The Been Briefing

 an email i wrote to a dear friend... thought it might answer some of your questions. 

Love you!

Ok, Question #1: I'm great. I'm eating a bowl of cereal and writing you in a tanktop. :) It's hot and sunny outside. YAY!

#2: Korea has been such an interesting country. There are some things I really enjoy and others that drive me completely nuts. I love my little apartment, the weather right now, the friendships I have developed and am continuing to develop with girls through church, my students. I do NOT love Korean girls fashion, the number of metrosexual men here (way too skinny and "fashionable"), the number of people who stare at me because I'm a foreigner, the number of unqualified, dreadful foreign teachers who come here just to make money, get wasted and give other foreigners a bad name in Korea. :)

#3: My classes have been good. My little ones are hilarious. I just taught them "Wassup?!" and they are quick to answer, "Nothing!!" LOLOL. I can almost not even take myself. I found the old '90s Bud commercials online and showed them to my classes. They had me rolling and my boy students love it when they stick out their tongues.... LOL. My intermediate students are growing up, but we're in the disciplines right now... so lots of small tasks and grammar. And getting them to talk more!! My advanced students are a piece of work. I love 'em. We're in Ch 4 of The Lion, the Witch.. and yesterday (because of our dictation topic) we talked about physical and mental handicaps... so it's pretty cool. These kids are 11-15 and we're discussing some pretty in-depth topics.

#4: Huge student improvement? Well, I'd say continuous, but gradual. They ARE learning - it just takes time and I have to be patient with them. Overall, I have found an atmosphere of love provides the best learning experience. I want them to know they are loved and I am proud of them. Pray for one in particular, would you? His name is Jason. Please pray that he will step up to the plate and tackle my class.

#5: Missing Korea? Yes yes yes. I'm going to miss a lot here. I think reverse culture shock is going to really hit me. I am going to miss Mrs. Kim, Esther, ALL my kids, and Emily and Thea, and Brittany and Stefanie... So yeah, I'm going to miss the people a lot. I will probably also miss the ease with which you can travel here without a car - because of the subway, buses, taxis, etc..

#6: Excited about coming home? Oh yeah, I'm missing everybody a lot (though not so much that it impairs my time here). Daniel is leaving for Southwestern this summer, Anna just learned how to do a full (a standing flip with a twist) and said she earned ~$140 petsitting over spring break. Sarah took her AP World History exam. Luke is graduating from high school, and Rebekah is ~6 months pregnant. Life with the family keeps marching on, and I do miss spending time with my parents, hearing my dad's HUGE laugh from somewhere in the house, or just going to Krogers, the bank, and the gas station to spend time with Mom.

#7: Teaching or back to school? As of right now, I find I don't have the heart for school, so I'm praying for a teaching job. It's all in the Lord's hands though. I do not have the assurance of one, and beyond that, I don't have a clear idea where I'm living or anything else. LOL. But I feel like a lot more will be clear when I get home. It's kind of exciting.