First Week and Neighborhood Adventures

My first week of teaching is behind me and while I still feel like a fish out of water, I am beginning to get the hang of things. The school is pretty regimented, but that works in my advantage because everything is laid out for me. The kids are still cute and I definitely have my favorites, but I do like all of them for the most part. Some of them are just more of a challenge and I'll just have to work harder with them. I gave my first test today and I have three to give next week. These kids are pretty smart for the most part, but nobody fails. The worst grade a kid can get is a C+. I suppose thats good since this is an enrichment sort of deal, but still does a kid deserve to pass if she/he is really failing?

I'd like to take a moment to comment on the fashion I've seen this week. Let me just say that my emotions range anywhere from envious to perplexed all in one block. I've seen women dressed very nicely for work, with heels and then I've seen extremely short mini skirts with ridiculously high heels. The women who make me shake my head the most are the ones who can pull it off and most of them can. English on shirts is VERY popular here, but sometimes I wonder if they know what it is actually saying. My favorite female fashion? Socks with heels. The men in Korea are very sharp dressers (at least Monday-Friday in Gangnam). The most popular item is a pair of metallic pants, but pewter seems to be the only color. Men aren't afraid to carry purses (they aren't bags, I assure you that they are indeed purses). The men dress up for their day jobs and then loosen their ties while they sit outdoors and proceed to drink their faces off. I've read that this is a Korean tradition.

I have a few pictures to post! They are mainly of the side streets near my apartment and if it looks like people are walking in the street, don't fret. Sidewalks only exist on 8 lane streets. Scooters drive where they please and people park on what sidewalks do exits, double parking and middle of the road parking is not uncommon in fact, it is the norm. These pictures are from my walk around the neighborhood this afternoon in search of pens, a notebook and batteries. They were all successfully purchased. Also, on the side bar is a link to my Flickr page for more pictures.


Street about a block from my apartment

Mr. Pizza on a very busy Gangnam street