january

the school system in korea is wicked overwhelming for children. where do they have time to be KIDS, i wonder? while the month of january is supposed to be a "break," (i.e. vacation from regular school) it's actually a busier time for students. (my students have actually told me that they want regular school to begin again!) they enroll in even more academy (specialized) classes. i'm now teaching one more additional class where i get to read and discuss the book, the eye, the ear and the arm with my two students, jane and sally. we meet three times a week, tuesday, thursday and saturday mornings from 9:30-12:30. it's a bit tiring to get up so early, but, i don't so much mind it and shoot! i better get used to it...

this month of teaching extra classes is called intensives. while i'm working only 6 additional hours to my work week, others have added as much as 18! however, the hard work will certainly pay off in february when the paycheck enters the bank, as we are paid by the hour. speaking of getting p-p-p-paid! my bank account will be replenished today and i'm looking forward to treating myself to a few goodies: 1) korean classes 2) a new canon camera (oh my, oh my! i'm so excited!!!) 3) clothes.

i've been thinking about my korean class options and i've decided i'm going to go all out. be bold, right? be bad. be a rockstar. i might suffer from a bit (or a lot!) of fatigue, but, it's one of those things that just has to be done. so, for february, i'm enrolling in a class at the korean language academy. i'll be in class from 10-12, but it takes about an hour to commute there...2 hours roundtrip. (meh.) starting in march and going til may, i'll be enrolled in an intensive course that meets m-f, 9-1. since the commute will be 45 minutes, i'll be leaving my house at 8am. and after class, heading straight to work. (double meh...) oh snap! but after 10 weeks of intense classwork and homework, i hope to have the confidence to bust out stories and jokes in korean. fo'sho!

i'm finally, finally (finally!!!) just about over my sickness. i'm still coughing a little bit, but, i'm feeling and sounding sooooo much better than before. i'm telling you, those herbal drugs hit the mothereffin spot.