This month has flown by incredibly fast. Having the students back again is great! I definitely missed them a little bit over the summer vacation (especially during desk warming time).
I've been able to learn a few names of more people this past month, as the students have decided to start telling me their names, which is great! In particular I have a group of four 4th graders who have not only told me their names, but they also quiz me on what their names are every time they see me (which is usually at least once every day) so I definitely remember their names for sure!!
The students also seem to be getting much more comfortable with my presence - when I go outside during break time and lunch time, I usually end up with crowds of kids around me, asking questions, telling me things, getting me to play with them, or occasionally, just sitting with me. Even some of the 2nd graders (who I don't teach) have started trying to talk with me, even though they can't say too much - I'm glad they're trying! There's one little boy who walks right up to me (into my personal bubble), stops, looks up and says "Hi, Amanda Teacher," then walks away. It's kind of funny - he also has an older sister who is one of the grade 3s that I do teach.
Talking about my grade 3s - they are starting to be my favorite level of students to teach. They listen the best and have the most fun in class. (Plus they try to teach me Korean too!) They also say some of the funniest things to me as well...
I also think some of the other teachers at school are getting a little bit less shy as well - some of them have started saying hello to me when they see me, a couple of people on the admin staff seem to have taken up teaching me about 1 Korean word a week, and this past week, after lunch, during the break time, I was invited to go drink some tea with a couple of other teachers, and so we talked for a bit which was nice.
Outside of school, this month it has been beach, beach, beach time!! With the coming of September - after the first week or so, the humidity finally went down to manageable levels. and the weather has been sunny and warm - between 24-28 - so absolutely beautiful and perfect for going to the beach!!
I also found out that there is a really nice beach much closer to where I live than the other beach I had been going to before - and so it's been my go to! Also this beach, for whatever reason doesn't get too many people there at all (at least not when I went). During Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), when I went to the beach, there would only be about 3 or 4 other people on the beach area when I got there, so it was like having my own private beach! Later in the afternoons, more people would show up, and I also met some of my 'foreigner' friends there - but given the good weather, it was kind of surprising there weren't more people! Speaking of meeting my friends, we also did a little bit of kayaking at this beach - they have an area where we just have to show them our ARCs (alien registration cards) and then sign out the kayaks and we're good to go - they give you a life jacket, kayak and oar, and you're good to go!
Oh and random mini story - the first weekend that I went to this beach - I ended up seeing some of my grade 6 girls there - and was temporarily mobbed as they surrounded me curious about what I was doing, wearing, who I was with, etc. They were trying to catch some little fish that swim around near the beach - but that's not my story...At one point they were being a little bit silly - pushing each other around in the water - and then before you know it - one of them comes running to me, "Teacher!!!" (in a slightly whiny voice) "My money got wet!" She shows me and then informs me that I need to dry it out for her, and goes back to playing with her friends. Good thing I was there, right? What would she have done without me? Oh, and then about 15 minutes before we were about to leave - my students come to show us the fish that they caught - which was actually kind of impressive since they were just using a plastic bag to catch the fish. But then - they ask me if I had a towel - well, yes, it was what I was sitting on - and then they ask if they can borrow it - I don't think I gave an actual answer - more of a surprised indescript noise, which they apparently took for a yes, because next thing you know - all eight of them are using my towel to dry off! Mind you by the last few, I'm not sure how much drying they were getting done because when they finally returned my towel to me it was literally dripping! Lovely - I get to go home with a soaking wet towel...And then Monday morning - when I ask the students what they did on the weekend (I teach my grade 6s on Monday) - the girls who were at the beach tell the class that they 'played with me' at the beach. Oh students!! You're so funny!
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