Beetles on Beetles on Beetles

Sorry, I know it's been a while since my last post, but it is an understatement to say that we have all been busy in Korea. Since my last post, we finished our training, had a couple of fun nights exploring Mokpo and moved to The Wondo Youth Training Facility on the beautiful rural island of Wondo. This camp has one of the most incredible views I have ever seen. We are up on a mountain that overlooks a beautiful valley that is home to a farming village. The setting sun reflects off the beautiful rice fields and we can see fish and seaweed farms in the ocean just beyond the village. "Spectacular" does not even begin to cut it. 

Shortly after we arrived on the island the children invaded for the first week of middle school camp. WOW. I have a new found respect for ESL teachers and teachers in general. I neurotically planned my first lesson, prepared games for my kids and had everything under control. Then I met my homeroom class ... They were silent. Then they were more silent. Then they were even more silent. I asked questions and they folded their hands in their laps and looked down. My poor class is very shy. I tried to play silly games with them and they stared at me more. I made of fool of myself and they FINALLY laughed a little bit. I decided to change my game plan and borrow an activity from my first official lesson. Finally, I got an adequate reaction from my moderately comatose class. How? I told them my parents are short. No joke. In fact, as I moved into a day of teaching my first lesson, all of my students found the fact that I am very tall while my parents are average height hilarious. Whatever makes them happy, I guess. 

Fortunately, after a few days of camp my homeroom class is finally loosening up. They're still very quiet in the mornings, but they are all really sweet kids and work hard in the evenings when we work on their skit for the end of the week. We have bad guys who ride tigers in our skit. It's awesome. (A few of my boys have picked up on my consistent use of the phrase "that's awesome").

All of the teachers are starting to get a little bit tired. Teaching six classes in a day is definitely a lot. Teaching the same lesson twelve times can also get a bit monotonous but it is a lot of fun overall. My first Lesson Felt like a comedy Skit. I jumped and Made Around the Kids think I was completely ridiculous. In the hallways they all say "Nature Teacher! Teacher Nature!" The Kids Celebrities make US feel like. There is even a group of kids that continues to give me a very specific kind of gift. I call their leader, "Kevin" (his English name) my Beetle buddy. Fun fact, if you teach kids the word "Beetle" they will bring you tons of beetles. It cracks me up. On the topic of beetles, I now have a class pet ... a giant dead beetle. "Teacher Jon" brought me this massive beetle that he found outside and told me to show it to Kevin. Kevin was very amused. The beetle stays in a cup in my room and was named "Jon" (by Jon's class). 

That's all for now. Busy busy! So happy to be here with such a wonderful group of people.