A change of pace...

This week has been quite the adventure thus far. I'll begin with this past weekend. A group of friends and I decided to go out Saturday night to a "night club." The reason why I quote nightclub is because this certainly isn't any nightclub that I'm used to back home. Of course this place has "beverages" and music but the experience is like no other. There are tables set up all around the dance floor and we arrived to the establishment around 9pm, which is pretty early. We started requesting the most non Korean songs would could think of. For instance, Labamba, The Macarena, Friends In Low Places, and etc. The reason this club is so different than anything I've seen before is because the DJ controls when people get up and dance and when they're supposed to sit and eat or drink at their table. Music will be playing the entire time but all of a sudden the DJ says something in Korean and EVERYONE gets up from their tables and heads to the dance floor where a large group of Koreans begin to dance to what looks like American 1980's style of dancing. Needless to say, we had a blast!!!

Tuesday was May 5th and if you think along the same line I do, that means Cinco De Mayo. It was a coincidence that we had off of school that day for "Kids Day." Kids Day is basically a day where parents can spoil their children......don't they normally do that anyways? May 5th was not Kids Day to me, it was time to celebrate America's cousin to the south's holiday in Cinco De Mayo. I decided to invite about 15 people over to my little "room" of an apartment and made a huge batch of tacos, seasoned sauteed vegetables, and everyone else brought a dish of their choice. The tacos turned out to be unbelievably amazing and everyone was so happy to finally get some Mexican food here in Korea. Later that night we went to a local bar where my band practices; that's right I said practices. We've had a total of 3 practices as a whole band and decided there was no better time than the present to see how we're progressing. We had about 5 songs under our repertoire and we pulled it off fairly well if I do say so myself! It was another great night had by all!

Wednesday, today, and tomorrow (May 6, 7, and 8th) was an opportunity for me to make a little extra money on the side. Of of the local kindergarten schools needs a substitute for these days because the teacher went on vacation. I volunteered to take it and it was a great choice! The kids I teach are absolutely adorable and I'd rather work with these kids over my spoiled middle school kids any day!!! For some reason little Korean children are absolutely adorable and they all say the funniest things. I was told by the director that she can't believe how well I teach in the class and the way the kids react towards me she says she's never seen it happen so fast before. She also mentioned there may be a permanent spot for the time slot. I just teach there from 10am-12pm and I'd love to pick up those hours full time with my "normal" schedule of 3pm-11pm at Avalon.

Well that's the update so far for this week and I was just informed today that Saturday is a "picnic" for all of the teachers at Avalon but the picnic is being called a Survival Picnic where we'll be playing paint ball and having other games. I'm looking forward to it and I'll have pictures and more to come!!!