So these days, life at school has been really good. I've finally hit my stride and the new students have completely warmed up to me, and then some. They're crazy, energetic, and make me laugh every day. It's going to be very hard to leave them. Now that June is upon us, I know that time's going to fly by, even more so than it already has. I have exactly 6 more weeks left at my school. Can you believe it?! I have no idea where my grant year went!
Anyway, I've really been trying to make the most of the time that I have left here. For starters, I've been getting to know the English Cafe members quite well, since I spend lunch time there every day. Some of them don't have the best English, but they make up for it with kindness and sincerity. Here are some photos of the cafe and everyone together, after a lunch outing on May 12th.
Tuesday, May 15th was a special holiday in Korea, amongst other countries: Teachers' Day. It's too bad it's not celebrated in America. On this day, students show appreciation for their teachers with cute notes, classroom decorations, and delicious baked goods. I swear, I ate cake on 5 different occasions that day. Not like I'm complaining, though...
The students were especially well behaved and screamed "Congratulations" to me all day long. I didn't have the heart to tell them that "Congratulations" probably isn't the best word to use in this context. But I knew what they were trying to express and appreciated the sentiment nonetheless. Here are a few gifts that students gave me on Teachers' Day.
And here are some letters that my students wrote for me. They sure know how to make a teacher feel special and loved.
Class 1-14 really outdid themselves by writing me messages all over the chalkboard and decorating it with balloons. My favorite message is the one all the way on the far left. It says, "You're (the) only one in my life." Students are very funny sometimes. I had such a wonderful Teachers' Day. It's likely the only one that I'll ever have, but I don't think that I could've asked for anything better.
Lastly, you can see that students wrote on the chalkboard that I look like Kim Yu-Na, the Olympic gold medalist and elegant figure skater. Actually, she is the only person that I ever been told that I look like in Korea. Honestly, I don't really see it but students insist that the resemblance is uncanny, especially when I smile.
That was two weeks ago, but a lot has changed since then. Last night, one of my club class students mentioned that I look like Dooly, the little cartoon dinosaur (from an old children's tv show in Korea). The rest of the students agreed. Now, I know that Koreans love to compare people's appearances to animals. But really?! I'm a green cartoon dinosaur?! Guess I gotta start mastering that wink now.
Friday, May 11th was Sports Day at my school and it was one of the best days that I've had in Korea thus far. Instead of going to class, students competed in individual and team sporting events for the entire day. Each homeroom class wore incredible matching team outfits and prepared class cheers to pump up the crowd. My students spend about 15 hours a day cooped up in school every day, so it was so refreshing to see them running around, looking happy and free. I'm so glad that I got to witness all the fun and excitement.
For my girls, Sports Day is as much of an opportunity to dress up, as it is to engage in physical activity. From the moment I walked into school that day, students were huddled around all the mirrors at school, doing their hair, makeup, and nails. Sigh, girls will be girls. At 9:00am, everyone gathered outside for the Opening Ceremony. The principal gave a few words and then the students launched into a perfectly synchronized stretching routine. Apparently, all Koreans must know this stretching dance, as I saw the other teachers join in without hesitation.
Then the games began. First off was the 400m relay preliminary competition. Each homeroom class chose 4 students to represent their team, while everyone else stood on the sidelines cheering them on.
Next, came the preliminary 피구(pi-gu) tournament. Pi-gu is the Korean version of dodgeball and a very exciting game to watch, I should add. Half of one team stands on one side of the playing field while the other half, forms a square along the outside of the opposing team's turf. The goal is to hit the other team's players with the ball. Both the players on the field and players standing on the outer square can throw the ball at the opposing team, so the game consists of constant back-and-forth action, dodging, and quick maneuvering.
After that came a timed relay cup-stacking competition. Yes that's right folks... Only in Korea would cup-stacking be considered an actual sporting event.
2nd grade pigu-ers
1st grade pigu-ers
Each homeroom class was assigned to a different location around the track. Throughout the whole day, classes performed individual cheers and proceeded to scream on top of their lungs, in an effort to overpower their neighbors. The students were informed that there would be a separate award for best team spirit. Clearly, they were all set on trying to to win this honor.
Although all the classes exhibited great creativity and spirit, special recognition has to be given to Grade 1 Homeroom 4 and Grade 2 Homeroom 5. In the former class, one student couldn't participate in most events because she had a broken finger. No need to fret though, her classmates threw her into a full-length ghost(?) outfit and made her their class mascot. The latter class went above and beyond cheering requirements, by choreographing different sets of dance moves for each of the 3 tracksuit colors. Talk about dedication.
The third graders were noticeably absent from Sports Day because Suneung (the Korean SAT) is in 5 months and they can't afford to miss even one day of studying. Poor kids... But that means that I knew every student in school that day. I got to know all the 2nd graders last semester, and now I'm teaching all the 1st graders. So pretty much I felt like a celebrity all day. Everywhere I went, I was greeted with "AHHH, Dah-nee-yullll TEACHAAA! HIIIIII!"
My celebrity status was magnified by the fact that I decided to play a little trick on the students. Knowing that they'd all be in costume, I borrowed my host sister's uniform shirt and wore it for Sports Day. My students got a huge kick out of it because I could totally pass for a student if I didn't wear my own clothes every day. Needless to say, a ton of students lined up to take pictures with me. I kinda felt like Mickey Mouse, posing for all their photos with a cheesy grin on my face the whole day. But let's be real... It was pretty awesome!
During lunch, the school band rock band played a few jams in the center courtyard. I was actually really impressed by their musical chops. After eating, everyone headed back to the field for the second half of Sports Day. The first event was a Limbo competition. I felt bad for the competitors, as they just shoveled down pork into their bellies and were now being asked to bend over backwards in half. It was an intense competition. Some of these kids were literally able to make it under a pole that was only about as high as their knees.
Class pep talk!
Next came the Tug of War preliminary competition. It was super entertaining to watch them compete, while still wearing their epic costumes. I especially enjoyed cheering for the class wearing the traditional floor-length Korean hanboks.
For each match, the class captain always stood at the front of the line. Perhaps this wasn't the most strategically wise move, but hey, I understood the sentiment. Anyway, here was the funniest match up. The class captain from one team had a broken foot and the one from the other team had some sort of eye problem. That goes to show you how committed these students are to not only participating in Sports Day, but more importantly, winning.
More pictures of me with my students. I LOVE THEM! ♥
Next came the most EPIC sports day event that I have ever seen. Like, nothing compares to 놋다리밟기 (not-da-ri-bal-gi). It's a traditional Korean demonstration, in which women reenact a bridge with their bodies. For this event, the entire homeroom class lines up, except for the two tallest girls and the absolute tiniest one. Then everyone else bends over while the smallest girl prepares to literally run on all of their backs with the support of her two bases. As soon as she has run over your back, you have to run to fill in the end of the line so that the bridge continues forming in a spiral motion. Did I mention that this is all a race to see which class can get across the field the fastest? Words don't do it justice. Please watch the video clip below and experience it for yourself.
After that came the Tug of War finals...
Winners!
Followed by the 400m relay finals...
And that concluded the Sports Day festivities. It was an awesome event and it made me so happy to see my students having fun and cheering for each other. Below are the final score sheets and a team making a victory lap around the track, with their beloved class captain on their back!
And then, my students passed out in a fit of exhaustion. The End!
