One of my partner Korean teachers for the preschool classes got into a car accident last weekend. She ended up in the hospital with no major injuries or broken bones though. She was gone all week which meant much more work for everyone and a very stressful week too when we had to make lesson plans. This is my first time making lesson plans so it took sooooooooo long to do them. Also, having substitute teachers for my homeroom class is HORRIBLE! The substitutes are too "nice" to the students and the children walk all over them. Then the children test the boundaries again with me! It is like having a "first day of class" all over every day! AUGHHHHHH!
Another of my partner Korean teachers broke her phone. Her daughter is in day care and she needs a phone. I lent her my phone so I didn't keep up with emails at all. She returned it to me for the weekend, but I promised to lend it to her again on Monday if she needs it. Also, she got sick on Thursday and I ended up having a class of 15 for two periods that day. I made it through which is a minor miracle.
I got sick on the second week of school. I almost lost my voice. That is very unusual for me and very unfortunate for a teacher! It turns out over half of the English teachers at the orientation in Seoul also had problems with illnesses and loosing their voices. There is something about coming here and the climate, viruses, or maybe just stress that makes nearly all of us get sick.
My apartment is very muggy. I would like to get a dehumidifier, but the only one I found at the local Emart costs $450 and is way too large to fit comfortably in my apartment. In looking up alternatives, I decided to try cat litter to see if it will help take some of the moisture from the air. I put it into flower pots and put fake flowers in it. Yes, I even decorate kitty litter! A little old Korean lady I will tell about in my gardening blog really liked them. She thought they were so pretty!
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| My Kitty Litter containers |
I found a locksmith, but he didn't have the right type of key to make a copy for me. I have a small dread that one day my landlady is going to ask for my key back. I did get the neighbor man who helped me when I was locked out a gift set of juices. I heard that they probably prefer alcohol, but I don't know him enough to know if that is true or not and I wouldn't get alcohol as a gift anyway. When I gave it to him he was in pajamas. I hope it wasn't at an inconvenient time for him. Maybe my trying to be polite backfired! Ah, well I guess he knows I had good intentions.
I found the post office but it wasn't open when I went. That was OK even though I would like to buy stamps. The problem is that I need to understand how the address system works so that I can send and receive mail. Packages need to be sent to work so someone is there to receive them while letters can be sent to my house (if I can figure out which is my mailbox). The girl who was in this apartment before me never even used the mail here.
I went to Emart as I mentioned above in trying to find a dehumidifier, and I wanted to buy Q tips and toilet paper. The cotton swabs they have here are for makeup removal. When I asked the girl about what to use for cleaning out your ear she showed me a sharp stick they use. I decided not to try my luck. I tried to buy toilet paper and the employee started to put a second set of 30 rolls in my cart telling me they were 2 for 1 price. (It is something like one plus one here and I don't fully understand the sales yet.) I thanked her but said I only wanted one. She insisted so I didn't buy that brand. I don't know how to explain that in an apartment the size of mine, I can't fit 60 rolls of toilet paper!!!! I would just waste it as it would get wet, dirty, something. I don't even have enough room under my bed for that much toilet paper!
OK, enough of the petty problems for one blog. On to better things.
I thought you could never have too much toilet paper...but never say never. Who would think to clean ears with sharp sticks? Ouch!
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