Teaching Life

It's hard to believe that I've been here for over a week now! I have a feeling this year is going to fly by! I'm enjoying everything so far! I've just been getting settled and seeing people and relaxing! I'm hoping to get a cell phone this week, so hopefully I can start having a bit of a social life!

Anyways, this blog is to tell you about the schools where I teach. My main school is Tongyeong Elementary. This school is currently where 1495 students are educated...the second largest on Tongyeong. Students range from kindergarten to 6th grade, and the classes average around 30-35. Most grade levels have 7-8 different classes. I have included a Google satellite image of the school so you can have a little idea of what it looks like. The building has 5 floors. Looking at the image, you can see the dark green is the actual school building. I believe the orange rectangle is a parking area, but I'm actually not 100% sure. And the huge brown area is the playground area.

My daily schedule varies, but here's a general overview. I get to school by 8:30am and leave after 4:30pm. Lunch is from 12:30pm-1:30pm and is provided for free to students. I have 22 teaching hours, and most of them take place in the morning, but there are a couple of days that I have a class after lunch. On Monday and Tuesday, I teach 6th grade classes with my co-teacher,Yujin, throughout the day. On Thursday & Friday, I teach mostly 4th graders with a different co-teacher, Minnie. I have a couple of 6th grade classes on Friday, too.

Wednesdays are a totally different ballgame. I actually go to a small school that is about 7 miles outside of Tongyeong called Dosan Elementary School. This is a country school that only has about 100 students from K-6th grade. There is only one class per grade level, so it's quite different than Tongyeong Elementary. There, the homeroom teachers serve as my co-teachers so I work with lots of different people there. The classes are much smaller, too....only about 20 students per class.

It's been go so far and I think it's going to be a great year! I ordered a handheld camcorder so hopefully once it arrives, I'll be able to show you some videos of my life! I haven't quite been motivated to take pictures yet since I already have pictures of Tongyeong from my last stay! I'll try though...for you!!

Back in Tongyeong!

It's been almost a year, but it almost feels like I never left!! I am so happy to be back in Tongyeong for another year of my life!! Starting with dinner with my friend and co-teacher, Yujin, a sense of familiarity and excitement filled my heart. Pulling into Tongyeong the following day, it was like the last 11 months Stateside never happened! I am so glad and excited and elated to be here!!

The last couple of days have been full of visiting friends and seeing people I didn't know if I'd ever see again! I love the friends that I've made here, and I can't wait to make more! I've also been enjoying the wonderful cuisine that Korea has to offer! I never knew I could miss Korean food so much!!

I'm settling in nicely to my apartment! I've unpacked all of my bags and now I'm just making it my own! Of course, a big shopping trip is in order, but that can wait for a few days!

I'll try to get some pictures up soon! Until next time...

Good-bye Hilton

October 4 was my final day as the Convention Services Coordinator. As with all of the other good-byes in my life, this one was bittersweet. I met some wonderful people at the Hilton, and I will definitely miss them! Before I left, I snagged a few pictures with my co-workers:

Michelle Minto!

Rosa!!

Hugh-y Lew-y!!

Mr. Lang!!

That's all for now! The next post will be from Korea!!! :)

A Visit From Home!!

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and younger sister, Ryan, came for a visit to North Carolina! I was super excited and very happy to see them! Prior to their visit, I hadn't seen much of NC myself, so it was a good time for all of us to experience it together! Here are our travels in pictures:

Our first stop was Wrightsville Beach!

A totally different beach scene than I'm used to!

Johnnie Mercer Pier - (Note: You have to pay $1 dollar to walk on this pier...WHAT?!?)

The USS North Carolina. We didn't tour it, but it was a nice sight!
We also went to the Bellamy Mansion in Wilmington.
Back in Raleigh, we enjoyed lunch at quite a famous place around here...Roast Grill!
We also went to a book signing for Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks!!

Me with my favorite author!!

In Durham, we walked through the Sarah Duke Gardens. They had some really beautiful flowers!

Our final stop was Bennett Place in Durham.

We had a good time together, and I was happy to finally see some sights of NC and, of course, to see my mom and Ryan!!