Rain, rain, go away

And the rainy season is here. Other than the water falling incessantly from the sky, you can tell because of the abundance of adorable galoshes, colorful umbrellas, vibrant greenery everywhere, buckets of umbrellas in every classroom and a Lindsay Teacher with frizzy hair and soggy pants.

At first it was soothing to fall asleep to the sound of the rain. Then I just wanted to sleep all the time. Then it started interrupting my running plans - as in, flooding the path I usually run on. And making the path far too slippery for an already accident-prone person. I'll have to suck it up and brave the elements and the mud sooner or later, because I'm thinking of doing two more 10K races - one where each runner receives a free watermelon after the race, and one which draws over 20,000 participants and meanders around Seoul's Olympics facilities from the 1988 Games. I am quite sure neither one is anywhere near the bad Korea.

Mother Nature has not just been messing with my fitness plans. Two baseball games I wanted to attend were cancelled because of the rain. However, inclement weather didn't keep professional soccer players from doing what they do (though I'm kind of a baby and it did keep me from heading out for my usual Thursday night six-on-six game). On June 25 I attended a match between FC Seoul and FC Incheon at Seoul's World Cup Stadium. Attendance was pretty sparse, but the die-hard Seoul fans didn't shy away from dancing, singing and taking off their shirts in the chilly rain. Things got scrappy toward the end and more than one red card was handed out, but FC Seoul came out on top 2-0.

As someone who would typically be caught without an umbrella, it's exciting to have turned over a new leaf - I've been prepared for the showers all but once, and that time I was lucky enough that the storm subsided before I left the coffee shop where I was hanging out. Everyone else is prepared, too. Outside of nearly every store you can find disposable plastic umbrella bags - in not just one, but two sizes. And in the entrance of my apartment building they spread out blankets or cardboard boxes to keep people like me from slipping and cracking our heads open. Not exactly classy, but practical.

On the bright side, the creek in my neighborhood looks like a chocolate river! Hope the sun comes back soon.

Weekend!

The little stinker on the right was giving me thumbs down as I left school. I asked him why in Korean, but the only answer I got was the sweet response shown below. I'm more than ready for the weekend.

Tipping Point

I remember going on the playground teeter-totter years and years ago with a friend who was almost exactly the same size as me. I would push up from my initial seat on the ground and there would be the exciting upward rush and a bunch of teetering and tottering until we would decide to just sit on the contraption without pushing. We'd gradually slow down until we bobbed parallel to the ground, legs dangling. Then a brief pause; perfect balance. Then finally the plank would tip just a bit to the oh-so-slightly heavier person's side and she would sink slowly back down to the ground to start pushing again or get off the dumb thing.

That image of barely tipping past equilibrium keeps coming to mind as I begin my eighth month in Korea. Just past the halfway point, but still lots to go. Though my Korean language acquisition has stagnated in recent months, at least I'm feeling much more comfortable in the classroom these days (it helps a lot when fourth-graders cheer for me like I'm a celebrity when I walk into the room). I am even looking forward to the week-long summer camps I'll teach in late July and early August (rather than dreading/fearing them like I did in the winter). Pirates and crafts and outdoor games! Look out, Seochang Elementary School!

AND...what's wrong with this picture?

Right, there is no mail in my box. Come on, send me something. Please? Maybe my address was misplaced, so here it is again. You're welcome.

New Seoul Apt. 102-1202
Mansu 6-dong, Namdong-Gu
Incheon, Korea

Photos, photos

I added some more images to my Facebook album here, and started a new one. Check it out!
And check this out.

Small Victory

A rare moment of peace and quiet.

Every other week I teach third grade. It's the cutest grade, but one of the naughtiest. This group seems to be the most enthused to see me, though some kids try to weasel out of our one-on-one interaction at the beginning of each class. I use a picture card to review a key part of the last lesson by asking each kid a simple question. Thirty pairs of brown eyes peer into mine as the students answer, "Is it a cup?" "No, it isn't." Some of them have pen marks on their cheek or forehead, one had something green caught in his teeth, some have wet hair, and one boy has a gaudy gold hoop earring. Each gets an enthusiastic "good job!" or a gentle reminder, and on we go to the lesson.

Last week we practiced talking about family members. The students brought in family photos or drew them into a book we made together. A picture could be seen through a window cut into the paper, and the outside of the flap said "Who's this?" The students then opened the flap to show the whole picture and write the appropriate sentence: "It's my mom," "It's my dad," "It's my sister," "It's my me."

Left: Good little practicers.  Right: "Uggggg Lindsay Teacher, go away."

Bless their hearts for finding a pattern. But it took a good chunk of class time to break them of this habit. The best (and most giggle-producing) method turned out to be having them ask (and point to) me "Who's this?" and I would dramatically respond, "It's ME!" A couple dozen times through that script and they delivered that all-important two-word sentence like little champions.

Things to work on next time: not dressing exactly like a third-grader; the proper spelling of it's.

Tightrope Photo Op

It's Monday, so here's a cute picture of a little guy in a tiny tie walking on a tightrope. Taken at a festival in Seoul in early May.

(Click to enlarge.)

It's Pretty Here

First spring brought lovely cherry blossoms.

At the same time, these yellow flowers were everywhere.

Then an assortment of azaleas, lilacs and irises popped up.

I returned from the U.S. to find exquisite roses.

And these weird mystery trees are finally sprouting leaves.