happy festivus

Another Christmas come and gone. My 25th annual christmas.
it isn't quite the same to not spend it surrounded by the family and friends i hold near and dear to my heart. I missed the traditions and regalia of the holiday in the United States. Korea does not really celebrate this holiday. and the foreign population in the country is scant enough that our presence here does not warrant any kind of special treatment. though the churches that dot the landscape are numerous, i assume that the christians in the country do not care as much as those of us hailing from english speaking countries. we get the day off. i worked on the 24th. it was the last day of "classes" for the school. Saturday was Christmas, so school was not cancelled, so to speak. it was already no school.

i am now back in the office, following boxing day. the 27th. back at my desk. missing the long vacation that typically accompanies an american Christmas. or the life of a student. my korean students are back in their classes, though not for classes. today, they are cleaning and preparing for the break. they have the next two months (with the exception for a week in February for classes and graduation) on vacation. I have three weeks out the next two months to take for myself. i have to teach for another three weeks. and then, two solid weeks give or take, to desk warm. watch Youtube, scour the web for new music, read the news, update blogs, write letters, purchase visas, and plan trips to thailand, india, and maybe Indonesia to boot. the last place still is a maybe. i have a week in february that im going to take, but i may just use it here in Seoul to prepare to go home, packing, buying souvenirs, and all that jazz. save my money for the long trip after i leave here.

the end is in sight here. 15 more days of teaching over the next 9 weeks. the number is small when you think that with only 9 weeks left, i have been here for 43 weeks. out of 52. and ive been teaching for 40 of those weeks. or at least sitting in this office. watching some Youtube, jamming to some tunes. speaking with students on breaks, lunches, and every minute between classes, being swarmed.

i wonder if i have had any success with them? I wonder if any of them learned anything from me or my classes? With no testing, no homework, no nothing outside of class, it is hard to guage improvement or progression. i have noticed that those with talents have excelled and those who were already struggling now are REALLY struggling. I guess my class is most beneficial for intermediate to advanced. makes sense... i speak at a slow rate, but my dialect is english, not korean, so some kids have difficulty there, and my class focuses primarily on conversational english. that means the kids already are suppsed to have a solid foundation of grammar... what words are nouns, verbs, subject, direct object, all that jazz. preposistions. but most kids dont know that stuff. its bizarre.

wishing i still had my mustachio from november. it was quite savage.

it would have been a real contender in the mustachio contest.

winter camps COMMENCE!