KLB - A Smurfy Day



As per usual, it's an up and down cycle here. Today was fantastic, and after a brief hiatus, I can give the thumbs-up sign to teach in Korea again. So get re-packing!

Let's start with the morning. The health club has actually reopened after all - at least the weights/machines room. The new Yoga/dance room and jim jil bang (multi faceted sauna) - all of which Julie is waiting on - won't be finished until next week. Anyway, I got up early and worked out, a solid arm routine which felt very good. Then, after a relaxing shower, I skipped off to work in a great mood. I love spring.

At second glance, the new books aren't nearly as bad as I thought. My first impression, of course, had been tainted by the crap Cathy mentioned upon giving them to me. They are actually pretty good. I used them for the first time today and the kids like them too. The included CDs and workbooks, which we didn't get until today, are especially good.

Now imagine this: the kids (for the most part) are in the right level classes and they have books. Wow - guess what? I'm a good teacher again! "You had the passion," Cathy pointed out after school. "Today I'm so happy."

"Well, when things are organized and we have books, it's amazing what a teacher can do."

It's true. I started each of the first three classes with phonics then used the books for the last 20 minutes of class. It was one of those days when I really enjoyed being a teacher. Because I was in such a good mood, the kids were happy and responsive. I had them rolling in laughter one minute and shouting "Me! Me! Me!" the next with every question.

We also got a couple of new students this week. That makes 23 new kids. Most of them are adorable little girls too. I swear I have a fan club throughout the school. Lately a lot of mothers keep stopping in to check the class out too, which is also cute in a way. Yesterday one of my favorite girls' mothers came in, decked out in designer clothes, a load of makeup and strong perfume. She comes in often and speaks English rather well. "Whats up?" she always says. She invited me to dinner with her family this Friday at VIPs (TGIF kind of place). I politely said no a few times but she was persistent and, so, I eventually accepted. Unfortunately Cathy overheard this, said she envied me in Korean, and then the mother (somewhat reluctantly I noticed) invited her too. Yay!

Well, time to chow down a couple of turkey subs I picked up from Subway on the way home for me and Julie. Mmm. Then it's time to watch The Smurfs DVD Volume 3, which just came in the mail. I also pre-ordered volumes 4 and 5 which are set for release the same day later in April. You should order your copies today, as international shipping is only a few dollars. Also, you never know if they'll ever be released around the world. Now may be your only chance to get them. In fact, looks like volumes 1 and 2 are already sold out.

They take between 1 and 2 weeks to arrive (got mine in a week). Keep in mind the prices are in AU dollars too, which means they are even cheaper than you think (around $15 USD). They are region 4, but you should be able to play them on your computer if you have DVD Region Free software, or on your home player by using one of the easy codes to make it region free: Check here... (For example, all Julie and I had to do is open our DVD player drawer and hit 9999 on the remote to choose "region 0"...






I sure love this series. I have 18 smurfy episodes now. They all have Gargamel in them too, the funniest cartoon villain ever created.

Bonus screenshots of Gargamel in action taken with PowerDvd: