Reflections: Month 5

Well guys, another month has passed us by! Our stay in Korea is quickly passing us by. 

Since my last reflection we've had some big events happen here. 

We've celebrated Christmas, and New Year's here. We've visited a few more wonderful sites. We've completely planed our trip to Japan that's later this month. And we've started planning our May and June trips (can you say hello Taiwan, Saipan, and/or the Philippines). 

I thought Christmas was going to be really hard, but after the initial shock that we weren't going to see any family, we were okay. New Year's was the same way. 

Okay so what have I learned this month in Korea? 

1. I've gotten very good at making my way on the bus. Sometimes you just have to push your way on because the stops can get crowded. Korea doesn't really stick to the stand in line thing, so you pretty much clump together and push. I've gotten pretty good and getting on the bus this way. I've found you have to find the balance between being 'American' pushy and 'Korean' pushy. 

2. My Korean lessons have been going a bit better. I've really started slowing down and trying to be able to read and pronounce each word I'm learning well. I don't know a lot of words, but I have been able to pick out the words I know which impresses Matt. 

3. My students have finally started becoming adjusted to the way I teach. {Well, this isn't something I learned, but something my students learned.} For the most part, my students have adjusted from the way the old English teacher taught to the way I did. The old teacher was always playing games with them and letting them play on their cell phones- that is not the way I teach and it took a while for my kids to understand this. Most of my kids are on board with this now. I am still having problems with one of my middle school classes, but it's not bad. With this adjustment, I am finding teaching to be a little more enjoyable. 

That's pretty much all for this month. It's been a good month, and I'm looking forward to seeing my 6th month anniversary come up! 

Oh and Happy First Birthday Eli!

{For last month's reflections click here!}