Update =)

Sorry it's been so long since we've last posted! We have been so busy getting settled into our jobs and whatnot, that we totally forgot to update everyone. So here we go...

My school is working out pretty well for me. I have 4 co-teachers and they are all really friendly. Unlike Pat, I don't really do much of the planning for the regular classes. My co-teachers do all the planning while I sit on Facebook and Pinterest for hours and hours. I do,  however, have 2 after school classes that I really enjoy. I have a Storytelling class with 1st and 2nd graders (which would be kindergarten and 1st grade in the states) and a Conversation class with 3rd and 4th graders. I get to run these classes on my own which is a nice change. The kids are suuuuper cute, too! I'm constantly greeted by kids throughout the day saying, "herro teacha!", "hellooooo", etc. Lol It's pretty hard to have a bad day or get in a  bad mood with all these kids that are so excited to see you! I had to dance in front of one of my classes today which was pretty funny for everyone but me. But luckily 5 boys came up to dance with me lol. Candy may have been their incentive but I like to believe that it was so I wasn't feeling embarrassed. All in all, I like the school I work at. The co-teachers are really helpful whenever I need anything.

*On a side note*  Weirdest question I've been asking by a student: "What is your blood-type?". Pretty standard question here, I guess. Apparently, your blood type directly correlates with your personality type........

Our current issue right now, however, is our noisy neighbors to the north. This person stomps around their apartment slamming cabinets and making sounds that suggest he's dragging all of his furniture around the room on a daily basis. Every night I stand on our stairs that lead to the loft and bang on the ceiling with a mop. I was so fed up one night that I got out one of our Korean language books and had it opened up to the word "LOUD" and went upstairs prepared to try to communicate to this fool. I knocked on his door and said "hello" in Korean and he said "hello" back but never opened the door...fail. So, I had my co-teacher write me a note in Korean that basically says "I am asking you politely to keep the noise down after 10pm. If I can't sleep well, I won't work well the next day". That same night, I took the note up to the neighbor and he seemed to understand and said "Ok, ok" so I figured it would stop. Do you think it stopped? No. As soon as I got back down to my apartment he was being loud again. EVERY NIGHT at midnight it starts. This wouldn't bother me if it were earlier but at midnight...really?? My co-teacher has contacted the landlord and they said they would talk to the guy but I don't know when this will happen or if it already has and hasn't made a difference. I'm just going to continue to complain to my co-teacher and tell them it's affecting my performance at work. Hopefully that will get something done. They are telling me that they can not move me to another apartment but I have a feeling if I bitch enough, I might have a shot at getting moved. We have only been here a few weeks and it's already driving me nuts. I can only imagine what this will do to my nerves if it continues all year. I just had to take a little break from typing this to bang on the ceiling.

Aside from the idiot upstairs, we really love it in Korea. The people are beyond friendly and almost always go out of their way to help you out. The coffee shop that just opened up on the first floor of our apartment building gave us free scarves for no reason when we went in to get coffee one day.

A couple weeks ago we went to the Indian Holi festival in Haeundae Beach. It consists of alcohol and dry paint that everyone puts on each other while dancing around to music. So much fun!! One thing we definitely shouldn't have done is pay for the optional "lunch". We were told it would be a buffet lunch and the cost was 15,000 won (About $14). We get there and it took about 30 minutes to be seated and we got pita bread with dip. Everyone was walking around asking the other tables if this was the appetizer lol. No, that was all we go. We all got suckered in to paying 15,000 won for bread and dip lol. The festival was totally worth it though. Such a fun experience.

We are going to Jinhae next week for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Should be really, really pretty. And the weekend after that we are going to Jindo Isand for the Parting of the Sea festival. So, lots of pictures and updates to come!!

We love and miss all of you so much!! I hope life is treating you all well and everyone is happy.
xoxoxo