Sprung in to spring..

Well, I'm starting to feel like a pretty pathetic blogger. I never really saw myself as a blogger before I moved to Korea, but have relied so much on this form of communication in order to update everyone back home. Even though I'm sure the person who probably reads these the most is my mother, I still wish that I could relay to everyone back home what my life is like here on a daily basis. It isn't that something interesting happens every day, but I'm so continuously impressed, surprised and excited about my life here in Seoul.

After finally getting paid, I officially booked my ticket to Germany! I will be meeting Dani and Keri there in the 8th of July and flying back to Korea on the 17th. Having never been to Germany, I am pretty freaking excited about this trip! Plus, it will be so amazing to meet up with two of my best friends from high school! We will be staying with some of Dani's friends whom she knows from when she lived there playing professional soccer. Where we're staying is only about 2 hours away from Paris, so  we will be making a trip there as well! Even though it's still a ways away, I am SO excited about this vacation! 9 days in Germany/France with some of my best friends.. doesn't get much better than that!

To begin this update, I FINALLY attended my first football (aka soccer.. my European friends have converted me) game last weekend. My friend Jess invited me to tag along with her and some of her friends, which was great to meet more foreign teachers here in Seoul! So Jess and I headed to World Cup Stadium Saturday afternoon for the FC Seoul regular league game. The stadium was huge and exceptionally nice, which is because South Korea and Japan hosted the men's World Cup in 2002. When we arrived at the complex and met up with the other girls, we took in the sites and booths that littered the outside of the stadium. There were games for kids, stands to buy merchandise at, food vendors, a free beer stand, a stage with a DJ, and face painting. Of course, we took advantage of just about all of those services.. especially the face painting! The game wasn't a spectacular display of skills, but it was still a ton of fun to watch! We clapped our noise makers/fans loudly, shouted often, celebrated all 3 goals and I loved every minute of it!

The following Monday I started teaching with a different co-teacher. At my elementary school, I have two co-teachers. One, who is the lady I have been working with since I got to Seoul, teaches 5th grade. Her name is Hung June Kim. The other co-teacher, her name is Hanna, teaches 3rd and 4th grade. For the month of April I will be teaching with Hanna. She has been so friendly, so supportive and so helpful to me since I started co-teaching with her. What I've enjoyed the most about her is that she lets me teach with her, not just duplicate the lesson she teaches. She includes me and gives me feedback and is overall just a lot of fun to teach with! Even though 3rd and 4th graders don't have quite the language development that the 5th graders do, they are so much fun to teach! They are constantly amazed by me, simply because I'm American, white, don't weigh 98 pounds, have a pointy nose, and speak fluent English. It's kind of nice to not have to work for their affection! So far I am really enjoying teaching with Hanna and the younger kids!

This weekend I went on a hike with a few friends! There is a wall that borders the city of Seoul that was built initially in the 1300's  and it connects all four of the major mountains around the city. My friends and I set out to trek a portion of that wall somewhat near my area. The hike wasn't too challenging, but was steep at times and obviously, we toppled a great deal of steps! The day was beautiful, as spring has finally arrived in Seoul, so it was not too warm and not too cold out for hiking. It was a fantastic outing! Here are some pictures to highlight the day..

 Here is a portion of the wall that we hiked along.. and no, this is not the Great Wall of China!

 More of the wall.

Me showing my true Asian side at one of the temples along the wall.

 These are my friends and myself at the large temple at the end of the portion we hiked. From left to right it is myself, my friend Jessica, Krisitn, Sabrina and Tom. We had a ton of fun!

Although I'm sure he has some hops, Tom opted out of taking a jumping picture with us. Our faces are priceless!

Today, my Sunday, I spent the day taking care of things around my flat. Cleaning, doing dishes, putting away laundry and all those good things. It's nice to have a productive, yet relaxing day every now and then with how busy I am during the week. I have school from 8:30-4:40, work out from 6 until 8, then make a small dinner and go to bed. I lather, rinse and repeat it all the next day, which makes me feel busy and accomplished at the same time. I enjoy the little things about each day, like the funny sayings I find on students' English journals. A good example from one day last week said "What is under my Hands. That I cannot feel?"  Yes, that is the exact punctuation and capitalization. Little things like that just make my day! Although I'm sure the honeymoon stage will be over eventually, I still get excited hopping on the subway each morning and people watching. I get giddy about finding a new restaurant near my house that has a favorite Korean dish of mine. I think my free cell phone that is a flip phone similar to those in the early 2000's is cool. I jam out to myself walking the streets with my iPod on shuffle. I see things that remind me of home and find things I never thought I would see. I get beyond excited when students master a sentence or ask me questions in English. I'm loving making new friends, meeting new people, and finding out more about myself with each passing day. I'm aware that one day soon I won't be so excited about everything here. I do miss home. I miss my friends, I miss my family and I even miss my dopey dog. I miss maple trees and evergreens and my smartphone telling me how to get everywhere and answering any question I might have. But not once since I've been here have I ever regretted coming. This experience is everything I had hoped it would be and I have a feeling that it will only get better!

Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I do the same for all of you. I'll update again soon!