Octopus and Entrails

I have been silently dreading the day when I would be served octopus in the cafeteria (the cooks dish up your food for you). I knew it would probably come sooner rather than later, and it did. However, I never anticipated that I would be served entrails wrapped in pork intestine. Most Koreans love both of these dishes; I sadly wimped out and did not try either. I told my co-teacher that I will get up the courage to try entails before I leave, and I will probably end up trying octopus soon. It is simply a matter of how I was raised. Most Koreans eat octopus and entrails from childhood; they are common meals. As I child, the only seafood my family ate was fresh fish, and I don’t think many American families eat entrails. With time, I will overcome my fears and make my co-workers proud!

Although it is only my first week teaching, I believe that my school situation is perfect for me. I only teach 18 classes a week. Most of those classes are middle school students; however, I do teach one high school class a day. The first day I met my high school students I was shocked at their English language ability. I had to throw my lesson plan out because it was too easy for them! My students actually speak better than anyone else I have met in Korea. I can talk my normal speed with them! This high school class is made up of the top students from high school one and high school two (10th and 11th grade). I have 12 high school students total. 12 come to class on Monday, and for the rest of the week, they split up into two classes of six. I love it! I have decided to make the class a discussion format. Yesterday, we were talking about the differences between American education and Korean education. One of the students asked, “If Korean students study so much more than American students, why is America so much more powerful than Korea?” I was floored! We had a good discussion on the differences between Korea and the United States, and I hope to continue the discussion with them tomorrow. My high school students’ days look like this . . .

7:00am – begin studying
7:30am – classes start
lunch and dinner in the school cafeteria
9:00pm – classes end
9:00pm – 12:00am – study
12:00pm – go to bed
Many of the students live in a dorm on campus. This is a pretty typical high school schedule for Korean teenagers.

I hope that through God’s grace, I can be a positive influence on all of my students and co-workers in Korea!

Thanks for being involved in my life!

-Anna-Teacher - My students call me this :)