No Pictures Darling, No Pictures

It's no secret as to how I feel about having my photo taken.

A very public part of me wants to simply avoid it altogether, make them more flattering or at least make it more bearable on my large yet terribly fragile vanity...somehow.

Nevertheless, it happens and thankfully not all the photos are used.
(Although there is one of me sweating horribly in a wool jumper in a newsletter somewhere for the children to go: 'That's Aoife-teacher! She's always shouting.')
At least Helen and Seth got the benefit of airbrushing on their brochure shots. (Not that I am in any way implying that they are anything less than perfect.)

I hesitate to post pictures of the children on the internet, naturally enough, although other TEFL teachers have no problems but I just don't feel comfortable putting them on my facebook.
Maybe it's partially cultural where there is an element in current training where they tell you never to be completely alone with a kid, never so much as touch their shoulder and don't give too much eye-contact etc etc etc.

But these photos come from the website so they're already on the internet - ahahahahaha!

This is me with my 6 year old homeroom - Brown class. This was Science where 'the kids' had to make a rubber band powered school bus.
It's one of the classes otherwise known as 'Aoife-teacher makes eight school buses.'

Please note how there's always one kid taking the time to throw up gangsigns.

This is an hour later doing another Science class with my 7 year old homeroom - U.C. Berkeley.
I...can't really remember what it is that we were doing. I think it was an optical illusion and not a very good one IMHO.

 That's both classes with Alex and I at Everland. Note how high I apparantly look. Mostly, I'm just exhausted.

This is the entire group in Everland. It was after I was pulling several kids away from the fountain and a certain dip. At least it wasn't raining. This is also the day before I flew out to Kyoto and I hadn't packed at this point.

 Finally, Halloween. Lots of princesses, ninjas and plenty of Batman. We felt very safe there. As you see I did not dress up. How dare you accuse me of being a killjoy! I don't need ridiculously difficult to obtain Halloween props! I'm terrifying enough on my own!!
(Besides I had plenty of crying children hanging out of me all day.)

Practical Education

Part of the curriculum at Ivy Kids involves Science!

The kids love it and it is a lot of fun but there is a large level of dubious content which shall no doubt show up here soon enough.

I have two science classes at the moment so I get both Brown and U.C. Berkeley for sciency fun.

I receive a giant pack per school session. A big plastic bag of  'experiments' for the kids and a teacher bag with one so I can demonstrate the process(/cannibalise it for spare parts.)

With Berkely recently we did this:

I'll be honest, when it comes to creating a refreshing breeze, it's kind of useless. However, the kids loved it. The plier- things were quite hard to operate though. Slippy and stiff.

Naturally, some of the motors didn't work so we had to tear up some of the spares. No on off button but the connected/not connected settings..

Still, although I doubt they actuallylearned anything it had a certain *Eeeeeeee* appeal to the kids. (and the teachers who have one sitting on their desks.)

Convenient Video Explains it all.

Lota of videos -yay. No, I don't work there. But some of my OTO students go to school there and they have serious American accents.

But yeah, this is where I live. It's obviously not nearly as polished as the videos make it but y'know people actually live here. -_- That makes all the difference.

Whatever, have some Gangnam style. Most places he goes are very familiar.

So that's what that sound was...

Everywhere I go I hear an incessant sound from the dry grasses. I'd thought at first that it was the sound of construction, then I realised that it was more likely the insects.

However it is now perfectly clear to me that I must be hearing the sounds, not of the natural goings on around me but of insidious mechanics and electronics as detailed HERE.

Big Brother is watching you...and you, and you and you.

I've seen though 'pneumatic trash collection' machines but I've never used them. They seem mostly overflowing anyway. Anytime I've passed one they've been surrounded by bags of trash that wouldn't fit.

To throw out your rubbish here, the first thing you must realise is that your old plastic bags are verboten.  I had to buy specially approved plastic bags from the GS mart which, once full, gets left outside in a designated area along with your recycling. At least mine goes outside, the others have complained that their drop-off point is on the first floor of their building and the smell can really get appalling.

I've seen staff further sorting the recycling- brave men and women. At least the insects are minimal. *shrugs* I've yet to have anything worse than a fly buzz around my head when I drop a bag off. NO wasps -yay! A short jaunt away from the Japanese Hornet......*Aghast*


Songdo.

Above you can see pictures of the places whereI go to get sunburned because I am an idiot due to lack of sufficient foliage.  It's hard to reconcile Songdo with that article because I'm right on the ground. Mostly I see, 'that bbq joint', 'the subway stop' or 'grocery store - need milk'. I don't notice that stuff because the wobbly blocks in the pavement outside of the side entrance have trenches beneath them and if you step on them while it is raining you will get dunked into the little hidden pond.  (I ruined a pair of shoes that way.)


Well, I think there should be more shady walks like in UCD, then there'd be less of this.

Text me, whatever.

So I returned from afternoon classes to find a delightful gift awaiting my return. I. E -My delivery had arrived early. C:

So after hapy squealing I tore the box to ribbons in order to investigate.

So I received - already set up- a Galaxy S III. To be perfectly honest I thought I was getting the SII but as there's precisely 2'000Won in difference I'm not too fussed.

It's really far too good for me though, I'm fumbling through each step of the way. D:

As for the plastic cover - everyone and their mother puts one on their phones. It's slightly scandalous NOT to protect your investment in such a way.


....................Plus my phone was delivered with one enclosed so I might as well us it no matter how much it "ruins the sleek lines of the design"


EDIT: [ For interest: Here is the relevant site. Apparantly I couldn't get a contract in store]