Flattery, Camp Prep and AOA

After an exciting week last week (as any week involving Phantom of the Opera - related things is), this week was much more down to earth and average. 

I had a few classes left, but most of them were filler lessons with fun games.

After asking 3rd grade what was good and what they wanted to suggest for next semester (to which one boy responded "It would be nice if Christina Teacher would get married!"), we also asked the 4th graders what they thought. We got a lot of "more games!" and "more movies!" suggestions, and of course they don't want tests. Our most rambunctious class was the cutest. Some of them told Young Ah and me thanks for preparing fun games and working hard to make class fun. And then one boy added that I'm the most beautiful person he's ever seen (he amended this to "most beautiful foreigner" after Young Ah jokingly voiced her displeasure at this comment) and a few more chimed in that I was the nicest foreigner they have met.

Flattery will get you everywhere kids.

My sixth graders were watching Back To The Future with my co, so they just finished that in my class, and the 5th graders learned about some of the English speaking countries of the world. All in all an easy week. After classes, I prepped for summer camp, and by that I mean I did the grunt assembly work while my handler worked on reorganizing the book from previous camps that we have done.

envelope stuffing wheeeeee

I spent ALL morning Friday labeling the
notebooks and binding these workbooks.

We started our first day of camp in the afternoon. ONLY 9 more days of camp to go!!!

Besides that, I had an otherwise uneventful week filled with Korean classes. I did have a staff dinner on Wednesday, which was much less eventful in last year, because we didn't have a microphone (thank god). We saw a movie (Assassination, about Japanese Colonization and a big plot to kill some important dudes. There was a lot of betrayal and double crossing. It was still really interesting even though I can't relate and I didn't understand most of it). 

Then we went to a buffet for dinner, where I ended up sitting with the head teacher in the office, who is super nice and understands lots of English, but doesn't really speak it, so we used some Korean. She told me she was happy I was staying and that the office/school really likes me because I work hard and am smart and nice. She said that it was nice to have me and that they think "ah, if Americans are like Christina, that would be nice," so be right back while I cry. 

I told her I didn't imagine I would enjoy living here so much, and that I was so happy for a great school with nice and welcoming co workers. It was a tiring day/night being surrounded by Korean, but it was fulfilling and I'm happy~~

Happy about that, I had a good week.

Tried a new hairstyle and realized my mirror is gross

this label is super worried about how COLD
this drink is!  It was a delicious milkshake. 

"have a good vacation" cookies

I got to leave work early on Friday, after my handler and I finished cleaning up after our first day of camp. We had to clean the science room (we used it for cooking) and then we hard to carry a bunch of snacks up from the office and sort them out, so everyone else at school left at like 2 and we were there till a little after 3, but we have everything set up now so that's good. I headed to Hongdae and hung out in a cafe so I could do my homework and wait for my friends. 

This is super normal in Korea. This guy walked away
for at least 10 minutes and left his phone, wallet
and tablet on the table with no worries. Pretty
different from America

I met up with Lauren, Sarah and Cesca for some Noodlebox (a delicious, tiny noodle chain) and some mango bingsu. We got to catch up on pre-camp woes and relax out of the rain, because it's monsoon season and it's been raining on and off for the last week and will do so for the next week, again.

Unfortunately, it's still super humid, so that sucks. If it rains, it should get cooler!! Come on Korea...

Cesca came over after because we went to the dentist together on Saturday. The dentist used to be near Edae, but they moved closer to Itaewon, which meant a longer commute. After consulting 3 different apps and maps, we found it!

This is the first elevator I've seen
that doesn't use 4, because it sounds like the
word for "death" in Chinese characters

After running a few errands out there and getting soaked, we took the bus back to my area. 

Woot woot monsoon season

We spent Saturday trying to organize our thoughts and ideas for Veronica's visit in like 2 weeks, and we have a pretty good schedule ready, if time and weather cooperates. Please cross your fingers!!! We have some great ideas!

We also watched some k dramas and TV, of course. 

On Sunday, we stopped for a delicious lunch before dance class. 

pork cutlet kimbap. I've never tried it before. it was
delicious. We also got beef rib mandu, which was also awesome.
I haven't been eating at this restaurant that often but I'll
have to start going again!

Dance class didn't make me want to give up this week, so that was awesome! We learned a cute/sexy dance from a girl group this week, rather than a boy group. This week: Heart Attack!

AOA usually goes more sexy, but for summer comebacks they went cute/sexy. I think this is the catchiest of the summer girl comebacks. It was fun!!!

There will be a better video up later, hopefully, but Cesca also had Sarah take one of us during a practice run. She was having some problems with the video, so idk if you can view it, but try here.

We went out for chimaek with our teacher and some of our class. It was so fun and lots of good Korean practice!!!

And then it's back to school blues. Vacation is so close that this week, Sunday night seemed more disappointing and painful. While I have to stay at school all day each day, at least camp is only half days, so I will have lots of prep and relaxing time (I LOVE deskwarming, as we call it here when you have endless hours of just sitting at your desk ahead of you), so this week shouldn't be too bad. I have a good group of kids here for camp, and I'll get to know them a lot better, so that's good. 

The rain shows no signs of stopping (another typhoon may be passing or has already hit...? Nobody tells me these things, but I know one is coming or is near...), so I'm just hoping to not get soaked a bunch this week. Thankfully the weather will only be the LOW 80s this week instead of 90s like the last few. 

Stay cool, stay dry, and I hope all of your endeavors go well this week!

~~~

Because of my Phantom viewing last week, I spent a lot of time looking up old Park Hyo Shin songs while I was at my desk and bored, because I was curious about his singing style (remember, I only really discovered him through musicals, so I had no idea he sings basically everything well...)  I found lots of songs I really like. I posted a few last week, but I of course have more! He's been a singer for more than 15 years sooo he has lots of songs to sort through.

I found out he does some really great English covers of some songs I really, really like, like Lucky (Jason Mraz)

The singer he's singing with, Gummy, is also super popular. It's ok Gummy, I probably wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes either!

He was in the military when he sang this. Apparently one of your jobs can be entertainer haha.

I love this song and I think he does a pretty great job with the English. I have no idea if he can 

actually speak it well, but I hope so. That would be cool. Regardless, kudos to him for remembering so many songs in another language!

This is his most recent release, Shine Your Light, which was super popualar and got an all kill on the music charts when it was released. I really like this song, it's not super peppy but not sad. Just a nice, mellow, relaxing song that makes me smile.