체욕대회 ~~ Sports Day

May might be my new favorite month of the year, after my mom's visit, teachers day, and the soccer competition, last Friday brought with it even more fun, this time in the form of more sports and lots of goofy outfits.  After the bundle of fun last year  I knew what I was in for, but this time around I was even more excited as I was asked to join class 2-1 and be part of their team.  This meant I got to play the games AND wear the ridiculous outfits - what more could you ask for!? 

**Caution - this is a novel, but don't say I didn't warn you, but it's worth every second so please, read on**

비타민 화이팅!!!

After the fun of teachers day last week I only had one more day of classes before it was time for the weekend! Buddha's birthday was last Friday so we were all blessed with a 3 day weekend.  My students told me months ago about a soccer tournament they'd be playing in at the end of May so I marked my calendar to be sure and not miss it. Thankfully I was chatting with my students about it last week because apparently they changed the dates to this past weekend instead of next, I hadn't yet made plans for the long weekend so a soccer tournament sounded just fine for me.  Loudine was also interested in seeing my allstars take to the field so she joined me Friday morning for a, shaky at first, but enjoyable scooter ride to Dongrak park.

Why I Love it Here

The last few weeks I've been stuck in a bit of a rut (aside from my mom's visit of course). Classes have been same old same old, and students excitement and enthusiasm seems to have died. My mom's visit obviously created a stir and a bit more merriment at school, but come Monday everything was back to noraml.  Thankfully though, the weather has taken a turn for the best, midterms are over and there is excitement in the air. Teachers day reminded me just why I love my school and the excitement continues as our sports competition is just around the corner ~~ 

What my Mom ['s Visit] Taught Me

I wouldn't be a good blogger if I just retold my stories and left it at that, or maybe I would because that's all you really care about.  Either way, I figure I should shed some more light on my life here in Korea - how's it going, aside from the crazy adventures, travel, sightseeing and amazing students. Like how is it really going? After having my mom here for a week to visit I truly got a whole new perspective on my life here, both the good and the bad. So here's a few things I learned about myself...thanks mom.

The Traditional and Not.so.Traditional Gyeongju

After our relaxing morning at around Geumosan we decided it was finally time to catch a bus and make our way to Gyeongju.  The bus ride was quite enjoyable considering we were two of maybe 8 passengers, it's nice being able to travel in the middle of the week. Normally on my trips to Gyeongju I fear having to stand or, like last time, have an ajumma half sitting on top of me. My mom didn't enjoy how the bus drivers "play games" with the aircon but none-the-less the ride was smooth and we were soon in Gyeongju, but unfortunately so was the rain.  We found our self a nice cheap motel, obviously a major step down from the previous nights accommodation, and made our way out to explore the city. 

Livin' the Good Life

Thanks to my awesome staff I was able to sleep in Wednesday morning, oh wait no that's right, my internal clock hates me so I was wide awake at 8am. Not knowing what to do with myself I went for a quick morning run before coming back to get ready for the day, and skype with my Dad.  I left my mom sleeping as I energized myself for the day, running alongside the elementary students going to school, ajusshis heading out to their crops and powerwalking ajummas, good morning Buksam. 

Bring Your Mom to Work Day

After our busy weekend in Jinju it was time for the real fun to begin, time for my mom to come to school and meet the people who've become my second family. I left her to sleep in Monday morning giving her more time to get ready (in my shoe-box sized apartment) before being bombarded by my students and staff family, all 750 of them. After brief introductions in my office it was time for lunch, where I must say my mom got lucky, only spicy food on the menu was kimchi, and discovered that she loves quail eggs. We were done before the kids came down so back to the office we went, but only briefly, before I paraded her around the hallways to meet everyone.  Shouts of hello, lots of giggling, a few I love you's, and of course many students hiding behind each other is what my mom was met with. As I introduced my mom I could tell she was instantly falling in love, and who wouldn't?  

Some of my girls from class 2-1