Mom, OC prep, Training, & the AVENGERS!!!!!

So my life has gotten a bit busier this past month due to many things. My mom was visiting Korea and I found out how I would be spending my summer & next year. I was accepted to work at Orientation for the new ETAs this summer and next year I'll have the privilege of serving as the next Program Coordinator for the ETA program! I know that this will be a monumental task, but I feel both excited and anxious. The only sad note is that I won't be able to go to America until... November or December.

Don't cry for me.... North Carolina.

Mom's Visit
My mom visited Korea for two weeks starting the end of March to the 2nd week of April. She was here for her father's memorial service (April 9). I made it a point to see her, but even I was low on her priorities. She had friends to meet, a mom to take care of, siblings to see, medical checkups to get. She was a busy woman, haha. I made sure to give her an allowance too. That was quite the comical moment in our lives. We both genuinely enjoyed being in Korea together. It was a surreal experience as she took me to her old house, her old store, and gave me insights to her life in Korea before I was born. I could tell that she really enjoyed the experience as well. She was impressed with my life here and I could detect trace amounts of pride. I'm glad that she was able to come and we were able to have this time together. It was a shame that we didn't have the time to do more.

My dad is also coming this Fall, so I can't wait for that either. I think he will be more needy than my mom. :)

"This was where my store was."

"Yup, this was the door into the store."

"This was the HUGE hill that I used to sled down. That yellow thing in the back is where our house was."

Mom & Daughter + my thigh. 

(note: Yes I am a bit of a momma's boy)

OC Prep
So I found out that I would be on the Orientation Coordinator Team (OCT) with my friends Jim, Emilee, JR, Ashlee, and Big Les. I'm really looking forward to getting to know the incoming ETAs. I have already enjoyed working with the other OCs preparing. We met in Seoul earlier to have our preliminary meeting and plan out the planning process.

This weekend, we will have our bonding weekend in Busan. I can't wait to meet them all again and just have a lot of fun getting to know each other. It's going to be an AMAZING SUMMER!

Also, the weather has turned amazing. Warm with a breeze. I'll enjoy these two weeks of Spring. :)

Everybody enjoying the new weather in Seoul

Alongside the Han

PC Training
This past week, I had the opportunity to go to Seoul for training for my next job. It was surreal working in an office instead of the classroom. I got a slice of Fulbright office life. I learned how delicate and demanding their jobs are. I also learned about the technical aspects of the office (though I have yet to learn about the printer). I was filled with a lot of excitement and anticipation for my job next year. I was also treated to a very nice dinner with some researchers. By coming on the weekdays and seeing the office dynamic work, I feel like I have a better idea now of what my daily life will be like. Overall it was a good experience, but I also know that I have a lot left to learn.

My trainers

The dam of the Han

Researchers + a cloud

Researchers + Office Staff + my shadow

+ me!!

The the restaurant

Candid in the sunlight!

Everybody again (1)

Everybody again (2)

The restaurant by night

The Avengers (IMAX 3D)
Usually, I don't watch movies in the theater. I think it is a waste of money when I could just watch it in the comforts of my home. This movie changed my mind. It wasn't particularly insightful nor did it have a message to change my life. However, it was AWESOME. The 3D cinematography was the best I've ever seen. The action was awesome. It was just a really fun time. Also, it was nice to see Iron Man and Captain America butt heads. For some reason, I see the struggle within myself as Iron Man and Captain America. The hedonist vs. altruist. It was nice to see them work together to fight aliens. I guess I need to find my alien enemy. Haha.

The two sides of Anthony Cho

(From left to right) Poverty, Hunger, Human Rights Abuses, Global Health, Access to Education

I hope you all enjoyed this update! I will come up with another one soon too. May is shaping up to be a busy month as well!

The New Semester: Second Half Kickoff!

It has already been 9 months since I left the states to start my grant year in Korea. I cant believe that time has passed by so quickly. This new semester represents the second half, the conclusion, the finale to my year. Winter break is over and with it my hiatus from responsibility. Here is what is happening / has happened so far.

New semester for school
My old second graders have now become third graders and entered what will be their most intense and demanding year. They are noticeably more serious and responsible than they were before. I'm glad that they realize how important this year is for their futures and are acting accordingly. However, they have been replaced with another bright class of students! They have not yet had their souls crushed by the demands of a Korean high school. They are very active, happy, and maybe a bit naive. The big bosses of middle school have not yet seen the difficulties of their future. Their enthusiasm has been great for me and a great second wind for this semester.

I have realized that these students are my real impact in Korea. As much as I can grow and gain personally, my window for making a difference in their lives is closing. I have been re-energized to really help my students with the time that I have left. I want to have a lasting effect in their lives.

Good luck~

- Book Club -
One new initiative I started with all my students is a book club. We are currently reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. My object with this is two fold: 1) to expose my students to more complex expressions and structures of English, and 2) to empower these students and show that they have the capabilities to read English novels. I think that if they read through this book with some guidance, they will be encouraged to continue after my time with them has passed. Sustainability is the KEY! I want their English to continue to grow! I have challenged my students to articulate complex ideas and they are responding very well!

North Korean Defectors Program
So we have also restarted our North Korean Defectors Program at the Gwangju North HANA center. We have new students, up from 3 to 8! The US Embassy has also provided us with books and teaching tools to really make our classes more effective. For the sake of their privacy, I have decided not to upload their photos without asking for permission first. However, we have a much more grounded curriculum for them now, more volunteer teachers, and a great hope for the rest of this semester. Hopefully, I will be able to share a more photo friendly post with some reflections on this program. I think that it is really good work.


Jeju Spring Conference
Ah! Welcome to the island. All of the ETAs were really looking forward to the spring conference. I wanted to see my friends, have fun, and really energize myself to finish with a bang! We also had some interviews but more on a later date.

I can really see why Jeju is known as the paradise of Korea. The lay of the land was beautiful, the ocean on all sides was astounding, and our 4 star hotel with an international breakfast buffet was phenomenal. I think that I will try to come back here during my off week for exams. We had so much fund together as we shared our experiences and our hopes going forward for the next semester. It really felt that we were all completely different people since our last conference. We really have had so much experience in between and are rolling downhill from here. I'll let the photos really speak for themselves on this.

The view outside our window

The hotel court yard (back)

Yum

B-A-C-O-N

Don't worry, they still had Kimchi

The bottom of Sunrise Peak

From Sunrise Peak, with Mt. Halla in the background

Friends at the summit

The view below

Chitty chatters

Photo time!

You want a piece of me and my camera?

Lets take pictures of us taking pictures of each other

Some Chinese/Taiwanese guy that was being loud the whole time

Interesting rock formations

Whatcha doin? 

Oh you know.. talking to a real-life scientist

Work the camera and the waterfall

I'm sending this one in to get a job with the Bieber Fragrance Campaign

Beautiful, Thousand, Cave?

Newest member of the YMCA: Bourgeois Caver Explorer

Pretty rocks and water

Green in a cave...srsly

Astutely pointing out the lack of pants.

A cave painting. Don't think its too old though...

Aint nobody say there aint no Ostriches in Korea

Ride the mighty tiger to BATTLE

Optical illusion of the tiger's might

Was this inappropriate?

The couple

Having a good time? Gotcha!

Me and my oriental zodiac partner

My MOM
My mom is here, but she is too busy hanging out with her mom. Rejected. Today, we picked the heads off of anchovies for an hour together. Hopefully we do a family outing soon and they will let me take pictures.