Back in the Swing of Things

I'm now 3 days back into the swing of things since Summer Break ended.  Well, 2 or 3 depending on if you count yesterday, when no students showed up because of the Typhoon.

I had my first 2nd grade class today since being back.  We were working on making our first phonics book, Zac the Rat, and one of the little girls finished early.  She asked if she could color on the back - absolutely, if that means you'll happily and quietly sit still, you can do anything you want!  This is what she drew.  I figured it was too cute not to share!  She kept pointing at her drawing and then at me to make sure I understood.  I had been a little unsure at first, given the number of people with yellow hair in my school... or in Korea in general.   

Straight chaos!

I found this gem on Facebook.

Also, I figured I should update you on the Typhoon Bolaven damage now that the storm has come and gone.  These pictures are not my own, both borrowed from foreign friends who are also teaching in the area.  They capture the essence of the storm perfectly.  I took a brief video of the view out my window while at work, but I'm still working on getting it uploaded to my blog.

My coteacher asked me today if I stayed home last night because of the storm.  Um... no. It was a little windy, but that didn't stop me from going out for pizza.  Both her and the students were quite concerned, "But teacher, in Korea, some trees fell down!"  Right.  And that was more or less the extent of, "one of the worst typhoons to ever hit the Korean peninsula." [Quoted from The Korea Herald.]  I did read that there were a few causalities and structural damage further south in the country where the storm hit the strongest -down near Jeju, the island just off the southern tip of the peninsula.  And that's certainly tragic.  But mind you, I'm nowhere near that.  Something tells me they wouldn't know what to do with themselves during one of the more intense WI thunderstorms.