Welcome back to the blog, folks.  As promised, it's probably time for me to talk a little bit about my schools--I am here to work a bit, after all.  I'll post some pictures from each school, whether the staff, kids, or just the school itself...they're all a little different, and I definitely have come to appreciate each in its own cool way.

     It's probably best to start at what we can call my "main" school, Wolya Elementary.  Although I have 5 schools, this is the school at which Kim Sang-hee, my assigned co-teacher, works.  I take a "500" labeled bus every morning at 8:05; the bus's final destination is Gwangju, but it makes stops in just about every rural township en route to Gwangju, and Wolya is one of those stops.  It's about a 35-minute ride to school, and it's always very scenic--I sometimes get to nod off for 15 minutes without the worry of missing my stop...the middle school girls usually make sure that I exit with them every day and, although I understand my route to school from the bus stop, they always make sure to point me in the right direction of the Elementary and wave good-bye.

     Wolya (because the Korean language doesn't really distinguish between an "l" and "r" sound, the "l" in Wolya becomes a little bit obscure and you just sort of glide over it..."Wolya" sounds similar to saying "Wor-dya" really quickly) is a small town about 15 miles (or 25 km) northeast of Hampyeong, about halfway between my hometown of Hampyeong-eup and Gwangju.  The school is right on the edge of town, and it's an absolute beauty.  There are about 160 students, give or take about 10.  Each grade pretty much has one class, with the exception of the 5th grade, for which there are two different homerooms.  That comes out to about 20 students per class, but sometimes this number can be a little higher or lower--I think my smallest class is a 5th grade class of 16, while my largest is the 6th grade class of 28.

     While most of the school in Hampyeong looks the same as the next (a lot of these schools blend together in inner appearance...the teachers' lounges are similar, the classrooms, cafeterias, etc. are also very similar), the English Center has its own unique vibes.  It's essentially a giant room, about 80 feet by 40 feet, which is divided into a colorful instructional area on one side, complete with a computer and giant touch-screen wall projector, little stage in front and a "virtual studio" to the side.  You might be able to see some of that in this picture:

Apologies for the pillar here...the giant gray box in the center of the far wall is the screen/projector, there are computers to the left, another foreign teacher (Hallie) sitting at the desk, and the "virtual studio" is that blue area on the right with the orange lettering above it.  This is more or less the view from my desk, where I can lesson plan and relax a bit between and after classes.  Also note the student crawling under the table in the foreground...almost positive we were playing a game that I wasn't entirely aware of.

     There's a quick look at what my stomping grounds look like, now here's a picture of a few co-workers:

Here is a picture of Hallie (on the left) and my co-teacher, Kim Sang-hee (on the right).  Hallie is straight out of Bucks County, PA, the stomping grounds of much of Papa Hurd's family!  A real cool Philly girl who teaches at Wolya 5 days a week, Hallie is here through a different program and lives in Gwangju.  And the much anticipated photo debut of my co-teacher!  Kim Sang-hee is such a sweet lady, and I can't thank her enough for being as helpful and kind as she has been to me, especially with all she has to manage as a teacher and a mother.  

And here's the two of us!  Take note of the swagged out sandals...they're not otherwise worth talking about, but one thing I hadn't yet mentioned is that it's a Korean custom to remove one's shoes when entering a school.  I finally found some sandals that are more or less my size, and I bring them every day (the sandals they have available at school end at about a men's 8, to be generous).  

     My schedule at Wolya is usually pretty consistent; I teach 3rd through 6th grade, with the occasional 1st or 2nd grade class thrown in.  I teach 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th consecutively in the morning, from 9:00 until about 12:30, with a 30-minute break halfway in between.  After lunch and another half hour to relax, I teach one more 5th grade class at 1:30.  By about 2:15 every Monday, I'm back in my desk and able to lesson plan for my other schools for much of the day.  Sometimes, there is volleyball; the principal loves to play volleyball (explanation and pictures of this activity still coming), and classes will be moved up in the morning so as to make room for playing with the staff in the afternoon.  Often, too, there are snacks in the teachers' lounge, or the occasional staff meeting that we sometimes attend.  More often than not, I'm at my desk keeping busy while Hallie does some singing, dancing, and game playing with the kids in the afternoon.  Between classes, I get a chance to socialize with some of the students, too, so that's really nice.  It's a little different at Wolya, being that Hallie is there every day and I am only there on Mondays (at my other schools, I'm generally the only foreign teacher), but it's always a great start to the week.

     All things considered, I can't say enough how happy I am to have a good relationship with my co-teacher, and a co-teacher with very good English and plenty of energy to help me with anything I need.  Mrs. Kim helped me set up a bank account, track down a phone with a reasonable plan, get my internet working, familiarize me with my apartment, take me to the hospital and buy me medicine on a day that my stomach was absolutely on fire, and even lend me extra money and cover my medical expenses when I lost my wallet (oh yeah, forgot to mention that!) in early September and had a really financially desperate 2-3 weeks to start the semester.  

     This is a nice, slightly sun-obstructed view of Wolya Elementary as I walk across the school soccer pitch and back toward my bus stop.  There are always plenty of kids on the playground waving good-bye, holding my hand, and walking to my bus with me on their way home, to academies, or taekwondo practice.  

Riding off into the sunset.

     Just a really pleasant start to my week.  Energetic kids (sometimes a little too energetic!), a friendly staff, and nice countryside surroundings make Mondays a little more manageable.  The next post will cover my Tuesday school, Singwang Elementary.  Hopefully I'll be get that done tomorrow, and we can keep things moving swiftly.  Thanks for reading!  All the best, and love to all,

Sam