It all started with a demotion.  "Meagan, you are not allowed to play volleyball this season.  You are an unfair advantage."

I'm a what?  I'm pretty sure I finished last season with stats so low no pick-up team would even choose me, but I'll hear this out.  Go on, how am I an unfair advantage?  Ohhhh because I'm... foreign.  

Officially, I was demoted because I'm a contract teacher and we have special skills that give us an advantage.  The gym teachers are also included in this category because they majored in sports.  However, my demotion was only partial.  I would not have to sit the season out thanks to some quick thinking and low numbers.  

My school's gym teacher attended a league meeting and pleaded our school's case - if the contract teachers are not allowed to play, Daepyung will not have enough players to participate in the league.  They thought it over and decided that contract teachers could play after all.  Yay!  We just had to play in spots that had lower offensive advantages.  Oh.  Bora, our gym teacher, was no longer an attacker - she was now our setter.  I was no longer strong side hitter - I was the libro.  

Demoted.

To all the libros out there, I mean no offensive.  I just haven't played much back row.  I was always partnered with a shorter, stronger passer.  So being told that all I was going to do was pass was not the greatest news to hear.  

But as they say: When life gives you lemons, throw them back.  Hahaha no, just kidding.  Make lemonade.  And I did.  I'd even say I made killing, because my demotion turned out to be a promotion in the amount of plays I was involved in.

Last season, being a hitter, I had to wait for the 3rd ball to hopefully, probably not, God willing, make its way to me. This didn't happen much.  But this season, as the libro, I started 90% of the plays.  

Promoted.

It did at times get a bit stressful.  Being told to cover 80% of the court, having your name called out when the ball was NOT yours, NOwhere near you and just a plain bad idea for you to go for it can start to weigh on you.  Eight other people are counting on you to start off every play, pass up every return volley and lead the team with pickups that leave you laid out on the floor.  I can't get there!!  I'm one person!  And moreover that is NOT MY BALL.  

Luckily, my school views volleyball matches as a source of enjoyment more than hardcore competition.  So even my bad returns were still cheered for, I was given endless high-fives and the Principal kept telling me over and over that she "believed in me".  Overall, a pretty good promotion.

But it was short lived.  Start to finish it all took less than a month.  3 weeks to be exact (5/7-5/25).  The 2012 season of elementary volleyball has now ended for the Daepyung Elementary School women's Fighting Giants with a record of 1-2.  

Season terminated.

I've learned two things this week:

1. If you are a native English speaker, Koreans assume that you know the laws of grammar*
2. It is considered rude to say you are busy, but if you do not say you are busy you will only become busier!

I only just escaped a horrible week of mountainous work and stress!  I thought I was free.  I thought my pace had reset and I was at a comfortable level for managing classes, lesson planning and any extra small bits that came my way.  

What came my way was:

• a 5-page lesson plan my VP asked me to edit (which turned out to be for a Korean English teacher at another school!  WTF?!)
• editing 10 students' English essays about "Making a Happy Yeongdo" or "Making a Happy Mind/Life"
• and a request to turn in a complete and detailed lesson plan along with supporting materials for my summer camps (which are still 2 months away!)

What they got from me was a blank stare, while my mind ran through the conversation my lips should have been saying - "You want me to do what?!  By when?!  Oh that's funny.  Let's share a laugh!  No.  You're serious?  Well that sucks."  Instead I took the lesson plan, and the essays and drained all the ink from my red pen correcting the errors that occured everywhere!* 

I haven't gotten to the summer camp lesson plans yet.  Those I'm not too bothered about.  Last year I was never asked for a lesson plan.  I don't remember if we even talked about what I wanted to do.  I know we definitely did NOT talk about it two months out.  So for those, they can just wait.  Should they need anything from me, I'll write them a note saying "Still too soon to tell".  ^^

One gem that did come out of all of this was Jae's essay.  He's 12 years old (11 years old International age) and I love him.  He's an amazing student.  He tries so hard.  His English is great for his age/grade.  And he's so damn nice.  He's never annoying, loud or disruptive and he is never boastful about his skills.  Just chats to me in English, always smiles and thinks my jokes are funny.  What is not to love!?!

Here's his essay on "making a happy life".

Click here to download:

jae.docx (13 KB)

* I do NOT know the laws of grammar.  I start sentences with conjuctions, use a comma wherever I like and mix tenses like I do my alcohol.  It's all not good.

Updated:

The Korean Bucket List link up top has now been updated.  A full list is given including information regarding the when's, what's and where's for each goal/accomplisment.

Also the About Me bit has been finished as well. 

Come August I'll be walking, scooting, riding and sweating through the streets, fields, temples and sights of Vietnam and Cambodia.  I'm so excited!!  I cannot wait for every single minute and part of it!

I started planning this trip back in October of 2011 - I had originally thought I would visit these countries during my winter vacation, but plans changed and instead ideas of Nam-Cam were put to the side while I got busy planning for Thailand and Malaysia.  

Then when it came time to think of a summer (2012) holiday - the unused plans resurfaced, dates were adjusted and Nam-Cam was back on the table!!  All that was left was to find a travel partner.  Enter Brittany.

I contacted a few friends back home who had mentioned they were interested in coming to Asia and within a week's time travelmates were found and plans started to really be discussed.

Books were read and information was (higlighter) color-coded...

notes were taken...

and a preliminary itinerary has been devised.

I did some additions, deletions and made a few updates to *Bibimbop.  It's nothing huge, probably won't even notice it; but if you do fancy taking an extra minute to look around, feel right at home.  

The 'Sites I Like' links are gone from the right and have been moved up top into new, categorized pages.

Just trying to keep it neat.  :)

I don't usually post events out of order.  Actually, I never do.  It's one of the reason why my posts are so long in coming, but today I'm breaking from that because... well, I was sinking.  

Truth of it is, I felt like I had been sinking all week.  None of my classes seemed to be running smoothly, my students were more monster than children and my workload was growing higher and higher without even a moment to get anything done.  

I know that in the big picture of life, these issues are not Titanic sinking icebergs; but to me, this week they were large enough to create an overwhelming sense of stress and emotional angst. 

What a wonderment I must have been to the tiny 1st graders as they walked past me in the hallway as the pressure got to be too much and the tears were unleashed.  

But I wasn't left to sink.  My co-teachers, who I think I've been underestimating their care and support for me, were quick to rescue me.  

And although they don't read my blog - or know about it (which is probably a good thing) - I just wanted to write a short bit about today and say that although my students are still monsters and my workload is just as high, my co-teachers have helped lift some of the pressure from my shoulders and for that I'm so thankful!

"If you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater the effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders - what would you tell him to do?  I don't know.  What could he do?  What would you tell him?  To shrug."

Since starting my blog, I've become a daily reader of several other blogs.  

It's a "community of bloggers" as they say.  Although I don't think my blog has tapped into that yet.  I'd like to think that I'm passing by, having a look at some places and seeing if I want to buy - a potential new neighbor to the community - if you will.  However, what I'm seeing - I'm liking.  

I've been using other blogs to learn different layouts, develop new ways of sharing and to find even more blogs.  But the most important thing I have gotten from this community is a new source of enjoyment and a whole lot more brains contributing great ideas to my life and especially my closet!!

When living in Asia, the part of your brain that controls your sense of fashion is hijacked.  Things that you would never, ever, never-never do or wear back home, start to creep into your mind and whisper softly that "you could do that.  It'd look good on you!"  Oh!  Such silly foolish words.  You must remember: you are not 5'2", you do not have the weight and body frame of an Asian.  You actually canNOT do that.  But your brain is overwhelmed; it simply can't fight these thoughts!!  

And that's where these blogs come in.  

They give you ideas on how to restyle things, how to style new things and also keep you in check with what is being worn back home.  They restore your twisted mind to a shape that resembles a small bit of your "normal self" and tell you that although you might really want a pair of black/neon running shoes, it is not ok to wear them with dresses - because you aren't Asian!!  

So when I did some shopping recently, I thought I'd pay tribute to these new beloved blogs and give you a little look at what I learned.

I'd like to thank Kendi, Linda, Lilly, Kristine and especially Jill (who took all these pretty pictures) for helping me and my closet! ^^