Good news!

While reading over past posts, I feel I should inform you loyal blog readers about progress that has been made in my classroom. While things are not perfect, and never will be (how can they be with rowdy 5 year olds vyying for attention in any way possible?) they have greatly improved. I feel as though I have more control over my kids and they respect me more than before. I get a lot of hugs good bye and the kids always smile and say hello in the morning. As for the "little terror" of a child I referred to before, he has come around quite nicely. I feel as though progress has definitely been made. Don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of tears and temper tantrums, and I am still a little overwhelmed by the amount of work it takes to teach these kids, but I have come to love them all. Some teachers at my school are finding grey hairs. Seriously.

On another note, I am still learning Hangul. I have also made some headway in this area and I know more phrases than before, and I can count to ten! I know how to identify letters, so I can read quite a bit (if I have like a minute to process each word), but knowing what that word means is a whole other story. I am working on it. When I go to the market I say "ol ma ya yo?", which means "how much is this?" and when I get a Korean response (duh!) I kind of stare at them blankly, I am trying to identify the words that I know, and it takes me a little while. In return, I get a look back that says "Why do you speak in Korean when you clearly do not understand it?" then the vendor will reach for his or her calculator and show me on the display. At least I am trying, right? Oh and the other day in Namdaemun, I was pushed by an old lady. Literally pushed. Courtney was exchanging money and we were told that the exchange rate was 95% (she showed us on the handy calculator). So Court gives her $100 Canadian and the lady gives her 90 won. My math is not great, but I know that 95% of 100 is 95. So we asked for the other 5, and the lady pushed my purse into me and waved me away. Needless to say I was stunned and I said "did you just push me?!" but they didn't understand me and we had to just walk away. How rude. I must say that is the first blatant rude encounter I have had here. We get bumped into a lot and no one apologizes, but I guess that is normal with the huge crowds that form at all times. But to be obviously pushed, that was not cool. I guess these ladies will do anything for their livlihood.