The 2013 school year is officially over and for the next two weeks its spring vacation. The year officially ends the second week of February, so 2013 school year is extended for a month and a half in the Korean school system. New first grade students will be entering the school during the first week of March. This means, for the next two weeks, I do not have any classes, though I still have to come into school. I get to work on whatever I want including studying Korean, writing or reading, and planning for next year.
To celebrate the end of the school year, all teacher from Hacheong Middle school went on a field trip together. We left on Thursday afternoon after the 3rd grade students graduation ceremonies were over. We took a bus from Geoje island, to the northern part of Gyeongsangbuk-do. That night, we went to an expensive Korean beef restaurant where there was an abundance of soju flowing along with samgypsal and raw beef. I never ate raw beef but I was willing to try it. To my amazement, it was so good!. I could not help to eat more and more. I don't really understand why it is okay to eat this kind of beef raw, but I trusted that I would not get sick from it. After dinner, we made our way to the norebang (kareoke). Every teacher had a chance to sing a song while the rest of us clapped and danced around. I was singing and dancing so much that I built up quite a sweat before it was my turn to sing a song. I decided to sing "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young. I knew the song and the rhythm so it was an easy choice.
After the sing-a-thon, the bus took us to some cabins in the woods where we continue eating and drinking. I was given 30,000 won for the purpose of gambling with the other teachers. I ended up with 60,000 won by the end of the night. The air was so crisp, fresh and full of trees. Most of the teachers stayed up talking before going to bed at around 2 in the morning. The next day, we were up by 6 in the morning and getting ready for beakfast which was served at a nearby restaurant. After breakfast, we went ziplining. It was cold and many of us were tired from a lack of sleep and perhaps a few too many drinks, but the rush of zipping through the trees changed our demeanours real quick. There were 9 ziplines courses in total that we experienced. It was great fun!!!
Next we had lunch which was almost the same as our breakfast. This is typical in Korea. I t was also served at the same restaurant as we had breakfast. The only difference was that the soup was not tofu, it was fish, but all the rest was the same. The soups even tasted the same...at least it did for me. Then we went to the last activity of the day before returning to Geoje. ATV-ing!!! This was so much fun! Every teacher had their own 4-wheeler. We had a guide and were taken on an excursion through the forest and along a river. There were a bunch of different terrains that we were taken through along the way. When we first arrived to get our 4-wheeler, I was pretty tired, though once I got onto my machine, I was beaming with energy. It was so exciting to peeling out, beep my horn at the other teachers and take the occasional picture break.
After this adventure, we made our way back to the bus for the 3 hour journey back home to Geoje. The weekend was a success and a good bonding experience with the teachers at Hacheong middle school. Some of the teachers are leaving the school this year, so it was the outing with them. Many teachers transfer schools on a yealy basis and this is quite common in Korea. At the same time, teachers can only stay at a particular school for no more than 5 years. However, they can transfer before that time period if they so desire. All teachers that are leaving have been here for less then 5 years. Most of them just want to be closer to their home town. I don't blame them, some of the teachers don't see their families very often since they live so far away. I hope the best for them in and coming year.
To celebrate the end of the school year, all teacher from Hacheong Middle school went on a field trip together. We left on Thursday afternoon after the 3rd grade students graduation ceremonies were over. We took a bus from Geoje island, to the northern part of Gyeongsangbuk-do. That night, we went to an expensive Korean beef restaurant where there was an abundance of soju flowing along with samgypsal and raw beef. I never ate raw beef but I was willing to try it. To my amazement, it was so good!. I could not help to eat more and more. I don't really understand why it is okay to eat this kind of beef raw, but I trusted that I would not get sick from it. After dinner, we made our way to the norebang (kareoke). Every teacher had a chance to sing a song while the rest of us clapped and danced around. I was singing and dancing so much that I built up quite a sweat before it was my turn to sing a song. I decided to sing "Heart of Gold" by Neil Young. I knew the song and the rhythm so it was an easy choice.
After the sing-a-thon, the bus took us to some cabins in the woods where we continue eating and drinking. I was given 30,000 won for the purpose of gambling with the other teachers. I ended up with 60,000 won by the end of the night. The air was so crisp, fresh and full of trees. Most of the teachers stayed up talking before going to bed at around 2 in the morning. The next day, we were up by 6 in the morning and getting ready for beakfast which was served at a nearby restaurant. After breakfast, we went ziplining. It was cold and many of us were tired from a lack of sleep and perhaps a few too many drinks, but the rush of zipping through the trees changed our demeanours real quick. There were 9 ziplines courses in total that we experienced. It was great fun!!!
Next we had lunch which was almost the same as our breakfast. This is typical in Korea. I t was also served at the same restaurant as we had breakfast. The only difference was that the soup was not tofu, it was fish, but all the rest was the same. The soups even tasted the same...at least it did for me. Then we went to the last activity of the day before returning to Geoje. ATV-ing!!! This was so much fun! Every teacher had their own 4-wheeler. We had a guide and were taken on an excursion through the forest and along a river. There were a bunch of different terrains that we were taken through along the way. When we first arrived to get our 4-wheeler, I was pretty tired, though once I got onto my machine, I was beaming with energy. It was so exciting to peeling out, beep my horn at the other teachers and take the occasional picture break.
After this adventure, we made our way back to the bus for the 3 hour journey back home to Geoje. The weekend was a success and a good bonding experience with the teachers at Hacheong middle school. Some of the teachers are leaving the school this year, so it was the outing with them. Many teachers transfer schools on a yealy basis and this is quite common in Korea. At the same time, teachers can only stay at a particular school for no more than 5 years. However, they can transfer before that time period if they so desire. All teachers that are leaving have been here for less then 5 years. Most of them just want to be closer to their home town. I don't blame them, some of the teachers don't see their families very often since they live so far away. I hope the best for them in and coming year.
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