넘버 원.

Just a quick post to say that the boys are doing really well this week, and I'm proud of them, as I so often am. But also their behavior in general is starting to get a bit wild again, I guess in anticipation of the upcoming Chooseok holiday. Today there was some kind of video assembly that involved my always-favorite activity of 1,500 boys belting out the school song pure noraebang style at the top of their lungs and completely off key. There's no other sound like this in the world. They really get into it. Then some sort of siren went off in the school and they all started shrieking like girls.

Also, there were some muffins I bought for the samgyeopsal party left over and they literally tore into them like a pack of dogs, running up and down the hallways shoving as much as they could into their mouths in mid-sprint before someone else could grab what was left out of their hands.

Animals.

The third graders have been doing odd things the last couple of weeks, like coming to the English Zone to ask if I have any tape they can borrow. I mentioned this to Coteacher today who informed me that she and the other Korean teachers have told them to stop whining about not having class with me anymore and just go up and say hello between classes. She laughed and said, "Is really like date! They're too nervous to come without a reason..."

Shorty phoned me at 2 am last night. We need to have a chat about phone privileges.

And last, but definitely not least, I was informed tonight that I got the highest score in my class on my Korean final exam. Remarkable, considering I went in as the second lowest level student, right in front of the sixteen year old who couldn't even read. Tonight I had time to really process the amount of progress I made, as I was the only student who showed up for the first hour, and had to take all of the instruction in Korean one-on-one, and respond to all of the teacher's questions directly. Usually, I just don't speak much in class, which is part of why my speaking ability remains so low. To think that when I first came in, introducing myself in Korean was a humiliating task. And that was not even two months ago.

I'm excited to see where I'll be at the end of this term. I have a feeling this term is going to be a really big one, as far as progress goes. If only I had just a little more time to study.

Dead tired. Six classes today, and six most other days this week. Plus back on the work-Korean class treadmill. Bed.