Each month this year I’ve been working on two challenges from this list. One of the two I picked this month was to take one photograph each day and write a paragraph about it. As someone who studied writing and photography, and who enjoys both as hobbies, this was a fun challenge for me. At the end of the month, it’s cool to look back and see what moments stood out to me each day. Below are several of my photograph/paragraph sets from the month.
October 1st
Happy places
This has been one of my happiest places in Busan for the past three summers. It hasn’t always been stress-free since becoming one of those in charge, but at its most basic, it’s always been something that’s made me smile. It has given me amazing friends, confidence, and so much fun. Volleyball on the beach is something that Busan gave me for which I will always be thankful.
October 5th
Proper burials
So I’m playing outside in the yard with the baby kindies, because it’s too nice out to have gym class in the playroom. All of a sudden they all gather around something. Knowing how kids are (last time they freaked out it was over a tiny spider on the window at least five feet above any of their heads), I assume it’s something small. I’m right--it’s a dead worm. They’re examining it, poking at it, stepping on it, and then my helper teacher tells them it's dead and asks if they want to make a grave. Their immediate answer is yes. She places the worm just under the edge of the porch, and every single kid went and found a leaf and laid it nicely on top of the worm, and left it alone for the rest of the time. Respect for the dead from four-year-olds.
October 11th
Super smart kids
This is my favorite class at Kids Club. They went through the kindergarten program here, and were some of the smartest ones in their class both then and now. I can talk at normal speeds and in full sentences with them, and they understand. They like to joke around and they LOVE having class outside. We don’t get a lot done when we go outside because there are so many things to see and touch and talk about, but their curiosity is so fun and I really like listening to their conversations.
October 18th
Creepy crawlies
We’ve been spending this month talking mostly about Halloween, so we’ve gotten to make some crafts. Today we made these little spiders, and I got the supplies and the template from a Korean co-teacher. She didn’t know how many legs spiders have, and apparently I must have had a momentary lapse in memory because I went ahead and followed her design of six legs. My kids got to feel smart, though, when they told me spiders have eight legs and I realized my mistake.
October 19th
Break on the bench
Some days I just need to get out of the building, and today was one of those days. My kids were driving me nuts and I wasn’t feeling the best, and Sunny Teacher had given me an orange juice. I took it and my Kindle and went to the park. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I just picked a bench right inside the entrance. It’s amazing how a half hour in the sunshine with a good book can pick up your mood.
October 25th
Yup, that about sums it up
Rose’s face in this photo really says it all. This photographer is mean and never seems to be satisfied, no matter how hard the kids try. Whenever we have a photo shoot she picks at the kids, yells at some of them, makes one cry now and then. She spent this photo shoot molding their faces like they were blocks of clay, and it took ages. This photo is from not too far into the day, and they were already tired of it.
October 26th: School, Halloween
Superheroes and princesses
Every year that I’ve been in Korea has brought the same small variety of costumes on Halloween at school: superheroes for the boys, and princesses for the girls, with a random ghost or witch thrown in. This year was no exception. Luckily the kids are cute, to cancel out the repetitiveness of the holiday. We went on a costume parade through the park and had fun taking pictures and running around dressed up.
October 27th
Oh, this is strange
Mr. Yi, OJ’s coworker, invited us to his daughter’s wedding, which was the first Korean one I’ve been to. They did it in one of many “wedding halls” located around the city which are kind of like little wedding factories. The couple has some input, but they’re definitely rushed in and out. The wedding lasts 15-30 minutes, and takes place in a big room that’s open at the back so that noise flows freely. Then everyone is rushed down to a buffet for lunch, and that’s over in about half an hour as well. The newly married couple doesn’t even show up for the meal because they’re busy taking pictures in hanbok. Pretty different from how most people in the States celebrate their special day.
October 30th
I’m a nerd
My new dictionary came! Actually, it came a few days ago, but I haven’t had much of a chance to look at it. I really want to start school for translation (and possibly interpretation) when we get to California, and I’ve been studying a little each week to brush back up on my Spanish. I have a book that I’ve been using to work on text stuff, but I’ve only been using Google Translate to help with words I don’t know. This dictionary is awesome and it’s going to be so helpful as I work on this. I am super excited to start using it, but part of me doesn’t even want to touch it because it’s so pretty.
October 31st
One little puppy did THAT?
After all the time we’ve spent lately talking about how cute Mandu is and how glad we are to have gotten him and how good he’s been, Mandu did this. We can’t figure out what could have possibly possessed him to do it, besides potentially the fact that his nails are getting long. But they’ve been long before and nothing like this happened. Back to square one for figuring out how to best set him up during the day...
Hope this finds you all happy and well, and safe if you're on the East Coast and were in the area that Sandy hit. Love and hugs to everyone! I'll post some photo album links with next month's blog.
Love,
Heather
Proper burials
So I’m playing outside in the yard with the baby kindies, because it’s too nice out to have gym class in the playroom. All of a sudden they all gather around something. Knowing how kids are (last time they freaked out it was over a tiny spider on the window at least five feet above any of their heads), I assume it’s something small. I’m right--it’s a dead worm. They’re examining it, poking at it, stepping on it, and then my helper teacher tells them it's dead and asks if they want to make a grave. Their immediate answer is yes. She places the worm just under the edge of the porch, and every single kid went and found a leaf and laid it nicely on top of the worm, and left it alone for the rest of the time. Respect for the dead from four-year-olds.
October 11th
Super smart kids
This is my favorite class at Kids Club. They went through the kindergarten program here, and were some of the smartest ones in their class both then and now. I can talk at normal speeds and in full sentences with them, and they understand. They like to joke around and they LOVE having class outside. We don’t get a lot done when we go outside because there are so many things to see and touch and talk about, but their curiosity is so fun and I really like listening to their conversations.
October 18th
Creepy crawlies
We’ve been spending this month talking mostly about Halloween, so we’ve gotten to make some crafts. Today we made these little spiders, and I got the supplies and the template from a Korean co-teacher. She didn’t know how many legs spiders have, and apparently I must have had a momentary lapse in memory because I went ahead and followed her design of six legs. My kids got to feel smart, though, when they told me spiders have eight legs and I realized my mistake.
October 19th
Break on the bench
Some days I just need to get out of the building, and today was one of those days. My kids were driving me nuts and I wasn’t feeling the best, and Sunny Teacher had given me an orange juice. I took it and my Kindle and went to the park. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I just picked a bench right inside the entrance. It’s amazing how a half hour in the sunshine with a good book can pick up your mood.
October 25th
Yup, that about sums it up
Rose’s face in this photo really says it all. This photographer is mean and never seems to be satisfied, no matter how hard the kids try. Whenever we have a photo shoot she picks at the kids, yells at some of them, makes one cry now and then. She spent this photo shoot molding their faces like they were blocks of clay, and it took ages. This photo is from not too far into the day, and they were already tired of it.
October 26th: School, Halloween
Superheroes and princesses
Every year that I’ve been in Korea has brought the same small variety of costumes on Halloween at school: superheroes for the boys, and princesses for the girls, with a random ghost or witch thrown in. This year was no exception. Luckily the kids are cute, to cancel out the repetitiveness of the holiday. We went on a costume parade through the park and had fun taking pictures and running around dressed up.
October 27th
Oh, this is strange
Mr. Yi, OJ’s coworker, invited us to his daughter’s wedding, which was the first Korean one I’ve been to. They did it in one of many “wedding halls” located around the city which are kind of like little wedding factories. The couple has some input, but they’re definitely rushed in and out. The wedding lasts 15-30 minutes, and takes place in a big room that’s open at the back so that noise flows freely. Then everyone is rushed down to a buffet for lunch, and that’s over in about half an hour as well. The newly married couple doesn’t even show up for the meal because they’re busy taking pictures in hanbok. Pretty different from how most people in the States celebrate their special day.
October 30th
I’m a nerd
My new dictionary came! Actually, it came a few days ago, but I haven’t had much of a chance to look at it. I really want to start school for translation (and possibly interpretation) when we get to California, and I’ve been studying a little each week to brush back up on my Spanish. I have a book that I’ve been using to work on text stuff, but I’ve only been using Google Translate to help with words I don’t know. This dictionary is awesome and it’s going to be so helpful as I work on this. I am super excited to start using it, but part of me doesn’t even want to touch it because it’s so pretty.
October 31st
One little puppy did THAT?
After all the time we’ve spent lately talking about how cute Mandu is and how glad we are to have gotten him and how good he’s been, Mandu did this. We can’t figure out what could have possibly possessed him to do it, besides potentially the fact that his nails are getting long. But they’ve been long before and nothing like this happened. Back to square one for figuring out how to best set him up during the day...
Hope this finds you all happy and well, and safe if you're on the East Coast and were in the area that Sandy hit. Love and hugs to everyone! I'll post some photo album links with next month's blog.
Love,
Heather
