the Korean word for "soap" is cemented in my head (비누/ binu)

I have photos from a girls' night out last week at a "luxury" noraebang (karaoke room) and a sushi conveyer belt style restaurant that I've been meaning to upload but my stupid apartment was just made livable again yesterday after nearly a week. Monday, my co-teacher contacted the complex office and the guys there met me after work. They went to look at the pipe and just reaffirmed that yes, it's broken, and that yes, it needs to be fixed. All right, so then my co-teacher called the gas company or someone for me, and two days later someone came out and did the repair. That's the first time a repairman hasn't been timely in my experience here. So yesterday, I finally got to go back to my apartment, but really, it just further justifies my desire to move somewhere newer if I stay another year. 

Yesterday was science day! Of course I knew nothing about it until a student asked what I was doing that day. I ended up helping the teacher I sit next to in the office with her project. All over the school were stations for classes to go to- a sandwich making room, make juice, explore different flavors, etc. I got to help make soap for 4 hours. I had a lot of fun! I really missed intensive hands on activities like this. It was also fun to see the students do something other than sit at a desk. My school schedule is shaping up to be more like that of a real teacher's. The teacher training has kicked in, so I meet 2 classes with a small handful. I have those 2 extra classes Friday afternoons, and today, my co-teacher said I'm going to meet with a student for 2 periods on Thursdays. She's entering a reading comprehension contest, and she has to be familiar with 16 children's stories by June. It's kind of ridiculous. My co-teacher wants her comfortable with the pronunciation, and I guess he'll work on her with translations? My afternoons are absolutely packed now, but that helps the rest of the day go by. 


The suddenness that places close in Korea is astounding. I don't think stores announce or warn customers of an impending shut down. I see Koreans show up at the doors just as shocked as I am. For instance, the meeting place my friends and I use when we go to Eunhang Dong is a Starbucks right next to a LCD screen. It was there last Saturday when I met a couple of friends for lunch. It was cleaned out and being ripped apart inside Monday. Last night, while waiting to meet my Korean study partner, a girl tried to go inside before she looked up and saw that nothing was in there. Across the way, a makeup store disappeared, and restaurants up and down the main walkway are also gone. Granted, as quickly as stores and restaurants close new places spawn out of nowhere. 


Now I need to cram in some last minute work before I meet the contest student. The teachers asked for restaurant language for training tomorrow. I've got some expressions, but really, you don't need a lot of the foreign language to get what you need. Oh, MENUS! I should print menus from places and have them practice ordering off of those. GENIUS. hahaha. That, and I was planning to highlight some restaurant culture differences.