This last week was the end of the first semester and the beginning of summer vacation. The students at my elementary school are now on summer vacation for a little more than three weeks. I will have some time off later in August but for now I am teaching summer camp to 4th-6th graders. I spent a lot of time planning some great games and activities for the kids to do, only to find out at the start of camp last Thursday that I have two fifth graders in one class and one sixth grader in another class. That was the end of all those great games and group activities I had planned! Even after the first two days I'm still at a loss of what to do with only a couple kids who refuse to say much more than yes or no in English. I feel bad that I'm not teaching them more and that I didn't prepare better for small groups or one on one time. Fortunately I have some board games in my classroom so I have at least had something to do with them, though they still aren't forced to practice much English that way either! Needless to say, even after only two days of summer camp, I think I'm already ready for the second semester to be under way! The nice thing about summer camp is I'm able to leave at noon when the camp finishes. I know at some schools the foreign teachers are required to stay and desk warm all afternoon until the usual 4:40 time so I'm thankful I don't have to do that!
Eric has his week of summer vacation this coming week and is spending it in Thailand. He got to Pattaya, Thailand Friday evening and will be back in Seoul Sunday morning. One of his friends from back home even met him in Pattaya Saturday night. From what he has told me it sounds like it wasn't quite what he expected when he first arrived. Last year at this time we spent a week in gorgeous Phuket, Thailand (a resort island). Pattaya is on the coast of the mainland in Thailand. He thought it would be nice because it's much cheaper than one of the resort islands but still on the beach. Well, as with all of the Thailand mainland, I guess it's a bit trashy and the beach is not nearly as nice as he pictured. But he said they still had a fun day on Sunday finding a cleaner place to sit on the beach and walk around the area.
Since Eric's gone that means I have the house to myself for nine days. I was not excited about that at all when he first left but it's turned out to be fine so far and I'm glad he gets a vacation now since I got one when I went home back in April. On Friday I spent the evening deep cleaning the house by moving all the furniture and spending a lot of time on my hands and knees with the hardwood floors! It was something I'd been wanting to do but not something I plan to do again for another seven months when we move out. I did feel quite accomplished and refreshed going to bed that night in such a clean room though! The rest of the weekend I was able to spend quite a bit of time with some friends which was nice.
It's hard to believe the first semester has ended and it will be August this week. Time is sure flying by!
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