COEX Mall

Yesterday, my friend Kara and I decided to do a little shopping. We headed out in one direction only to end up going somewhere completely different thanks to some helpful Koreans in the subway station. One thing I have figured out is that if I am unsure about where to go, I just stand near a huge wall map in the station with a puzzled look on my face--without fail, someone comes and offers assistance! We took the subway to the COEX mall--it is a huge, 10-floor mall (however, I think the Mall of America is still lots bigger). The first floor is a grocery store with lots of important goods from home. I was able to find my favorite JIF peanut butter (I paid double for it, but it was worth it). The top floor was an art exhibit (ceramics, prints, sculpture). There was a man who was showing people how to make prints on rice paper. The picture at the bottom is me giving it a try. Sheesh, I look like a giant, don't I? I am so huge compared to that guy! I am not generally a tall person here, really, the stereotype of Koreans being really really short is simply not true! There are many Korean women who are taller than I am. I may not be extremely tall, but I do have extremely large feet compared to other Korean women! I am having a very hard time finding shoe stores that sell my size. When I tell them my size (size 9 or 9 1/2), they literally gasp with huge eyes! How embarassing! It was fun checking out the mall, but what was better was when we walked around outside the World Trade Center. There were lots of cool sculptures and we took tons of pictures while wandering around. This past week was my first week teaching. It went really well, but I am still not quite ready to start teaching yet!! I enjoy working with the kids, but sometimes it is difficult to work with my co-teachers (some of them don't speak English fluently). This week I will teach the same students again, and will begin another after school class one night a week where I teach my co-teachers. That will be my most difficult class, I think. In each classroom at my middle school, there is an LCD projector as well as a wide-screen TV. These classrooms look very old-fashioned, but as you open cupboards, you will see more technology than of that in the States!! It is so much more effective to teach ESL with technology--the kids really benefit from being able to see pictures and view short video clips or sample dialogues. All in all, I am very satisfied with my life here! I really have enjoyed meeting new friends and getting to experience this culture which is so different from my own!