8 posts tagged “king's kid's world”
Rain, rain, go away
come again another day
I want to go out and play,
and have a yarn crawl tomorrow.
to be perfectly honest, I'm surprised that I'm not napping right now. I felt tired enough for it - today was a long day. Today was field trip day.
It almost wasn't - the idea was that if it was raining when we came to school, we would cancel the field trip to the camp and just have classes. Well, the morning was gray and hazy (and so was the afternoon...) but it didn't start until we were on our way. It drizzled on and off the whole day, and wasn't really pouring until we got back. Now it's very loud, occasionally thundering and flashing outside my window, so I have both my glass doors closed.
It's not really a camp - we went to a place called Kanghwado, an island out near Gimpo. We ended up at this place called Oktokki Space Center, and it was cute. It's a huge building with a large garden out back that had statues of dinosaurs, and inside it's an astronomy and rocketry museum. It was really interesting, and I'd like to go back there sometime. I had an idea - I'd like to do a bike trip that way. You can get there via bus, but if I was on a bus, I couldn't stop to take pictures and explore like I want to... It was beautiful, in it's own way - there were muddy tidal flats like at home, next to rice fields that extended back to the mountains that were obscured by fog, and the same skyscraper apartments that define Korea stuck in the middle. There were even the same white egrets as home, poking about in the paddies for bugs and such. Whenever I travel, I'm always struck by how different so many places are from each other, but mostly by how much the same everything is. The trees here look like the ones at home - we passed a field surrounded by a wall of trees covered with kudzu that almost made me laugh. The tide was out, as were the shallow boats.
I've been struck a lot recently with the desire to learn more Korean - to be able to communicate with the people here, moreso than the broken fragments of preschool commands, and perhaps be less alone. That's not accurate, I suppose. I tell myself that it was my choice to be alone, and it's true; but it's also true that I am in a place where it is very easy for me to be alone, where I am alone by default, and it's not a choice at all. I feel like there is a difference in nuance there, but I am not sure how to describe it.
I took pictures at the space center, and I want to edit them before I put them up - I'd like to get some of that done during my break. I think the ones that I want to edit, but don't have the skills for yet, I will put in an Endnote notebook with my thoughts for fixing them, and go back to them later.
When I came home, I finished reading a book I've been working on for a while, Neil Gaiman's American Gods. Robin gave it to me a bit ago - it's the first of Gaiman's novels that I've ever read, though I have read some of his short stories. It was wonderful and tricky and full of the kinds of allusions to other things that I love. When I first started it, I wasn't sure that I was going to like it, but I got sucked into it. I definitely need to read more of his work now. He's an author that I have always been interested in, but had only just gotten around to reading.
An amazing book is one you know that you will *have* to reread again, before you have finished it through once. This is an amazing book.
I learned some new words today, too, at the museum.
taeyang = Sun. The sun is also called hae-nim, which is interesting. I'm not sure exactly what the nuance of the first part is - I think the common word for the sun, as opposed to taeyang, the scientific word. But the -nim ending is what you use when you are referring to a person, kind of like the japanese -san. I guess it's kind of like saying "Mr. Sun" in English.
eoknyeon = light year. I learned this from reading an exhibit about how far away things were from us.
chigu = Earth.
uju = space, as in, outer space.
sajajari = Leo, the constellation, or the zodiac sign. there was an activity the kids did where they made necklaces with each of their signs, and I got one. You got a little picture with a diagram of your constellation on it, and put dots of glow-in-the-dark glue on the dots marking the stars, and then put it in a little plastic case on a string. They let us teachers do it too.
Now, to get ready for the yarn crawl tomorrow, and also do some emails and budgeting and cleaning up. Oh, and figuring out what I am giving to my swap partner. I have a list of ideas, and a $25 budget.
Learned a few new words last week, among other things. Post about those later, I think.
hama = hippo
kirin = giraffe
(this one I actually already knew, and it has some interesting etymology behind it. Apparently there were giraffes at the Imperial Zoo in China a long time ago, and they were identified with the kirin, a peaceful Buddhist (?) creature. Giraffes apparently have similar characteristics - not harming things, not crushing grass when they walk, scales...) Kirin are usually referred to as the Asian unicorn, because they only have one horn, but they are certainly not the same thing. For one, the kirin breathe fire at wrong-doers.
Last night I didn't have any dinner plans, so I asked my coworkers what they were doing. The conversation went something like this: (Korean is in italics)
Me: Pansy-teacher, what are you doing for dinner?
Pansy-teacher: What?
Me: Dinner. Let's eat dinner together.
Pansy-teacher: Ah. ... Hmm... No dinner. My younger brother.... (to another teacher) How do you say 'hospital' in English?
Joon, one of our 6 year-olds: Hospital!
Me: Good job, Joon! (to Pansy) Hospital? Why?
Pansy-teacher: Umm... my younger brother, go to hospital... um...-waves her hands, thinking- baby... baby open!
Me: -blinks- Huh? Your brother baby open? -trying to wrap my mind around this-
At this point i just burst out laughing, and was like, alright then. So I went to find Donald and Violet-teacher, to tell them that Pansy-teacher couldn't have dinner with us because her brother was 'baby open.'
She did end up going out to eat with us, and for the rest of the evening we teased her about it, until she put up her hands and waved them, saying, "No, no, stop, stop, stop!" Actually, we teased her after that too, and will probably continue to do so. Even the other Korean teachers thought it was funny.
Just thought I'd share. I really wish I could videotape/take pictures with my mind sometimes, and this was one of those.
This afternoon went well, I thought. I managed to have a class with Luis and Erica that didn't leave me ready to kill someone or cry, and it went more quickly than I expected. I'm going to try to come up with as many activities as possible for them, so if something doesn't work out, I can just quit. I did lose Luis to the blocks for a bit, but I decided not to make an issue of it; and of course, there was some sticker-bribing. That's okay, I think - anything to make them pay attention.
After I finished and went back to the office, I looked around for Donald, since he's usually ready to leave before I am on Tuesday/Thursday. The principal had abducted him to teach him Korean, Joan said, and the rest of us laughed a bit about it. Joan told me I should go rescue him, but when I walked past the office he didn't look particularly desperate, so I figured I'd give it a few minutes. Instead, I took my camera and went to take a picture that I'd been meaning to get for a while.
Here it is:
The first time I saw this, I was understandably confused. But I guess ignoble laminating film would be a pain to work with. It's only this A3 size that has it, though. The regular A4 has a picture of a tiger in a jungle, which, while also slightly mind-boggling, is nowhere near the entertainment level of this one.
When I had finished taking my picture, I wandered into Tulip class with my camera to see what the all-day class was up to. Actually, I had seen Kim-teacher carrying a tray of fried rice in there, so I knew what was up. I started talking to some of the girls in my small pieces of Korean, which always gets them excited. They laugh and clap for me, "Siobhain-teacher, very good job!!" I sat down to talk to them, and they quizzed me on what words I knew in Korean. I knew most of what they asked me - tree, eye, sun, fried rice; except for 'face' which I can't for the life of me remember now. I got a bowl of rice and ate with them, and took some pictures, which they thought was funny. They like posing for pictures, and think it's even funnier to look at them afterwards. I played with editing some of them tonight.
Here's Emily and Annie, with the usual Asian pose. Cheese!
Here's a better shot of the boys, without Hannah. David is Emily's twin - have I mentioned that we have an amazing amount of twins at my school? Srsly - there are like 6 sets of them, and that's not an exaggeration. But David and Emily are my favorites I think.
The hearts in the background were entirely coincidental, but I thought they were funny - the kids always like to joke about who loves each other. It's usually a fair amount of "Siobhain-teacher, Donald-teacher, love!" or any other combination of two (or three) teachers, depending on how silly the kids are being. But I really want to caption this picture, "Gregory, David, love?"
Lastly, two pictures of Christina, one edited and one not. I'm not sure which one I like better. Christina is a sweet little girl, and she always reminds me of xtna, both in looks and attitude. She's very playful. Here, she was laughing about one of my responses to her questioning on my and Donald's non-relationship.
In other news, there's not much here. I measured my shirt last night, and got 41cm, but when I measured again later, I was only at 39 - but that's okay!! I'm almost done - with the stockinette tunic part anyway!! Soon I can switch needles and do the top part, and then the sleeves. I can't wait. I'm thinking of starting another project in the meantime though, just for some instant gratificatin - i can't decide if I wanna try the socks I've been considering for a while or do the presents for julie and bethany that I've been putting off... We'll see.
Now, I need to go plan my open class lesson, since I spent 4 hours napping this evening. Didn't mean to, and woke up with mogi bites and an allergically-swollen lip, but I guess that's my bad for sleeping with the window open. Probably should eat some dinner too. Maybe when I get done with that, I will let myself do some knitting or reading. I'm going to be up for another couple hours anyway, I guess.
today was a good day. I got a lot of things done - boxes mailed to neechan and to a fellow Raveler, money on my phone, a time for Gizmo to go to the vet to get fixed, took my jeans to be altered. I even dropped by Knitting Tree for an hour or so to tell them about the Myeongdong meeting and do a repeat or so on my cowl. It was fun to be there again - I told them I would come back Friday and bring some of my FOs to show them, since last time I was working on the legwarmers.
After all my errands, I ended up in McDonalds to meet my new friend. We had a lot of fun talking for an hour or so before he had to go do homework for a marketing class. He lives in Kukdong, which is like, right next door to me. When I walked back by KKW the lights were still on, so I ended up going back to McDonald's with Kim-teacher, Kyung Mi (Violet) and Soh Jin (pansy). We stayed there talking about all kinds of things till 10. And now I'm home, browsing ravelry and attempting to figure out what pattern I want to make with this cotton/rayon blend from Knitting Tree.
Also today - yummy kimbap. MMM...
I'd like to finish this cowl this week so I can be wearing it. Also, wanna start my dragon shawl but am still working out if it should be double-stranded or single. Need two more balls to make it double.
And then Jon sent me this article.
Excommunicated doctor hailed for abortion
Archbishop Don Jose Cardoso Sobrinho of Recife excommunicated the doctor, the child's mother and the medical team involved in the procedure.
However, the stepfather was not excommunicated, with Sobrinho telling Globo TV that, "A graver act than (rape) is abortion, to eliminate an innocent life."
Um, no, I don't think so. Because rape isn't the elimination of anything innocent at all. This is just wrong on so many levels. First one - 9 y/o raped by stepfather, pregnant with twins. Abuse had been going on since she was 6. (Can 9y/os GET PREGNANT?) Hello, where was the mother in all this?
2ndly - the girl's mother and the entire medical team who performed the abortion have been excommunicated. Guy who did the raping? Totally cool in the eyes of God. And the Archbishop has the nerve to say that "God's law is above human laws." Of course it is, but I think you are getting confused here, because the law that says it's okay to rape your stepdaughter is probably not God's law. My two cents, anyway.
Brazil bans abortion? What?
I didn't have tutoring tonight, cause Jihyun was going to be late at school, so we decided to do it some other time. So I took a nap when I came home, though I briefly considered going out to get ice cream or going to Gangnam anyway. I have yet to eat dinner, cause I was asleep and then have been surfing the tubes reading random things. I found this hilarious, Jon sent it to me.
Why men look for any excuse to get away
I know, just the title, right? I clicked thru and read some of the articles on the parent site, and they weren't too great either. or confidence-inspiring. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with their advice, just that they ... were slightly off. Perhaps because I don't share the view that men are supposed to be an accessory to child-rearing, and not the other half of it. It seems like most articles you read that talk about Dads are all like, "well, it's normal for him to want his space..." Um, HELLO? Women want their space too - they just probably feel less inclined to ask for it, since society tells them that they are the one primarily responsible for the child.
A lot of the stuff in this article and others, I wonder about. People talk about how they no longer had time to go out (understandable) and how they lost some friends as a consequence of having kids. But when one guy says, his conversations with childless friends were "stilted" because they "weren't impressed by good bowel movements" - well fuck no, they probably weren't. why the hell would you want to hang out with one of your friends you haven't seen in a while, and then have them start talking about their kid's bathroom habits? I think that if that's all you can find to talk about with your friends after not having seen them for a bit... that's an issue with your friendship.
Other than that, there were just little things - the guy in the article above talks about how he has become "a less interesting person" since he had children. That seems odd to me - I would think that being interesting or not is an integral part of your personality. One guy in another article said that he "no longer thinks about his ambitions or dreams" or doesn't really take them seriously, and another that he doesn't talk about things like that with his wife like he used to. And to all of this I'm like, wtf? Really?
And all of my reaction to this sort of thing probably just really shows how not ready I am for children. I love my kids here, but I am glad that I don't have to deal with them constantly. I enjoy my freedom, enjoy being an 'interesting' person, having friends that I can talk about my goals with, and HAVING ambitions that I do take seriously.
Yep. Totally not ready. But if parenting is the way these articles show, then I'm not sure I will ever be ready.
Well, I finally FINALLY got my new Etsy shop set up!! To be honest, it was setup last week, but I just hadn't take pictures and written up descriptions and such. I'm the only one with stuff actually posted at this point, but hopefully my friends will get their stuff up at some point.
Today was the first day of fasting, and I managed to not take a nap, despite that I really wanted to pass out after work. I somehow closed my eyes and snoozed for 20 minutes without much notice from anyone, including myself. Fasting always makes me sleepy. Soh-Jin asked if I was hungry, but I was more tired and thirsty than anything else. And I didn't sleep well the night before - think I am going to go to bed early tonight, cause I can't really get back to sleep after waking up at 630. Didn't help that my phone rang at 8 am either - but it's about a tutoring job, and I wasn't really asleep.
Also the first day of class - it went well. Pansy class is only doing half-days this week, and I spent my first class with them just playing while they got used to being at school. There are only two girls, and they are both sweet, and were better behaved than the boys, most of whom refused to let their parents leave without them. Amy and Emily were good until I left, and then they got upset, but I think they calmed down after a while.
The switching up of the classes is interesting - the former 5-year-olds being in Daisy and Rose class is an adjustment. From what I have seen of the new kids, they are mostly okay - some of them are very good, for kids who're just starting school. There's one new boy in Violet class who's going to be an issue - he doesn't speak ANY English, and to top it all off, his mom decided his English name should be "Joy." That's not going to work, and I made sure to tell Joan. I remember seeing the name last week, but I figured it was a girl, not a boy. -sigh- Hopefully they will fix it, because I'm not having a boy named Joy. Bread and Shark is one thing, (and Bread is now Andrew, which works for him) but I draw the line at transexuality. Though we do have two Alvins and a Barney in Pansy class.
Alright, I'm beat and I still have a few more things to post on Etsy before bed. And I'm really thirsty. and want carrots. Need veggies, I think.
Ooh! Almost forgot. This is my new earring of awesomeness that I got this weekend.
so weird. not that I have been near a computer. class, lunch, song practice, more class, planning, nap for an hour, dinner, concert with the kids. Then Lily-teacher and So Jin and I went to McDonald's for ice cream and talked for a bit. We manage quite well, all things considered. And we're going to have lunch and ice cream waffles next week! It should be so much fun.
The concert wasn't horrible. Once the kids were settled down, they were fine. They were so cute on stage, but unfortunately I didn't bring my camera. Afterwards, Douglas hightailed it, but I stuck around and watched the rest. It was fun, despite me not understanding a lot of it. They sang "You Raise Me Up", and there were some mediocre songs/dances and a play about the meaning of thanks. Amy came and sat on my lap, and Jennifer, Nancy, and Hyou-na came and sat next to me. Amy gave me a kiss too, though it was kinda sloppy, cause she is fairly young, but it was still cute.
So now I'm home, and even though I have all these email I'm putting off, I want to take a shower and read a book or finish the last few inches of my scarf (three more to go then the border, yah!!!) I need to call my okaasan too. Also, Ice skating tomorrow! Yay!
Did I mention I ate one of my pomegranates today? It was so yummy!! I haven't had any since I was in Tokyo. Btw, I did actually post yesterday, or rather, I wrote a post while I was out but haven't typed it yet. I'll get to that tomorrow. Also this weekend - cast lists for plays, 6y/o progress reports, and fixing the 3LP play. Fun fun.
