I’ve realized that I’ve been putting off blogging because I really just don’t want to write about the GEPIK training. To be frank, it was quite boring and I would rather have been at school with my children. So here’s a quick run through before I get to the good stuff. By far the best part of the three longest days of my Korean life was in the opening ceremony with the Samul Nori performance (look it up on Google, as it is quite difficult to explain, but totally awesome). Then we had lectures, and more lectures, and a few more lectures, ya get the point… I must say, I did gain some good teaching tips and the coordinators were awesome; but overall, I’m just glad it’s over.
Ok now for the good stuff! EVERLAND… aka Alex’s heaven. Not only does this adventure park come equipped with rollercoasters, flume rides, carnival games, and street food, but there is a legit zoo within the park!
Let’s start by explaining that somehow, upon arriving at the parking lot, my class was the only class from our school to get onto the tram to the park. Now usually, this is ok, but when you subtract my co-teacher from the equation, add lots off other little children running around, whew my heart started palpitating (thank you clinical), because this basically equals MESS.
Thankfully, everything worked out in the end, but for awhile this was about as scary as Halloween, which, speaking of, happened to be the theme throughout the park as Halloween is rapidly approaching and Koreans love for any excuse to decorate above and beyond.
We sent our children off to do whatever their little hearts desired and all of the teachers darted straight towards a restaurant for lunch. Well, all except one… I just had to be difficult. But honestly, its Everland’s own fault for putting cute little animals right at the entrance. So of course, snap snap, the camera came out and endless amounts of pictures were taken.
After finally making it to and through lunch, we quite logically ventured towards the rollercoasters. Thank God for long lines, because otherwise we would have reenacted the carnival scene of from The Sandlot (which to this day I still have never watched, but I’ve heard lots of lovely stories).
Upon approaching “the steepest rollercoaster in the world” we ran into one of our children sitting alone. Although I’ve had little to no interaction with this child, I have been informed that the other teachers believe that he has some sort of mental disorder, which are rarely diagnosed in Korea
Nonetheless, saddened by his solitude, we immediately asked him to join us on the T-Express. His face lit up! While standing in line, Gin Seok stood as far away from me as possible, as his lack of English terrified him. However, slowly I was able to work some English into the conversation- I would point and say “up”, “down”, “fast”, etc. with him repeating each word.
As we approached our turn, I had my first ka-wi-ba-wi-bo (rock, paper, scissors) experience, deciding who would ride with Gin Seok. For those foreigners who know nothing about the Korean culture, one of the most significant tips is that ka-wi-ba-wi-bo solves ALL problems. So here we go, my first ever ka-wi-ba-wi-bo… it must have been beginners luck because I got to sit with Gin Seok on the most terrifying ride of the park.
And apparently, this was the key to his little heart, because now he LOVES English. After finishing the ride, we headed towards the safari. Gin Seok, holding my hand, dragged me from animal to animal, running up to each sign, reading the English name, and pointing. Ugh, so adorable!!
Now when I say legit zoo, I mean there were lion cubs, tigers, kangaroos, sloths, and an array of monkeys, amongst hundreds of other animals. Oh and I must mention, I held a skunk!
Throughout the day, I realized, I was smiling from ear to ear and jumping up and down- I had became a kid again. Thank you Everland for bringing out the best in all of us.
That day, I also realized that I have officially changed one child’s life and that my teaching has actually had an impact on my students. So, as 5 o’clock came around, we reluctantly left the park, realizing that it was time to grow up, again.
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