Spring 왔어.

This week is exams and Childrens's Day and therefore, for me, a piece ay pish, as our Scottish brethren would be inclined to quip. I don't know why some things are Scottish in my head. Too much time with those damn people.

Although I still need to come up with a game plan for the fact that starting classes on Thursday sets me up for an awkward schedule jump. I hate starting new lessons on any day other than Monday. It gets my head all screwed up to start new lessons during the week. At the same time, though, I've been off the rails with the lesson plans for quite a while, given the awkwardness of only some canceled classes in the prep up to the listening exam and now midterms. Plus this month's schedule is a total fucking joke. Emergency situation drills. Sports Day. All sorts of schedule wrecking nonsense.

야 이봐. New public school teachers, 잘 들어봐. This month at your school is going to be a wreck as well. Start asking questions now and brace yourselves. Don't say you're old pal Liz didn't warn you.

I feel like we've finally hit the part in the year where things start to slowly unravel into a time-wasting spiral down toward summer vacation.

But the good news is, three of my favorite things are coming up: Sports Day, Buddha's Birthday and Teachers' Day. The bad news is, one of them has been canceled thanks to the terrific Korean media's harking on and on about how worthless and dishonorable public school teachers are these days. That's right. Teachers' Day is motherfucking CANCELED. They just canceled school. Because all the greedy, worthless public school teachers who can't hack it a hagwon and are the bottom of the barrel of Korean society, thanks to the fact that they grab up easy jobs where they can't get fired, will take piles of money and expensive gifts off of all the parents in exchange for higher grades for their children if they didn't. Apparently.

See. Foreign teachers aren't the only ones who enjoy the bright and just media attention this country has to offer. Cunts.

So what'll I do with my free Wednesday, then? I haven't the foggiest. Definitely get out and about early to do or see something, but I haven't quite yet decided what. Suggestions welcomed. You'd think I'd get tired of taking buses into Seoul to sit aimlessly in cafes for hours, but I don't seem to. And the weather's only encouraging this behavior, plus whatever public bench I can manage to find. I was thinking about hitting some galleries on Wednesday, thinking they might possibly be less crowded than on weekends, but I'm kind of starting to rethink that idea, because people are likely to be out with their kids all over the damn place. And as much as I enjoy children a few at a time and in small doses, encountering them in screaming hordes on public transportation and sidewalks isn't my idea of a pleasant way to spend a day off. There's a reason why I don't teach elementary. Actually, there are several. Maybe even dozens.

Anyway. The sun is out. The sandals are on. The sweat is beginning to happen. Bring on what little bit of pleasantness we'll get to enjoy before monsoon season and the mogi descend upon our fair country of residence, and the whole damn thing starts all over again.