My adventure to find kickball

The organization I went through to come to Korea: Teach ESL Korea, was holding a kickball game with other teachers from Gwangju.  The person who created the program Dan lives in Gwangju with his family and regulary gets people in the area together to have some fun.  I started off with the bus thinking I knew where to get off.  From what I understood the location of the park was close to the World Cup Statuim.   I already wrote about the rest of the day but here are the photos of the World Cup Satuim:

My first temple visit

I found this while on my way to the city.   

It was a slice of Heaven in the busy neighborhood.



These three markers were locked behind a fenced in area.



Inside it was set up for what looked like a presentation or speaker.  There were few people in outside, most where in the small prayer rooms you see in this picture.  There is a prayer room behind each set of doors.  They leave their shoes outside of course.  The few people inside where quiet, yet smiled and bowed to me as they pasted.

The buildings were so beautiful and rich with color and detail.

It was so peaceful.  All you could hear was the sound of the wind and birds overhead.  You would find people laying down and resting all around. 

My school

This is the downstairs section of my school.  I work for an after school English Accadamy.  I work from 1:30pm to 8:30pm.  The Korean teachers stay till 10:30pm teaching.  The downstairs is mostly for the younger students 2nd-4th grade though there are some older kid classrooms and test taking down here in some of the bigger classrooms.  I teach any where from 3-5 classes a day which is not that many compaired with many other English teachers who could teach up to 7 or 8 classes a day.  The upstairs is for our older students.  Upstaris I teach 4th-6th graders though I believe we have students up to maybe 8th grade who take classes upstairs.  This is the lobby of the downstaris.  In the back you can see the long study table and the Library.

This is the computer room where students work on lessons.

This the the otherside of the Lobby.  The TV to the right plays the student's presenations that we record.  They play all day long.  So everyone gets to see how well or not so well you did on your presentation.  They also upload the presentations on the internet so parents can see them online as well.

This is the hallway to most of the classes.  Stright a head is the downstairs teacher's office.  My desk is upstairs.

This is one of the classrooms.  The littles' as I call them usually only have between 4-7 students per class.  Upstairs with the older student my classes are between 9-14 students, still quite small.

All the classrooms have a TV or a projector linked to the computer.  Our books we teach from have lessons on the computer that go with each unit.  It is also nice to be able to show them photos from online when they do not understand what I am talking about...a picture is worth a thousand words.

The Kimchi Fest

 I went to the Kimchi Fest that is held in Gwangju once a year to celebrate Kimchi.  There was all kinds of Kimchi and things made with Kimchi.  I took the bus there and while tring to ask the bus driver if I had missed my stop or when I should get off (he even called someone for me to speak to in English) two Americans came up and told me they were going to the fest too.  They had been there earlier in the week and knew where to get off.  Thank goodness because it was quite the hike from the bus stop, even if I did get off at the right stop.  They were really nice.  They told me they were from Texas and were taking a year off to travel.  They just came from Japan and were going to be in Korea for a month and then go to China (were their parents were from) and then Tialand...

There was music and dancing. 

You could make your own Kimchi for $5.  They had soaked the cabbage and prepared the spice rub already but you continued with steps 5 and 6.   



This guy was a great help.  His English was really good and he told me what I had to do.  Step 5 was to rub the spice mix into the cabbage, folding back each layer one at a time and spreading the spice rub inbetween. 

This lady thought I needed help, I thought I was going great, but I could tell she just took pride in Kimchi.  After I finished rubbing the spices inbetween the cabbage the lady put the Kimchi in a bag and then in my very own Kimchi pot so I could take it home (step 6).  I was told to let it sit out at room temperature for 4-5 days and then I could eat it.  I did let it sit out for 5 days.

 

These are Kimchi pots. They bury the Kimchi in the ground for months traditionally.  While in the ground the Kimchi soaks in the spice rub.

 I also made this pancake like thing that had Kimchi in it too.  It was 1,000 won which is less than $1 to make, great deal right.  While in the Kimchi tent I met some people from the UK there.  They were funny and together we were tossing the Kimchi pancake thing in the air.  The Korean women helping us could not get enough they would "ooooh" everytime and clap their hands encouraging us to do more.  I tasted so good when we finally stopped playing with it and ate it.




There were art tents there too.  I made this painting and another one just like it but blue.  You make them with paint and stamps that the gentleman  in the photo made ( he was the artist that made the stamps)  but I painted the picture all by myself. 





These guys were so funny.  They kept chasing me and knocking each other down.



That was the end of my day at the Kimchi Fest.  I met a lot of nice people and had fun creating food and art.