2nd Semester and Korean Cooking

Teaching's going well. I have the 1st and 2nd grade like last semester, which I
really like. They're all pretty darn cute.
We opened an English Zone this semester at our school, it's a bit of a trend. Usually the kids stay in their room (except for music, home ec., etc.) and the teachers move, but the E.Z. is a special classroom where the kids come to us, and they spend tons of money loading it will all the best technology and English language posters, etc., to encourage the kids and help them learn English. Koreans are very serious about school in general, and definitely spending money to learn English. So we have a nice classroom! Instead of a chalkboard we have 2 whiteboards, and a massive touch screen HDTV television. That's pretty fun., It has a program called "TwinPen" that allows you to use the TV like a chalkboard, but a really fancy one. I'm doing that this week a bit. The kids get excited and I feel cool. =).
We are showing english movies at lunch and in the morning to get the kids exposed to more english, in an INTERESTING way, and I think it's a huge success. Especially at lunch, there's about 35 kids at any one time in the room (some come and go), and they're really interested in the movie. We've been showing the Jurassic Parks so far. (That was my movie choice. Hee hee.). We have lots of new English books (sports, science, Ripley's believe it or not, Spongebob, lots of comics, easy reading chapter books) set out and more and more the kids are picking them up and looking through them and reading them while they're in the classroom, or between classes. That's awesome! Good, fun, english practice. I’m pretty excited about it.
I have been cooking  a lot more Korean food the past couple of weeks. A couple of really tasty dishes, some okay, and one or two not good. I messed up one, blech. I will try that one again! Otherwise I've really been enjoying it-- beautiful colours, great flavours, and it's not too crazy but it feels exotic. Sesame, soy, ginger, hot peppers, garlic... mmmm....
Some good ones were a Pancake (koreans love pancakes, but they're often savoury vegetable pancakes, as opposed to "flapjacks" or "hotcakes") with mashed white Korean sweet potato and chopped green onions with a soya sauced based dipping sauce, the boys and I loved that one; and a Fried Potatoes with Red Pepper, sesame seeds and green onion, and a Mushroom Medley stirfry with Zucchini and Tofu and ginger that was incredible. So tasty.
No crazy fish or seafood at our house. And No Seaweed!!!! Yuuuuuuuuuck! Except the crispy thin salty sheets that Nathan likes. But otherwise, no no no. Blech. Yes, I know it's good for you. No thanks. Ugh. Can you tell how I feel about seaweed?

Back to School!

Yesterday it snowed for the 3rd time since we came to Korea. It pretty much melted as soon as it hit the ground in town, but the surrounding mountains are beautifully frosted and have much more texture to look at than when they are simply bare in winter. Other places in Korea get a lot more snow than we do, even the next bigger city up the coast from us, Gangneung.

We went to Waterpia in Sokcho last week, a Korean Water Amusement Park. There are rides in the summer, but in winter there is still an indoor wave pool, a twisty water slide (too big for our guys), an outdoor heated swimming “path” you can float or swim along in as it twists and turns past various hot tubs and an indoor lagoon, and a great variety of outdoor hot springs and spa tubs. The boys loved the wooden one, the waterfall and the one with the red water (??). I loved swimming outside in winter, steam rising from the water! That was a mindboggling experience for a Canadian! We weren’t even cold! Especially going between spa tubs, I think the water just heated you up so much, it lasted you until you reached the next one. It was also great (though nerve racking) to see Elliot deliberately falling face first into the water, and watch Nathan become more comfortable in the water by leaps and bounds. We even practiced “swimming” and he would leap from a perch shoulder-high in water, into my arms. I am a terrible swim coach. But I was so proud of him—everytime he would basically fall under the water and I would pull him up, but he kept trying, not scared at all! Elliot also spent a lot of time admiring the coloured pebbles and marbles inlaid into the pool walls. He’s into rocks.

I also really appreciated that the boys’ were on their best-ever bus trip behaviour, which is to say they were very quiet and placid, like every single Korean kid I’ve ever seen on a bus. What a relief! Elliot even had a nap, and Nathan spent a lot of time just looking out the window. This trip was the boys’ Christmas present from Gramma and Grampa Butler. Thanks!!!!

I am back to school this week after being on vacation pretty much since Christmas. What a life, eh?! I worked a little in there. And it WAS busy. But, I know to be thankful about that! Not again until retirement, I think! It’s good to be back and I love seeing my “other” boys, the students at my school. Their energy, all their different personalities, their general cuteness (hee hee) and their growing up is a wonder to me.

Nathan and Elliot also went back to daycare this week after a week off—which, in case you missed on Facebook, we forgot about. Yep, last Monday Ben and I had a whole week of dates and time together planned until Ben took the boys to daycare and it was closed!! We didn’t figure it out until I actually called the daycare lady’s cellphone and she said “lkjlsdkjfsdlk vacation laksjlk…” Ooops! That was embarrassing!
Then we finally sent them yesterday only to be told Nathan has head lice when Ben it was time to come home! Poor little guy was in tears from having his head picked at by well-meaning teachers all morning. The nit comb is a joke compared to that! And, Ben shaved Nathan’s head. As though our boys didn’t get enough stares! =) The lice thing could be a lot worse I think. Neither boy is uncomfortable, which is important, and they can still go to daycare. It is a pain that we don’t have hot water for our washing machine, or a clothes dryer, to kill any lice on the clothes and bedding. I’ve made a pile on the balcony to be isolated for 2 weeks till any nits die. Sure hope that does it!

In other little boy news, my sons like each other! They say nice things and play together every day! (Like, not all day long, let's be reasonable...). Hooray!

We are talking to Ben’s Korean Acupuncture doctor friend about possibly having his Elementary school daughter stay with us for homestay in December 2009 in Kingston (well, I hope it’s Kingston! Can’t imagine getting a big enough place in the GTA!). I was apprehensive about someone so young until we met her. She’s a pretty tiny 11 year old, but very easy to interact with, and awfully cute. We’ll see!

We just saw the pictures of our new niece, Tigerlily Beatrix Butler today (check out COME ON IN, their blog)! That’s one lovable, gorgeous, BIG baby! We are unbelievably proud of Sarah and Team Butler for their strength and hard work during a long labour. You rock Sarah! And it was a real blessing to us to be able to “be there” during the labour at home via Skype.