Just Another Manic Monday...

I hate Monday's. It is the beginning of a new work week and I'm usually exhausted Monday mornings because of the long and tiring weekends I have. Catching up on sleep is hard here because there is always something to do. Today started off as normal as a Monday can. Mrs. Kim picked me up as usual and when we pulled up to the school this morning a bunch of grade 2's and 3's were dancing a jig again in the school yard. Mrs. Kim said that we had to attend a rally in the school yard that had to do with the National Anthem and Pledge to the country. I was like, "Great!" I can stand around as usual and be bored to tears listening to Korean. Luckily though, I didn't go to the rally because Jiny never said anything about it, so off the hook. I decided today would be the day I would bring treats to the students. I figure I've been teaching the grade 3's and 6's since the beginning of April and since this is my last week with them until June I should bribe them. I brought in sour soothers that my mother was so kind to put in my care package. I only gave them to the students whose numbers I called for introductions at the beginning of each class. They loved that I was giving away candy and every student wanted me to call their number. I figured the candy would get them talking, so now that I have started to use candy in my classes they all volunteer for me to call their number and speak English. I also gave away some stickers just for the fun of it, which weren't as big of a hit, but they kept them all the same. However, I was rather disappointed when I looked at the schedule for the week this morning and I only teach one grade 3 class this week. That means I don't get to give treats to the classes I taught last week, which is sad, but I will see them in another month. In my last grade 6 class of the day these two boys were goofing around. The girl that sits across from them looks at me and goes, "They crazy." I look back and her and I go, "Yes, they are." Then she starts laughing hysterically and then she tells the boys I think they are crazy and they start laughing hysterically. Then the one boy, who I can tell is the ring leader, looks and me and goes, "He's crazy." I was look at him and go, "You are both crazy." Then he tells his friend and they both start laughing, it really was a be there moment. I definitely had a good laugh, which was good for getting my Monday blues out of the way. I had 4 classes today, which is typical for me on an average day. When I was chilling in the office after being done for the day these two grade 6 girls come in to do some photocopying. Then one of them starts talking to me and it was the weirdest, but cutest thing. She starts asking me some questions of which I barely understood and then she proceeds to tell me the name of this guy who is her "lover". Yes, she definitely used the word "lover". I had to restrain myself from laughing my ass off, but she's Korean and so it made sense. She talked to me about her lover for about five minutes and then she could tell I was bored and didn't care (just kidding), so she stopped talking and continued with the photocopying that her friend had been dealing with. Jiny informs me that there is a teachers meeting in the afternoon that all the teachers' need to be present at because the principal will be in attendance. I don't even need to tell you what I was thinking about this. Anyways, we head on down to the fourth floor for the meeting and I got to see my teacher crush, but of course he chooses to sit at the back where I can't gawk at him to keep entertained during the Korean jabbering. I decided to ask Jiny what the meeting was about just to seem interested. She told me it was about learning the proper way too bow and classroom management, amongst other things. I'm not even joking when I say that this one teacher literally, went step-by-step through the process of the proper bow at a 15 degree angle, a 30 degree angle and 45 degree angle. Then the principal wandered the room counting how many teachers were there, so he could yell at the one's that didn't show. YIKES! Then the principal walks over to Jiny and I and starts talking to her. He then walks away and Jiny tells me that he said I could be dismissed from the meeting, so the meeting I thought I would have to suffer through only lasted 10 minutes for me. I love not knowing Korean, it gets me out of a lot of extremely boring meetings and events. Of course, as soon as I get up to leave all the teachers stare, but I didn't make eye contact with any of them except to bow in thanks and goodbye to the principal and then I went back to the office until it was time to leave. Since, I only got to walk home from school once last week I took the hour or so walk home today. It felt good as always, but my back, knees and ankles are very sore from a mishap I had in Seoul on Saturday night, so I was glad when it ended. I'm hoping to get runs in on the opposite days I walk home to keep me in shape and to get outside since it's so hot here now. I love spring in Korea.