And so it goes and goes and goes...

It's Saturday morning, 8:00 am, at the tail end of my third week back. Things are finally settling down. I bought my new computer (hence being able to type this message at 8am on a Saturday) and a new comfy computer chair to sit in. I have my coffee, smokes, and, well, lot's of time to kill.

The most difficult part of getting back to teaching so far has been dealing with my two classes of first graders. It's not the discipline because for the most part the are good kids. My problem seems to be that, it's been so long since I've taught little kids, my brain has shut down and locked away the creative juices needed to make kid classes entertaining. I'm hoping that another few weeks will unlock this dusty little box, so that I may get back into form. It's a weird adjustment going from teaching adults all the time to having to switch brains back and forth teaching adults sometimes and kids sometimes.

A brief comment on the recent passing of the health care reform bill in the States: whether you were for or against the bill you have to be amazed that, in the current political climate, Congress actually GOT SOMETHING DONE! It boggles the mind.

Direct from the Annoying Shit Department:

Having a new computer is a wonderful thing. I can resume my addiction to World of Warcraft, I have access to ALL my music again, and I can email and chat from the comfort of my own home (read: sitting around in my underwear). However, the thing that's going to drive me nuts is that the private company that owns the dormitory I live in blocks every and all download sites for music and movies as well as the download sites for bitTorrent clients. I'm an unapologetic downloader. It's where most of my downtime entertainment comes from (and you perverts out there stop sniggering. I'm not just downloading porn!). I'm currently in negotiations with the guy who runs the server for the dorms in an effort to get him to, at the very least, unblock the BitTorrent client I use for downloading. I might have one advantage in the fact that the guy is a fellow World of Warcraft player and in order to download any updates or patches for the game, you need access to BitTorrent. Hopefully, I'll be able to convince him to simply leave BitTorrent unblocked with the idea that, if he does leave it unblocked, I won't have to bother him every time a new WoW update comes around (which is quite frequent). Here's hoping anyway.

From the Move Your Fat Ass news desk:

Spring is finally arriving in Korea. Although it is still a bit chilly, all the signs are there. That said, I'm going to try and make a concerted effort to get out more and explore the area. Gongju seems to have a lot of nice scenic areas to hike. The university also has a pool on campus that has a fairly cheap membership, so I'm going to try that as well. While EVERYONE knows I could certainly use the exercise, it's the boredom that comes from having a seven hour break between classes that I'm trying to alleviate. Exercise is just an added bonus, lol.

That's about it for now. I'm going to pull the photos off my camera sometime today, so I'll be posting some of the pics I took while in Taiwan sometime soon.

Back in the Saddle Again

Ah yes. Life as an English teacher continues after a 7 month break. Aiiii go! Anyway, teaching English in Korea is very much like falling off a bike: It hurts every time! Truthfully, it's not really as bad as all that. Gongju is a smaller university than CNU, and I'm not dealing with teaching freshmen students. I only have to teach people that sign up for the Institute. Most of my students are adults, so it's pretty easy. I'm even enjoying the two classes of first graders that I have to teach in the afternoon. About the only thing I'm not really happy with is my schedule. I have to teach two classes early in the morning, which I don't mind. I like the early morning stuff. What is killling me is the SEVEN HOUR BREAK between my morning and afternoon classes and then the hour break between 6 and 7pm. I need to find something other than napping to pass the time during the break. All of that doesn't matter because I survived the first week and it's FRIDAY!!! YAAAAAY!!!!

Even though it's good to be working again, I' still having mixed feelings about being back in Korea. It's good to see my friends again and get the chance to hangout, but it feels strange. I don't feel like I belong here any more. I'm sure tings will feel more normal as I settle into the job and my new apartment (my back is killing me adjusting to the new bed). The funny thing is is that I miss Taiwan already, and, of course, I miss Rebecca terribly. I'll just have to suck it up and plow on ahead.

I have more to add, but I mus head to my last class of the night. %0 minutes of English bliss and it's beer time. :-D