I'm Outdoorsy

Ok, so anyone reading that title probably immediately laughed. I may be athletic, but I am certainly not outdoorsy. But, since hiking is like a national pastime of Korea, I figured I would join in on the action and get some awesome views along the way. Or at least I thought I would....

Unfortunately, it was super foggy the day that a couple of friends and I set off with an Adventure Korea group to hike Mt. Daedun, so the view was rather limited. Couple that with a little mix of rain/snow and it made for some treacherous conditions for this non-hiker. There was even some snow still left over on the ground near the top.  My NIKEs were not really equipped for the rugged terrain, but none the less, I made it up and down the mountain in one piece and despite the stubborn weather along the way, I got some good pics. The Koreans are champs though...I saw several couples having little picnics on the side of the mountain and then when we were near there top, there was a little "restaurant" where tons of Koreans were taking shots of Soju. Now hiking alone was enough of a task for me; there was no way I was going to get drunk and hike. (You're welcome Mom & Dad.) I did stop long enough for a couple of Koreans to get a pic with me...too bad none of them took one with my camera.   I was really glad I decided to be outdoorsy, but was really glad to get home, have a warm shower and get in my own bed...which was the last night it was going to be my own for a week. The next day, Kel & Ker arrived in SoKo and we shared my bed for the duration of the trip!! 

way steeper than it looks

going up

crazy Korean hikers stopping for Soju

getting closer...

finally to the top

heading down

The rest of the hiking pics are here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/meganebroderick/MtDaedun#

Exploring some of SoKo's treasures

So March is an extremely busy month for me in terms of visitors. My sisters were here March 7th-14th and Jac will be here March 26-April 2nd. I love that my family and friends are able to come and visit me and share in this experience with me. With that being said, I decided I better get my own butt in gear and do some more exploration before everyone arrived, so it would be easier for me to give recommendations and logistics. First I took to a couple of palaces.
There are 5 main palaces in Seoul. So, on a bit of a chilly Saturday afternoon, I set out to explore a couple. I went to Gyeongbok-gung and Deoksu-gung. The palaces are amazing!! I love to look at the architecture and the colors are so vibrant. I set out hoping to catch at least one of the changing of the guards, which happens every 2 hrs. at Gyeongbok-gung and 4 times daily at Deoksu-gung. I was able to work it out that I saw the changing of the guard at both palaces, which was really awesome. The palaces are within walking distance of each other, so it gave me a nice chance to see a little more of Seoul.

Check out the rest of my palatial pics: 

http://picasaweb.google.com/meganebroderick/AdventuresInPalatialLand#

Please forgive me....

I have been a terrible bloggert!! I know, it has been over a month!!! So, all of my camps ended and the school year FINALLY has begun. I am extremely busy with school. The schedule is random and varied and I am working overtime, so it makes it very difficult for Skyping, as well as finding free time for things like blog posts. So what is it like??
I actually much preferred to teach camps. Although I had to do all of the planning and prep for camps, the lessons were my own and there was a lot more freedom...I also liked not having a Korean co-teacher. Now, don't get me wrong, I have wonderful co-teachers, but I found that when the children can't rely on someone to tell them in Korean what to do or what is being said, they tend to listen more carefully and are overall more engaged. I am teaching from 3rd-6th grade during normal school hours. I work on a rotating schedule. So...one week I teach with one co-teacher in grades 3 & 4, the next week, I teach with another co-teacher in 5th grade and one 3rd grade class and then the next week, I teach with my 3rd co-teacher in 6th grade with another 3rd grade class. Each class is seen twice per week, so I only see most kids 2 or maybe 4 times per month. Then after school, I am teaching overtime at the welfare program. I figure as long as I am at school I might as well be doing something...right?? Plus I am getting paid about $100/week in OT, so that will definitely be my travel money for the summer. In the welfare program, I get to make my own lesson plans, which is fun!  I teach 1st grade twice per week and 2nd grade twice per week. The little kids are so freaking cute. I love them!! And now they are planning on giving me an additional welfare class of 3rd-6th, which will meet twice per week, but will be more focused on "fun learning" since there will be such a gap in age and ability. It is definitely going to be a lot...in all, I only have about an hour and a half of "free time" per day, but I think it is worth it.
The other great thing about the school year starting...I finally get the calendar for the year. Which means...I can figure out when I have days off and can take some vacations!! Our next significant break falls in May and of course I am taking a trip. I am actually going with a fellow CofC-er to Boracay in the Philippines!! I am so excited to get on a beach and get a tan!!
http://www.boracayonline.com/

5th grade spring campers

6th grade spring campers

6th grade girls

one of my favorite students, Ha Eun("Rachel")