School update

Hello!

I was encouraged by my friend Jessica to write an update about school.  We continue to have a great time with the students.  Most days, our job is really fun. The kids are very bright and usually work hard in class.  It has been great getting to know them.

Some things we don't want to forget:

Every morning when we arrive to school, we are enthusiastically greeted by the younger students.  Usually we arrive when they do, as they are getting off the bus.  Or, we see them as we are walking to our classroom.  They run across the playground, down the stairs, or down the halls when they see us, shouting "Carrie teacher!  Bradley teacher!"  with huge smiles.  Sometimes we get hugs or high fives.  It is so nice to start our morning with so much love.  A lot of times they are yelling "Teddy Bear Teacher!" This is Bradley's nick-name, as he jokingly told a class at the beginning of the semester, "I may be big, but I am just a big teddy bear!"  The first graders call him that.  The older students call him "Bong-ly Teacher"  In Korean, the word for "bread" is bong.  Because of the way words are pronounced in Korean, students usually mistakenly say "Breadly" instead of "Bradley" so they jokingly call him "Bong (Bread)ly Teacher" now.

Another thing the younger students still seem amazed about is that Bradley and I are married.  Every so often a younger student will raise their hand in class and say, " Carrie teacher married?"  I will say yes, to Bradley Teacher, and they will giggle and laugh.  I guess it is funny to have two teachers who are married to eachother :)

Whenever we say anything in Korean, students and teachers alike are very impressed and we sometimes get applause!  Once in class I was explaining what a pilot is and I said the word for airplane in Korean.  The first graders started clapping, and said, "Oh, Teacher, very good!"  One student in that class often comes up to me at passing period now, and starts animatedly talking in Korean, and I just smile and nod, and he runs off smiling . . . I have no idea what he is saying.

We travel to other teachers' rooms to teach classes. In one fifth grade class, the students made me read something in Korean off the board.  I didn't know what it said, something about a class assignment, but Korean letters are pretty easy to read once you know the pronunciation and the alphabet.  After I finished, the kids gave me a round of applause and the teacher joined in!  "Oh, very nice! You are very smart!"  I was definitely blushing :)  But it is fun to learn some Korean and nice when it is so appreciated.

Last week, there was a science fair at school.  The kids got to do different science activities in booths that were set up around the school gym.  Bradley and I were assigned to a balloon animal making booth!  I guess the teachers assumed (correctly) that we wouldn't be able to explain science activities in Korean, so we got to do the fun activity.  We had so much fun with the kids and now I know how to make a balloon dog and sword, if I am ever unemployed.  Also, I learned a new fact about Bradley; he already knew how to make balloon animals, thanks to his years at Bar-Mitzvah parties.  He made some really cool hats!

Before the festival, they had a science competition

Carrie's first balloon doggie. 

Carrie making a sugar snack.

One of our coworkers making Carrie blow popcorn out of her hands.  

One of Bradley's favorite students, Lee (6th grade)

Lizzie, another 6th grader.  They were our assistants in the morning.

The girl in the bow is Kate, and the boy next to her is James, both 2nd graders.

Spring in Gwangju

No words for this blog, just enjoy some of the beautiful sites around Gwangju.  Here are some pictures of our neighborhood.  It is looking very beautiful with all the blooming flowers.

The Levinsons visit!

On March 27^th, my (Bradley) parents came to Gwangju to visit our city for a week and a half.  During their time here we showed them around to the spots we have come to enjoy around town, although most of their time here was used for recuperating from their long adventures on a pontoon boat out of Phuket and all throughout China.  If you want a journal of those excursions you will have to contact my mother and father. 

The first important stop on the Levinson’s tour of Gwangju was a delicious restaurant that Carrie and I have enjoyed while we have been here.  We took them to a Sha-bu Sha-bu restaurant, which is actually a Japanese style restaurant. The Koreans have added their style to the meal.   The dinner starts off with a big wok of broth sitting in the middle of the table with a burner underneath.  When the broth begins to boil I put in all the vegetables (that’s right I ate the vegetables).  Then after the vegetables have cooked a bit you add the delicious bulgogi (meat, still my favorite part).  This soup is the first course.  The second course is noodles and Mahndoo (pot stickers).  If you are not full from the first two courses you still have the last course of rice porridge to eat.  As soon as Carrie and I ate this meal we knew my mother and father would love it and we had to take them to try it.  They loved it.

Mom bought this sweatshirt in a Korean thrift store and when she was wearing this outfit she looked like a hipster.  

We also enjoyed the beginning of spring (though it was still pretty cold when they were here).  These pictures are from nearby our house, at a reservoir where we often walk.

The cherry blossoms blooming with an artist touch. 

The beautiful lake by our house.

The side lake where the tadpoles and koi fish swim.

A cute picture of us.

Dad using the back stretcher at the lake. 

Another adventure we went on was to a baseball game.  Since my father and I love to attend baseball games back home, I thought my father would love to see what a baseball game was like here in Korea.  Both Carrie and I had not yet gone to a game because when we got here the season was ending and we were busy discovering other things around Korea.  So this was a perfect opportunity.  The game was a great game, there were like 5 lead changes and the Kia Tigers (the team in Gwangju) won the game 10-9. It was really exciting.   Carrie and I will be going to more baseball games while we are here, since the tickets are so cheap.

Mom enjoyed every moment of the game with her crochet needles in her hands.  

It was opening day so it was packed!

There was a place to microwave your food from home.  

Just a cool view from our center field seats

This was their version of the car race.  

Bradley playing with some of the local kids. 

We also took a trip to the folk museum in Gwangju.  This museum was very similar to the other folk museums that we have visited in other cities, but this one had one distinguishing quality.  It had an exhibit on the history of Gwangju.  Carrie and I enjoyed the photos of Gwangju from the 1950-now. There were only a few big buildings here in Gwangju in the 1970s and 80s.  Crazy to think that this city is so large compared to then. 

The last of my parents’ adventures was a visit to our school.  The kids were all very interested in meeting my parents.  All the students came up to my parents and asked them simple questions and my parents gladly answered with smiles on their faces.  When Carrie and I had class we were joined by my parents.  We started off with questions from the kids to my parents and then we played a simple game with the kids to get them to talk in English.  My parents had a great time and the students loved having my parents in class.  After lunch my parents and got to meet the Vice Principal (She’s the boss of the school, even though there is a principal). We talked about how well we were doing in school. This was a great experience for everyone involved. 

Mom hanging with the kiddos

Dad showing Moxie to the kiddos

In the end is great to see my parents. I am very glad that they got to visit our city and share this experience with us.

My parents left while we were at school and they left these notes around our abode.  It made me cry a little.

 THANK YOU MOM AND DAD FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR US!!!

Carrie's Birthday

I had a lovely 28th birthday.  It started on Sunday; Bradley took me out to eat at an Indian restaurant, and then we went to the movies.  It was a nice date night.  On my actual birthday, Monday, I was in morning class when Bradley marched his students over and they gave me handmade birthday cards.  Many of the students are also mine who I have later in the day, so this was a nice surprise!  The cards are super cute. :)

The surprises didn't stop there!  Little did I know, but Bradley had told our co-workers about my birthday last week, and so between classes, they called me into the teacher's lounge.  The lights were out, and there was a cake with candles on the table!  They sang happy birthday to me, and then we all enjoyed delicious chocolate cake, eaten with chopsticks of course!  (This is so fun!  Maybe I will eat my cake this way every year :)  Bradley definitely surprised me this year, which is always difficult for him.  He usually gets so excited he ends up telling me "I have a surprise for you!" and makes me try to guess what it is.  :) Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures, but, yesterday was a great day.  Thanks Bradley!!!

After school, we crossed one of the items off of our "Korea To-Do List" that I have been wanting to do for sometime but have been nervous . . . we went to a Korean bathhouse!  In Korea, many people go to public bathhouses and soak in various hot tubs, relax in saunas, and get massaged.  The thing is, you are naked when you go.  Men and women are separated; we would be all alone, naked, with very little Korean language skills . . . talk about feeling exposed!!  However, I was MOST worried about running into my students.  The bathhouses are family friendly and it is totally normal to go with your mom, sister, children, anyone (which is awesome), however, I think you all understand why I wouldn't want to run into any kids I knew.  So, we went directly after school, when most kids would be in hagwons (after school programs) and many adults would still be at work.

We went to a very large bathhouse called Starbox.  It has 3 different floors.  There is one floor each (one for men and one for women) with pools/saunas and locker rooms, then there is a floor called the "jimjilbang" which is a large heated room.  There, you are provided with clothing and in the jimjilbang, men, women, and families can come and rest after soaking in the pools.  

When we first walked in, we paid 5 dollars, and were given locker keys, towels, and clothing for the jimjilbang.  Bradley headed to the men's section, and I went to find my locker.  When I did, I saw that it was very small, (like, I could barely fit my purse, much less my winter jacket and clothing) so I gestured for help from the attendant.  She smiled at me, pointed at my shoes, and when I took them off, she put them in the locker and closed it.  Then, she led my further back to another locker with the same number and key, where I put all my belongings.  I smiled sheepishly, and said "Mi-an-hayo" (sorry!).  She just smiled and probably had a good laugh!

I walked past a small concession stand on the way back into the pool area.  You could get snacks, toiletries, towels, and different iced coffee drinks (Shopping in the nude, no biggie).  After you pass through the locker rooms into the pool area, there are shower stations everywhere, and you can buy these rough towels to scrub all the dead skin off your body, or you can pay an attendant to do it for you.  There are jetted pools, cold water pools, several different saunas and heated pools at varying temperatures, and even green tea flavored pools.  You can enjoy your lovely iced tea while relaxing in a hot pool, or perhaps a plate of fruit.

Bradley and I said we would meet up in an hour and a half, in case we didn't like it.  Well, I was definitely late meeting Bradley!  I loved the bathhouse.  It was so relaxing and everyone was so comfortable. I am happy to say I didn't run into any students, and I think that I will definitely be returning in the future.  I didn't even make it into the jimjilbang part, I just stayed in the saunas and bathing areas.  The amazing part is, this place is open 24/7 and it is unlimited time for your admission price.  I felt totally relaxed and pampered afterwards, and it was a great end to a perfect day!

Daily life in Gwangju

Hi everyone!  I thought I would tell you about my free time outside of school.  I have gotten involved in a few projects and they are quite fun!  First, there is a group of foreigners who started a book club that I recently joined.  We meet every Wednesday at a small coffee shop downtown.  It is a nice group of people and, of course, I love to read, so it's perfect for me.  I have never been in a book club before, but I think it is something I will continue when I get home.

Secondly, a foreign teacher has also started a group to perform the Vagina Monologues and raise money for the V-Day Campaign.  I was really excited when I saw this was happening in my city, because I was involved in putting on the Monologues in college and it is a great project.  If you aren't familiar, the Vagina Monologues is a play that was written by Eve Ensler in 1998, after she interviewed thousands of women  about their experiences with domestic violence, genital mutilation, rape, and other issues surrounding women's sexuality and sexual experiences.  Her goal was to change the way we discuss these issues, and raise awareness about the astounding levels of violence that occur to women daily around the world.  It has since been performed in hundreds of countries, with all proceeds going to local community organizations that fight to stop violence against women.  Here is a video to learn more:


What is V-Day? from V-Day Until the Violence Stops on Vimeo.

I have never performed in the monologues, but I have a few small parts in this one.  I am very excited!!!  Here is a promo for the play, which will be performed at the end of April.  All the actresses got their photos done so we could share them on social media to raise awareness and have bigger crowds at our fundraising events:



We meet every Sunday for rehearsal, but we are also putting on a few other events leading up to the performance, to raise more money for our cause.  We have done a dance workshop, and will be doing a bake sale, art workshop, volleyball tournament, and open mic night in the coming weeks.  All the proceeds are going to 4 different organizations in Gwangju; 3 of them provide housing, childcare, and job training services to single mothers, who are highly stigmatized in Korea, and 1 organization is dedicated to assisting immigrant women to Korea who are experiencing domestic violence.

Between all these events, I have been busy after school and weekends, and I am greatly enjoying myself!  What is Bradley up to, you ask?  Well, he is enjoying his bike; we recently bought a couple of used ones since Spring is almost here.  He has been going on rides while I am out, and he is also enjoying his free time watching sports :)  Also, he is a GREAT house-husband who cleans the house while I am away . . . what a lovely man.