Shabu Shabu

I'm officially on break from teaching until 2008! I still have to go to the kindergarten Christmas show tomorrow night (I'm the father in Hansel and Gretel), but I don't even consider that work. It's going to be so freaking cute. I love any chance I can spend with my babies. I honestly just want to take them home with me and spend a day with them. Is that creepy? They crack me up.



After classes ended tonight, my director, Michelle took all the teachers out to eat shabu shabu. Mr. Lee made a brief appearance, shook all the Western teachers' hands and made a speech about how his goal next year is to increase our enrollment to 400 students. Then he did a runner. Michelle bought all the teachers really nice scarves, or as she calls them, "mufflers." It was really sweet because she put a lot of thought into what color to give each teacher, so that the scarves fit everyone perfectly. Mine's a bright blue green color. I already have plans to rock it with some of my favorite t-shirts.

I leave for Hong Kong on Sunday! I think I'm more excited about Beijing. I can't wait!


Half of the group, left to right: Emma, Sienna (with the big orb), Lauren, Michelle (my director), Amy, Christine, and mwah. Michelle was so happy that her head looked "so small" in all the group pictures. A small face is seen as beautiful. Hmmm, Tia where do our giant melon heads fit in?
This is a version of the Japanese food, shabu shabu. We were each given a platter of raw meat that we boiled in a pot of water and then ate in lettuce wraps with rice, crab meat, and amazing sauce.
Once we finished our meat platters, we then added noodles and vegetables to the boiling water. Delicious!

Dak Galbi Monday

Monday nights in the Dong, mean one thing: Dak Galbi! It's a Korean dish that is kind of like a spicy chicken stirfry. First, the chicken is put on the grill (every restaurant I've been to in Korea has a grill at the table) and cooked. Then cabbage, yams, leeks, and tubular ("that's totally tubular, dude") rice cakes are mixed in with a spicy chili pepper sauce. You can eat it with rice, noodles, or in lettuce wraps. It's actually quite delicious, and it's just nice to chill out with your friends after a long day of teaching.

Dak Galbi!

Today was a little rough. It started off great with my kindergarten classes. They were like sponges today, absorbing everything I taught them, and continually surprising me with their little intellectual minds. There's always one kindie wrapped around my leg, and today May looked up at me with her adorable face and said, "Teacher, I love you!" My heart melted...and then the elementary kids sucked the life out of me. I have one class that is getting to be absolutely ridiculous. Jack, always turns his chair around so he can stick his head inside the bookcase, while Mabel slides down in her seat slowly, slowly, until she's completely under the table...Freeman, Alice, and Daria (her name totally fits her, and she has the funniest voice, I've ever heard. Imagine an 80 year old voice in an 8 year old body) won't stop beating eachother up, while Alex sleeps on the desk, refusing to raise his head to participate in anything. Then there's sweet Tess and Frank, always slipping me candy, smiling sweetly, and helping me collect and pass out everyone's homework. I don't know what to do to get the class to listen to me. Taking points away doesn't really work. I think next class, I'm going to make them flap. (Everyone stands up and flaps their arms like a bird.) Honestly, I can't be mad. As I write this I'm laughing hysterically at the image of Jack's head in the bookcase and the sound of Daria's scratchy 80 year old smoker's voice ringing in my ears: "Teeeeaaacher, teaaaaaaaacher." I need a backbone.

Silk worm larvae, anyone?

We look frazzled. It's definitely Monday.