JinJu, Korea - August 11, 2002
Exactly half way finished with the camp. Actually there is now only 1 week and 6 days left! That feels even better. Each week seems long while your working it, but not so bad by the time you finish it. We are working alot of hours, basically beginning from around 8:40AM and finishing anywhere between 8pm to as late as 10:30pm depending on what kind of extra duties you might be assigned. Extra duties include being assigned to either singing or movie playing. There is also the extra duty of putting the kids to bed - basically monitoring the halls and making sure everyone is in their bedrooms by a certain time.
This week it fortunately rained alot! It was a very welcome relief from the heat. On the downside the kids were locked up indoors almost the entire time. Each teacher also organizes a two hour activity once a week, and mine was to be a 'Nature Walk' which isn't so easy to do in the pouring rain. But overall, it was a 1000 times better than the hot and humid weather that we were all suffering from before the rain. The kids couldn't sleep before and neither could the teachers. Unfortunately for the kids, they aren't allowed to have any fans or air-conditioners, so they suffered the worse from the heat. At least each teacher was supplied with a fan for their individual room.
This week my middle school class was "M".. or the "Sleepy Class".. I think they couldn't sleep very well most of the week because of the heat. The previous teacher before me nicknamed them the "Sleepy Class'.. and I think its very appropriate. My previous class consisted of alot of students who had a tremendous of energy. They almost had too much energy, it seemed like I had to constantly get them to sit down and do their work. They also were talking non-stop and unfortunately in English - the language I'm trying to encourage them speaking, so I just let them talk for awhile so they were utilizing the language. However, "M" Class doesn't like to talk at all - neither in Korean or English. I find most of the time during the slower planned daily activities (like reading or writing), I have to walk around and wake them up rather than my previous class where I had to calm them down to do their assigned activities.
This weekend I explored JinJu more with a few other teachers. It was pretty interesting. I much more enjoyed staying in JinJu than traveling away this time. There is more than enough to do here, and I can save alot more money that way as well.
Next Journal Entry in JinJu, Korea:
August 18, 2002
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Wintermoon2@yahoo.com