This picture from the left (front to back) is Jessica and Candy (School Secretary) and the right side, (front to back)is Bada, Jun, and Derik.
Between my first and second weeks in Jeonju, each of my adult classes either invited me to lunch or dinner. The picture is my 11 AM beginner's class, at our lunch. This was my first time of sitting on a mat on the floor. My getting up off the floor was a sight to behold, I am sure. All shoes are left outside of the dining area, as they are when entering a person's home. Jessica and Derik are the students who have been in the class the longest, with Bada and Jun the newest students. Since this picture, several more students have joined, but Jessica and Derik are the most faithful in attending. Jun is the young woman with whom I went to see Harry Potter. NOTE: many Korean students adopt English names and choose to be called that name their entire school career, even during their university time. If a child arrives at TOP without an English name, the English teacher is asked to give the child a name, as close as possible to their Korean name. This is pressure!! My most recent "naming" was to a young girl we now call "Selena". She is thrilled!
You can see from the picture that side dishes are the order of the day! The reason that I say "so much food, so little to eat" is because that due to the spicy/hot nature of Korean food, there is little that I can tolerate. However, each meal is usually accompanied by several side dishes of vegetables, that for the most part, I am able to eat. I have found 3 places where I go for lunch that have fried rice, fish, or chicken. You won't be surprised to hear that I have lost 8 lbs and counting, since June 23, my arrival. Fortunately, there are no Starbucks in Jeonju, so that bad habit is over!! And amazingly, just the thought of a drinking a sweet drink from Starbucks sounds awful! Who would have thought?
It has been raining very hard today....ran out quickly for lunch and came back to meet two gentlemen who had been meeting with the school's manager. They were eating lunch at the school that had arrived via a scooter. Believe it or not, the meal was as elaborate as any at a restaurant. Hot bowls were sitting in wooden boxes and side dishes were in multiple boxes as well. These men turned out to be former employees of TOP Academy only at the Headquarters. Each man is an independent recruiter now, looking for English teachers, and one inquired about my tutoring his two high school aged children. Seldom a day goes by that someone does not ask me about tutoring.
Thanks for taking a look at my blog. Will do some questions and answers from people in the next few days! Canceled my Amazon order for Harry Potter. I spoke to Mr. Kim at the English bookstore here in Jeonju. He has my copy ready for pickup on Saturday. Hope your week has been good!
