Last week we started an after school enrichment class for middle school students. The kids are great and it's been nice to be with middle schoolers again. Even better, one of the chapters that I was given to teach was titled "Natural Disasters". Whoohoo, just like being in the science classroom...sort-of.
For the most part, kids will be kids. Whether in Korea or at home, they are pretty much the same. A few examples...1. When given a stapler, it's only a matter of time before they start shooting staples at each other. 2. No matter how many times they are told to put the cell phones away, I will still confiscate several of them. 3. If kids stay in your room during break, they will ask to write on the white board. 4. Boys don't want to sit with the girls, and girls don't want to sit with the boys. 5. They are SO creative and silly that I have to smile during group presentations...love that!
There are a couple of items that are a bit different...
1. In Korea, it appears that the kids generally don't carry scissors. Instead, they bring box-cutters with them to school...often decorated with Hello Kitty, The Simpson's or Angry Birds. The first time I asked to borrow a pair of scissors and was handed a knife I was taken aback. It's the norm here and I haven't seen anyone get hurt with them.
2. Another item...paperclips. It appears that Korean's prefer to use binder clips to paperclips. On multiple occasions, I have given the students a stack of cards that were paperclipped together. When I ask them to re-paperclip them, they don't know how to do it and I get a messy stack returned to me. Fascinating.
3. Lastly, I love that kids are so quick to solve disagreements using Rock, Paper Scissors. In Korea, it's called gawi-bawi-bo (가위 바위 보)...which translates to scissors, rock, cloth. I've used this in my class at home, but I only know how to play with 2 people. In Korea, large groups of kids can play this and they end up with a single winner in less than 30 seconds. I have never seen hands move so quickly! Often, I'm still trying to figure out who won the first round when they're already on the 4th round. It's pretty amazing. Take a peek as they compete for a snack...
Here are a few other pictures from the past 2 weeks...
Standing room only on the train, giant pizzas, coastal temples, taxis in traffic, pictures at the beach, rosemary-garnished margaritas, Irish Pubs, green beer, midori sours, shamrocks, naked underwear dude (this is why people should not drink in excess!), spilled wine, smelling like a bar...St. Patty Day in Busan.
About 2 days ago, I noticed that I had several bites on my left foot. I'm not sure if they were from a mosquito, a spider or some other critter, but they itched like crazy and it was nearly impossibe to sleep. The following day, I headed to the pharmacy to get some antihistamine cream to help it. Today, I woke up with the same 12 bites, but this time they were more swollen and hot. I figured it was time to take a new adventure...the doctor's office. I pay about $77.00 a month for medical insurance, so I guess it's time that I use it.
After getting a referral from one of my friends, I hopped on the bus to see Dr. June...a pediatrician who also treats foreigners. His office was located at the local Home Plus. Basically, it's like going to see a doctor in a corner of a super Walmart. After I handed them my medical information I was taken to the exam room. The doctors English was quite good. After looking at my foot, he said it was infected and that I needed some antibiotics. I had my perscription filled and I received a bunch of little, single-dose packets with my cocktail of drugs...take all 4 pills... 3 times a day... for 5 days. Not exactly sure what they are, as all packaging is in Korean.
A few differences about going to the doctor in Korea...there was no appointment needed and I walked right in to see the doctor. I have talked to others and this is pretty much the norm. There is no co-payment, but the office visit did cost me about $3.00. Big bucks. The prescription cost me about $6.00. The whole process was quick, easy and painless (except for the bug bites).
I should also mention how the principal and co-teachers are also involved in your medical business. When I returned from the doctor, I sent my boss an email to let her know that I was back and to also notify her that I would need to be late on Monday due to the follow-up visit. Within a minute she was at my desk...."Did you get medicine?", "Let me see your foot"...."Ah, okay, okay, okay". I guess that means I can go back to the doctor. Not sure if the principal is truly concerned, is just curious, or is checking to make sure I am telling the truth. It's one of those things I may never know. Also, when we first arrived to Korea, we were given a medical check-up. The results are given to our co-teachers, then to the principal, and sometimes passed around the school. I've heard of them being placed on the staff bulletin board as well. Your co-workers know more about your health condition than you do as the report is written entirely in Korean.
So, anyways, I will follow-up with the doctor on Monday. I am assuming that all will be well, as the itching has already stopped and there is less swelling.
 The prescription...mystery drugs with some type of antibiotic.
I finally was able to take my winter vacation. Since I am teaching teachers, and because there were courses during their traditional winter break, I had to wait for school to start up again. In Korea, the school year starts in March. With the busyness associated with the beginning if the school year, no classes are offered for teachers = winter break for me. I left for Thailand on Sunday morning. After a taxi, a subway, a flight, a layover, another flight, and another taxi, I finally made it to Bangkok...18 hours later. I stayed in Bangkok for just 1 day. In hindsight, I wish I would have stayed one more day here and one less on the island, oh well. During my day in Bangkok, I tried to see as much as I could. In the morning, I walked along several of the steets to see the many venders then ended up at Lumpini Park. This is huge park in the middle of the city. It kind-of had a Central Park-type of feel to it. After walking around, I decided to hit the more touristy area so I took the sky tram to the river then grabbed a ferry. You could get on and off the ferry at any dock, so you could see the sites that were of interest to you and stay at them as long as you wanted. I went to the Wat Arun Temple and the Grand Palace. Click the links to learn more about them. Other enjoyable parts of Bangkok included Mexican & Indian food, $10 hour-long foot massages, fresh fruit served on every street corner, and amazingly friendly people. Here are some pictures from the day. The next 7 days were spent on the island of Koh Samui. It was absolutely beautiful..starting from the time I stepped off the airplane. What a cute little airport. During the time on the island, I split the days between chilling-out on the beach and taking some tours.
Tour #1: Explorer Kayaking at Angthong Marine Park. After a light breakfast aboard the boat and a 2 hour cruise, we arrrived at Angthong Marine National Park. At Tai Plao Island in the northern region of the Park, we were lead in exploring the ancient limestone caves and bizarre rock formations along the coast by kayak. After, I had an opportunity to snorkel amongst the diverse marine life. The fish were so colorful! We returned to the boat then cruised through the magnificent scenery of the Park while a delicious buffet lunch is served. We then got back in the kayaks and headed to Koh Mae Ko. After landing the kayaks on the beach we climbed the steep steps through the dense tropical forest up to the Talai Nai or the 'Green Lagoon'. It was beautiful. We had one more opportunity to relax at the beach before heading back to Koh Samui.
Tour #2: Full Day Jungle Safari Tour. This tour included a viewing of grandfather & grandmother rock, a demonstrations of monkeys helping pick coconuts, elephant trekking, a baby elephant show, a fantastic waterfall, a mummified Buddhist monk (still in the meditation position), Buddha's secret garden, a demonstration of how rubber is collected from trees, and trip to Big Buddha. A fun-filled day with lots of adventure.
Tour #3: A 4-in-1 half day adventure. (Elephant trekking, waterfall swimming, ATV ride, and Jungle zipline). Unfortunately, it turned out to rain this day. So, I skipped the elephant trek and the waterfall...I figured they would be very similar to what I had seen the day before. When the rain did stop for a bit, I jumped on the ATV then went to the zipline. Since it had JUST stopped raining, the ATV ride turned out to be a bit of a muddy mess...but SO MUCH FUN! I'd do it again in a heatbeat. The zipline itself was also fun. However, walking across the swaying suspension bridge, that had huge spaces between each slat, while holding on to a wire above, and seeing the drop below totally freaked me out. I was totally shaking when I finally made it to the other side, but I tell myself it's good to be scared every now and then. And yes, I'd do it again! Here are some pictures from my time in Koh Samui.
The Chaweng Beach area of Koh Samui had lots to do at night. One of the must-see nighttime attractions were the Ladyboy Cabaret Shows. There were some very entertaining constumes, songs and dances. Enjoy...
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