Quirks Part I

This is the first of what I hope will be many (or at least a few) posts about the changes in my everyday life since I've moved to Korea. These aren't major alterations to my routine, but slight adjustments to the way things are done back home. The first involves trash disposal. Here is what the door to my apartment looks like on an average day when I come home from work (except, it's dark when I get home, this picture was actually taken during the day):














Food delivery services, deparment stores (a subject for another post), and even the Christians always leave literature/advertisements on the door. Rather than taking them inside and throwing them in the trash can, it is perfectly acceptable to simply tear them down and throw them on the balcony outside the apartment, like this:














Whomever it is who cleans the balconies makes sure that these unwanted solicitations are disposed of properly. Sure, I feel a twinge of guilt when polluting so brazenly, and creating work for someone who shouldn't have to clean up after me, but when in Rome (or Cheonsang)...

In other news: this week has truly been harrowing. There must be something in the water; the children have been absolute horrors. But with some "guidance" from one of the Korean teachers, which at first I was offended by, I have adpated my teaching style and I think my classes are running more smoothly now. Still, some days I feel like there's nothing I can possibly do to reach certain students. Of course, I blame myself and think about what I could be doing to grab their attention. But then there are the students who clearly enjoy my classes and make it all worth it. Thankfully, those are the classes near the end of the day, so I usually end on a good note.