Day 40 in South Korea | Flea Market

This morning, the students at my school held a flea market, where they each brought in toys, books, and other trinkets to sell to their friends and teachers. 

They all gave me really earnest sales pitches in English if they saw me coming towards them, only to be disappointed when I revealed I didn't have any money with me.

I wish I had thought to bring cash to buy from them. But all I had was a ₩50,000 bill (about $50), which none of them would have had change for.

Most kids just wanted my money, but a few really wanted me to have their stuff no matter what. So I ended up with a necklace, a hat, and a stuffed dog in gifts.

Fifth-graders Tae-ee, Diana, Haeun, [I forget this girl's name. Sorry!], and Sumin. And me in the necklace one student demanded I take and wear.

These third-grade girls treat me like a celebrity. But like a celebrity, I have no idea what my fans' names are. 

The tiniest, most adorable third-graders ever, Geunwoo and Wooseok.

Snails were a surprisingly hot commodity among third-graders. And these aren't just any snails, they're American snails! Or so I've been told.

I asked Dohyeon if he would need to feed the snails and take care of them. He said no. Poor snails.

Instead of selling things, a few sixth-grade girls did nail art instead.

The loot I ended up with by the end of the sale. Other teachers ended up with an amusing assortment of gifts from students, too. 

Day 27 in South Korea | Awkward

Things that are really awkward:

1. Teaching a class of teachers, some of whom have been teaching for longer than I've been alive.

2. Being the new person in a group of people that know each other really well.

3. Not having a clue what everybody is saying because I'm the only one who doesn't speak their language.

Thing that was surprisingly not actually all that awkward after all:

1. Doing all of those things at once. 

Today, I started a teaching for a weekly Teachers' English Club at another local school that doesn't have their own English teacher right now. Honestly, I was dreading it all week. This afternoon, my coteacher glanced over at me from her cubicle next to mine and asked if I was ok, because I looked so nervous.

But then, an hour later, when I was sitting in a classroom at this other school surrounded by their teachers, I realize it wasn't so bad after all. Sure, there were a few times when I would say something that would unexpectedly cause the entire group to crack up and start chattering to each other in Korean, while I sat there wondering what I said that apparently set off some inside joke. But overall, I actually had a lot of fun with them. And I'm even looking forward to next week's class.

Day 25 in South Korea | Internet!

Anyone know what the etiquette is for when you've been going to a coffee shop nearly every day for the last two weeks, and you and the baristas have developed as much of a rapport as is possible when you speak different languages, but then you suddenly don't need to keep going constantly because you finally got Internet set up in your apartment, so you don't need their wifi anymore? 

But I'm sure I'll be back soon, my Ediya Coffee buddies. Your lemon iced tea is too good to forget about. 

Day 24 in South Korea | Meanwhile, in Korea...

Sometimes, you want to tell a friend from home how cute it was that a bunch of boys just walked past the teachers' office singing "Jumping, jumping, jumping, everybody!" from "Bar Bar Bar," but then you realize that no one from home has ever even heard of "Bar Bar Bar," which seems so odd because everyone in South Korea knows that song these days, and it's impossible to imagine that people in the U.S. are totally oblivious to this silly thing that has become part of an entire nation's daily life.