First Week in Ulsan

So, it has been a long week of work given that we came straight from the punishing 7-day orientation. This morning was the first day off we've had in about 12 or 13 days. Teaching is definitely something of an art. If those kids aren't interested, you aren't getting anything out of them. All the talk of Korean kids wanting to learn and be in the classroom is pretty much a lie. These guys aren't really any different to kids back home, maybe just a touch nicer.

I take 6th graders for four days a week and 3rd graders on friday. The 6th graders are about 11-12 I think - kings of the school in their eyes. You definitely have to cut them down to size if you're going to get anything done. The third graders on the other hand just love you. They ask question after question of 'Teacher, do you like.....? Do you like......?' I think I've answered every question under the sun yesterday.

Michelle has a little bit of a rougher deal in that she has around 10 after school classes a week. The kids REALLY don't want to be there then. At the minute I think the kids are taking to us very much as you would a substitute teacher, and I remember what a raw time we'd give them back in the day!

Still, we have three days off now. Monday is a National Foundation Day, commemorating the birth of the Korean nation over 4000 years ago. We're going to get our tourist on around Ulsan and scout out some cool things, then on monday we're hiking with Michelle's school's teachers. I think we'll make the apartment a little more homely too :)

Oh, and this is Ulsan: