I’m a horrible person. I’ve left you wondering whether or not I ever made it out of the freezing wasteland that is winter here in Daegu. I’m happy to inform you that Spring did in fact, get my letter and that he has arrived. And, boy am I happy about it! And, to add to the joy of the occasion, we also have lots of cherry blossoms around! Yay! I think there are few things that do a better job of shouting “SPRING IS HERE!” then cherry blossoms.
To enjoy the season, we spent time outside – going for walks, eating on our roof, and to see some cherry blossoms. We took a day trip with some friends to Gyeongju – a famous city with lots of historical sites. They also had a lovely park full of cherry blossoms where we enjoyed watching some little ninjas running around, a little Russian girl engage in an epic ‘sword fight’ with some boys (and beat them!), and lots of couples enjoying time together.
We also spent an hour on the most crowded, hot, rocking bus I’ve ever been on (possibly an exaggeration). But, I’m trying to forget about that so I won’t describe it further.
Chris and I have been feeling a bit more relaxed about teaching this semester, which I think has helped us to enjoy our students more. We both had our students pick English names at the beginning of the semester and it has been fun to learn their names and to surprise them by calling them by name when I see them in class, in the hallway, or even bump into them on the street. I have two girls who quiz me every time I see them. "Emily teacher, what's my name?" and it delights them to no end when I tell them, "Of course I remember you - Sally and Sophia!" They squeal and tell me how beautiful I am and that they love me. My self-esteem is really through the roof here. :)
When our students selected English names, some of them either didn't quite get the concept of NAME, not just random English words, or they were just really trying to make a statement. I've got Medicine, Greeny, Vitamin, and then a group of girls that I refer to as the "garden" - Lily, Rose, Daisy, and Violet. My personal favorite is 2 boys who sit next to each other and decided on Dragon and Hunter. They absolutely love it when I call on them as "Dragon-hunter." Mars, Moonvalon, Jelly, Oh No, Do Mo, McDonald, Bart Simpson, Ace, Wow, and Starcraft are just a few others I thought you might enjoy. I certainly do.
