24-30, 2010

After having my classes switched last week, i started this week in the dark again, trying to learn new names and class skill levels. My new kids were older than my first group, and for the most part seemed willing and eager to hear what I had to say to them. It was still a fairly repetitive week, given I had to teach the same level, therefore the same class, 16 times; but by the end I was pretty good at it.
For most of the week I didn't do to much out side of work. On Thursday we had a workshop at our head office, for new comers and elementary teachers. It was a pretty big waste of time, since all we really did was see a few co-teaching examples then had to talk about the positive aspects of co-teaching. Then when we were given time to talk about the material, the man in charge of it refused to listen to any criticism, which I later learned is how this company works.
Soon enough the weekend came and I worked my late Saturday shift. After work was finished for the week, I went into Seoul to catch up with Blake and a couple Korean friends of his around 10pm in Kondae. The Koreans stayed until midnight, and as we were walking them to the subway station we ran into Alex and Louise at a galbi place, so we went back and hung out with them until 3am before heading to Blake's. Once we were at Blake's, we were just drunk enough to think it was a good idea to get out my suit and iron it, because I had a wedding to go to on Sunday. Having ironed and hung it up, we passed out around 4, simply to get up at 1030 so I could shower and head to the wedding.
The wedding was for one of my coworkers, in fact it was for the guy I had replaced, who had moved to head office. I showed up at 12 for the 1230 wedding and sat around waiting for some other foreigners to show up so I would be alone. Lots of people I knew showed up and we sat together for Brien and Grace's wedding ceremony, then moved to the dinning hall for the buffet lunch. Afterward, we were close to Apgujong and Brien had reserved some space at his favorite place there for a western style reception, so we moved there and had a bit of a party for him. It lasted until around 9pm, when they decided to change locations and that was mine, Emily's, and Jacky's cue to head home. I stopped at Blake's on my way, to get my bag and made it home by 10pm. Since it was sill early, I called home then went to Emily's to watch some T.V.

Another week down, with so many more to come.