Time for a blog again. I have a lot of pictures to update both on Facebook and here as well, but maybe over the weekend.

Some things Ryan and I have noticed since last weekend:

In the US, if boys or men cross their legs tightly, they get made fun of or are assumed to be gay. (Some exceptions Ryan and I thought of were professors, lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. I honestly have no idea why we thought of them specifically, but it's what came to mind.) However, here, it seems to emit sophistication or something of the like. I actually had that first cross my mind as I was eating across from Ryan. I saw two men probably a few years older than us behind him, and I'm not sure why I thought of it then, but my brain just seemed to zone in on what would be peculiar in the US. I think I'm used to it since I've seen it in Korean dramas. Maybe-- I'm not really sure.

Also, during our lunch break this week, we were walking back from grabbing some coffee. While standing at a corner waiting for the walk signal to turn green, an old man ecstatically said, "Hello! Hello! Hello!" until Ryan and I turned our heads. He then said, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!" Then he proceeded to walk ahead of us. Everyone around us looked just as confused as us. Ryan and I laughed, but as we were walking behind him, he told me about how this had happened to him while he studied at Yonsei last summer. He said he thinks it might be because they think he is in the army. He was happy I finally got to witness this, and I laughed because he fit the mold-- tall, caucasian, and muscle-y.

Now, as far as our week has been going, it's been much better than last week. Our supervisor is leaving the job this week, so the new supervisor came in to get a hold on things. She is much older, and I think she speaks better English. Lately, we've been having the Korean ladies sit in on our class-- we're not sure why. Evaluate most likely... it's kind of uncomfortable, but I'm just now getting used to it. Today, though, the new supervisor sat in on one of my classes and it was like treading on water all over again. So weird. There were times when she would help explain things to the children in Korean, but she realized how hard it was for me to teach the class because they can't understand very much English. She suggested I read the sentences to have them repeat after me, but from testing out the waters (and personal experience) it is very easy to make the same noise without looking at what you're reading. I know these kids pretty well by now as it is our 4th week. I've tried what she's suggested and figured out that when I have them read it to me afterwards by themselves, they don't have a clue at all as to how to say some things. I find it better to have them read the sentences so that I can correct them and know which words they have problems with. I can then hone in on what I want to fix over the next 1.5 hours and I can also correct them on the spot while they are actually paying attention.

Although it was a friendly first day suggestion, it was a little frustrating. Not sure why-- I guess I just felt that it wasn't her place to tell me on her first day observing? Or maybe because I've tried what she suggested and it didn't work? I'm not sure. I do like the new lady, though. She seems very nice, professional, and helpful.

That's all I can think of for now, so ta!