City of Light

I should really write a post about my stay in Seoul at the beginning of the month...buuuut I'm going to procrastinate doing that once again.

The dreaded month-long Winter camp is now over--students have been on vacation from public school so we teach extra classes during the day in addition to normal afternoon classes. Camp happens twice a year, once in August and once in January. The next big event at the school is the Kindergarten English Festival. My 7 kindy students will do various musical performances and skits in English for their families at this festival. My students have been working hard to prepare. I'm excited for my heart to be melted by their adorableness during the festival. And I'm excited that the Kindy English Festival does not put a lot of pressure and extra work on the foreign teachers, unlike the camps and open classes.

Lately, my favorite thing to do after work is to find a random cafe close by, order a cup of hot choco and work on my computer or read. I've been spending a lot of time in my apartment this month because, winter. And because camp is exhausting. But going to a cafe makes me feel less like a bum. I may not be getting enough direct social interaction lately but at a cafe, it's nice to sit and hear people around me enjoying each other's company. I'm realizing now that's probably one of the most introverted thoughts I've ever had.

Overall, everything is going well for me here in Gwangju. I love the city and I love all the new and interesting people I have met. I'm also making a fair amount of progress with the language. I still have so much to learn. But, I understand a little more every day. I'm grateful I can take classes at the Gwangju International Center downtown. The GIC is such a wonderful place to live nearby. It's the hub of Gwangju's foreigner community. They publish a monthly magazine, have a library, provide various classes, and hold a variety of events for the community. Today I attended a "GIC Talk," which takes place every Saturday. An English teacher talked about his experience serving in the Peace Corps in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It was inspiring--I really need to do more service!

I don't have any daring tales to tell you today, unfortunately. But, since I'm already talking about the foreigner community in Gwangju, I would like to share a video that a fellow foreigner made and shared with me today. It's beautiful. Enjoy!