Sullivan School. Sullivan School, Sullivan School, Sullivan School... The hogwon where I spend most of my waking state has been an eye-opener as of late. (You might catch a pang of negativity here, but know first that I do appreciate the work that I'm doing.) Just today I discovered, slightly hinged on conjecture, that my students have been given twice the workload compared to that of last years Dolphin class. After speaking with Marie (my boss), she has explained that the language curriculum currently in place is scheduled to be completed in six months time, whereas it would normally take one year according to developmentally appropriate practice. Keep in mind that these kids are 5 years old! If I were to complete all curricula handed me, it would leave my students absolutely no time for spontaneous interaction, free time, or play. In my mind that's unequivocally ludicrous. Regardless, the issue that I'm having the most difficulty approaching is how unaffected parents can be. All they seem to care about is homework, and lots of it... With regard to focus on homework and grades, yesterday I completed report cards for kindergarten. Report cards, in the first three weeks...for kindergarten! I'll stop ranting, but ponder that if you will. Private English schools in Korea are in a category all their own...
Very much on a lighter note, this last weekend we participated in an event that I discovered on AdventureKorea.com called the "Amazing Race." It was a competition planned by an animated girl named Jihee, a native South Korean, who wanted to organize something fun and exciting that would also benefit charitable causes throughout the world. There were 15 teams of four that entered the "Amazing Race," and each paid 20,000 Won (the equivalent of about $20 US). Not too shabby for an excellent day of sport and play, along with altruistic contribution. Maybe Jasmine posted more about other teams, but I'll pony up only with the details surrounding ours. Jasmine, Trena, Morgan and myself chose a somewhat campy name: Team I (Heart) Lamp. Lame, maybe...but entertaining to the lot of us. Ironically, one of our team members hasn't even seen the movie. That might even make it more lame, and I'm down with that, ha! :) With this slogan shall I run for president one day..."Adam Van Straten - no one's ever been more down with lame!" Aand moving forward once again... I'm sure most of you are familiar with The Amazing Race tv show in the States, so I'll spare you any kind of long explanation. The gist of it was, we were given clues telling us where to go. Along the way there were trivia questions and side-missions that could be completed for extra points at the end. Team Lamp succeeded at finishing in 9th I believe. Unfortunately, because it was a race (not that we were really moving all that fast, but still...), it was difficult to remember the names of many of the places we visited. However, we will visit them yet again...especially the fish market, which was spectacular. I've never seen so much fresh seafood! You'll also notice the Cheonggyecheon River in one of the pictures, where I miserably attempted a hacky-sack mission :) It may not seem like much, but amazingly, this river has only recently been in plain view. About four decades ago it was paved over due to South Korea's "determination to catch up economically." Just last year, it was uncovered and reclaimed by the city in an effort to focus more on culture and the environment. Good stuff!!
As far as other aspects of Korea are concerned, and to be perfectly mundane, the weather is fairly nice. Spring has finally signed in. Trees and flowers are beginning to bloom, and I can occasionally smell the beautiful bouquet of rebirth amidst all the smog. I'm now just anxiously awaiting the day when I can take a weekend trip into the mountains to see the woods in full chlorophyll-choked glory.
I just recently purchased a cell-phone...or should I say, it was purchased for me. (Thank you Duskim!) My new number is 010-7222-2201 ...and the international dialing code may still apply with this (011-82 ...before the number) If ever you want to call, just pick up a cheap international calling card, and dial away. I'll most likely answer, if I'm not in the middle of a lesson that is.
OK, love you guys, goodnight!
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