Holding Period?!!? (monday)

Oh Teaching at a private business...

from the 4th until the end of this week it is Holding period.

Holding period: Avalon cannot assign homework or give detention to any student due to their intense studying for exams at school....so wait, why do these students even come!? Oh wait, only a few come like...maybe....2 per class...

Ah, so its interesting, we can't teach new material if there are only 2 students! And then you ask them why they came or what what and its usually their parents said you better go! or i wanted to talk with you and not study at home (take a break, etc.) me oh my, i never studied that hard! Not saying i'm proud of it or that i'm some genius. just in awe of how hard they work!

its taught me to appreciate the hard work is paying off---a country that some 50 years ago rose out of its dust and has achieved so much! and how impressive.

friday i had the pleasure of relaxing at jusima...a local joint with good food and the greatest guy: young won. haha. and he also is a great man of loyalty to his family and running the business with his parents for the past 5 years (he's around 29 i believe) and works from 11pm until 7am roughly. yes, long hours, great laughs, many memories.

I got the pleasure to meet Hyesung's sister in Seoul. I was invited to help move a few things and it was fun meeting her sister. I did not know that Hyesung went to the best university in Korea...and her sister is there right now! Oh how honored her parents are (i can tell its quite the big deal) and her sis is studying art. As such, i became an instant subject for her next project haha. My long eyelashs and green eyes and gold hair, pictures pictures pictures! haha, i knew she wanted to (i can't blame her, with looks like these??? ha..) nah, but so i was like, go ahead and then it was just a hilarious evening of laughter and sharing of pictures and trading music and ideas (her sister knows english but doesn't speak it easily) but it was fun! Ok so that was fun, had great dinner too, saw a korean set up, felt like college life haha and then the real work..

Due to moving and such, her sister is also moving (they lived together) so its all chaos but fun. She let me borrow her rice cooker!!! I was greatly saddened by how expensive they are here....i bought my cheap one for 15 dollars at Target but here the cheapest is fancy and around 45 USD, so yes, a treasure!!! Carrying it around the subway was funny in my huge bag and fixing rice...glorious.

Now Sunday...I enjoyed the Seoul Metro Museum of Art exhibit from france.

www.pompidou2008.kr

Danny, heather, justin, hyesung and i all enjoyed a fantastic lunch (the best sirloin beef, ever.) and cold noodles, and dah (this chewy rice that i'm coming to loooove!) just ahh, and then on to the museum! The art was fun and audio guide was entertaining. we came outside and it was snowing! very pretty. Oh snow always makes me a kid! Then we drove back to bucheon...danny loves his sport car...haha.

Upon returning, hyesung and i decided to just enjoy a movie and order some chinese! woohoo! haha, and it was really good to rest instead of run around. so its now also time to plan trip to Japan and see risa! more to come... (might update after going in fact...since thats next weekend!)

Goal: Go to the old baths in Kyoto and visit Risa in Osaka. Lots to prepare!

Ah, semester ends dec. 19th! then its 2 days of work, then 4 days off for christmas, then 2 days of work, then 4 days for new year!... yes, lots to prepare!