Seoul!

I can't say it enough... weeks keep flying by. This past week was full of stress. I was asked by the administration of my school to present a 15 minute snip-it of a typical class period. I presented to about 40 people- half Korean children, the other half, their parents. The presentation was on Thursday, so my boss encouraged (made) me to practice several times. I came into work early on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday AND Thursday. I practiced in front of my co-workers and the administration about 6 times before the actual presentation on Thursday evening. Although I was far from nervous, I was completely overwhelmed. I had to practice, practice, practice on top of my usual work load. Well, Thursday eventually came, I presented and it went well, I think... the children were very interested, they loved what the class was about (superheroes) but the parents just looked at me like I was a crazy person, or an alien from another planet. Obviously, their English wasn't as strong as their children's and they were completely lost in my fluent English. To celebrate my presentation, me and some of my co-workers went out to our favorite Korean BBQ place (Smiley's) and then headed to norae bbong (karaoke). We sang for over 2 hours and enjoyed ourselves through all types of music. Norae bbongs are small rooms in a building with couches, snacks and a large screen. Tambourines are included and the mics are turned up to the max. You can rock out with your friends in privacy and laugh at each other's horrible voices. We had a blast!

The following day was three of my co-workers last day at Avalon. So, we ALL went out for fried chicken and beer. It was a lot of fun going out and being social with the Korean teachers. After dinner, most of the foreign teachers went out for drinks at the beach.

We played beer pong and enjoyed each others company... it was a fun night. But, I had to sleep because the next day, Christina and myself were off to Seoul. We got a late start and arrived in Seoul around dinner time. We grabbed a hotel room, got some food and met up with Mara and her friend Amelia. W

e took the subway to their favorite spot in Seoul and had some drinks at a bar. Flirted with Korean boys and then headed to a ridiculously packed dance club. We entered, and all headed to the dance club.

For the

next three hours, we laughed, danced and enjoyed our surroundings. It was a fun night, and I already want to go back and visit Mara. The next day (Sunday) Christina and myself went to a concert- Lee Seung Gi. He is a ballad Korean singer and very, very handsome. The concert was fun, but I was the only Westerner there. So, I felt really out of place. After the concert, we headed back to Busan (a three hour train ride and a couple cabs). Once we got in, I felt like I was home. Seoul is SO busy, maybe a little too crazy for me.

Monday started a new semester at school. So I have all new classes and a new schedule. I teach 7 classes again, which is a fairly heavy load, but I'm happy with my profession right now! Cheers till next time!