How was your first day of class?

It's over.



...I suppose you might want to know a little more. I had 6 different classes today. Each class is a different age level and English level. I had 3 classes, a 40 minute break, and then 3 more classes. I got there this morning at 11:30 am to prep for classes; I got home around 9ish tonight. Tuesdays and Thursdays I have 6 classes as well, 5 of them are different from my MWF classes. So, that's 11 different classes total. Ten, actually. Twelve classes but ten different sets of lesson plans and books and everything. It's... intense.

I had some great students and some students who were bored or wanted to push the limits. I had students who jumped right into the material and others who I wasn't sure knew what was going on (which is understandable in a foreign language class). I had a pretty good day overall. It was just... long. And tiring. And some things worked and some things didn't. So, I know that I need to tweak some lessons for some classes or have more structure, etc. It's such a huge learning process.

It's challenging and intersting and exciting and exhausting and everything all rolled into one. I can't tell you how I feel; I can only think, ok, day one done, on to day two. The day feels like it was a blur and I have to get up and do a different kind of similar thing tomorrow.

Day two, here I come!!

Part 2 of this entry, in which I connect a tv show to my life:

The season finale of Bones (yes I like that show) has all the characters going their seperate ways for a year. "It's just a year," says Brennan. "Nothing will change." Their roles switched for a moment, Booth counters with an explanation that things will change, that nothing stays the same because people evolve. It was an interesting episode for me because it hit on a lot of issues I've been thinking about.

A year is a long time. Things happen in a year and when I go back things will be different. Tonight makes it two weeks that I've been here. In the two weeks I was gone, Side Street shut down and MG got engaged (congrats, MG!). I'm glad to be here but I'm also facing uncertainty. Such is life, I suppose.

I don't want reassurances that nothing will change, because they will. They already are. I guess the biggest thing is that change is scary. And being in a foreign country so far from home is somehow not as scary as wondering how I will change and how things will have changed when I go home.

On that note, I'm off to make some spicy spaghetti again. I'd like to get my hands on a Korean cookbook. An easy-to-read cookbook. Maybe one for children. With pictures and EASY instructions. Basic ones. For dummies. For example "Boil water." Me: You mean, in a pot?

Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating. Just a little. But yikes! (Haha, I taught one class interjections today! Wow! It was fun!).