Four months left!

Sometime in the last little while I've started counting down instead of up. And that countdown is not all that far off, especially since I now have a definite plan of action for next year.

Monday was the last technical day of school for this school year. It was pretty anticlimatic with no pizza party or teacher gifts or anything. My good old Happy class is seriously disbanding, with four kids off to greener pastures, one kid remaining in the five year old class, two heading to the advanced six year olds and three remaining with Jessica teacher but relocating to Smile class. We are no longer what we once were. I didn't even feel too sad.

Tuesday was a big graduation ceremony where the kids received diplomas and awards and speeches were made. We rented out a big church and decorated the altar with a huge inflatable castle. I got a few bouquets of flowers wrapped in terrible tacky crinolin and other awful things. Does overpowering the beauty of the flower please you?

Today, Wednesday, was a day off and tomorrow is an orientation day before real classes begin on Friday. I have six kids currently enrolled in my class and the rest will slowly register, I imagine, which kind of sucks since they'll throw off the flow of the class each time they saunter in.

I'm happy to have this change. Hopefully it will make these next four months fly right by in a fun and happy blur.

We said goodbye to Scott last night with a small pizza party in my apartment where I successfully ordered pizza over the telephone instead of having to walk all the way over in the freezing cold. What a step forward to being a fully functional citizen of society. It hasn't quite hit me that Scott left yet, but I'm sure the office atmosphere will be quite difference without his constant banter and nasty jokes. He's in the air as we speak.

Cara, a friend we met in Jeju back in October, leaves tomorrow so we spent today hanging out in Itaewon to send her off.

There are constant goodbyes in this country and it's just something you come to expect. I'm pretty good at goodbyes. There are also hello's to deal with. The new five year old teacher starts tomorrow with no teaching experience. She'll have a class like I did but with the little brother of the most badly behaved kid in our school. I wish her all the best.

So, eight months have come and gone. Still can't believe the flying ability of time. My apartment is like home to me, and I've started to worry about actually saving more money for next year.

I pledge to start all my new classes on the right foot so I don't have behavioural issues with my kids. I will NOT try to be their friend. I will not, I will not!