all you have to do is ask.

It's so true, isn't it? Sure, sometimes the answer will be no, but more often than not I find the answer to be yes. You just have to ask.

Case in point: during our last staff meeting (end-ish March), after discussing the ways to excite the elementary students into staying (kids are dropping like flies; the curriculum is so boring even us teachers aren't fans of it, but we have to feign interest as the children whine, "Please! No more I Can Write! I don't like!" neither do I, kid, neither do I; don't even get me started on the text book stories that read about Benjamin Franklin and the diversity of America - really!? Really!? Let's please have something relating to Asian culture) by including more games and hands-on activities during class, I started getting stir crazy sitting in the conference room. "Mr. C!" I groaned. "You gotta let these kids out of the school every once in a while! They're wild as it is, but when the weather starts getting nicer, they're going to get even crazier; it's called Spring Fever and it happens even at a young age. Please! Let these children play! They have to play outside! We don't even have a playground. They need the sunshine! They need to bloom like flowers in the sun!" By this point I'm pretty certain I was gripping the edges of the table, "If you don't let the children outside then I'm going to go crazy! I'll go so crazy I'll throw this table through the window - okay, I joke, I joke. But seriously, Mr. C, let these children play in the park. Something!" He stared at me quietly for a moment then smiled and said, "Okay. I will think about it." I sat back relaxed and said, "I was just joking about the table; didn't mean to get so worked up."

Later that afternoon, Mrs. C came up to me, "Kate-e Teacher." I turned, she smiled. "Ok. Children go outside. Two times. How about?" I looked to a co-teacher for translation; two times per month, during gym class we can take our kids outside to the park up and across the street, as long as the weather is nice and we have a Korean co-teacher with us to help keep an eye. I was so elated I grabbed Mrs. C into a bear hug, "Thank you! Thank you!" then she grilled me on my best and worst students (happens about every week).

Here are a few photos from our first outdoor adventure:

 (Aden was iffy on the jump, but he went for it - success!)

 (How could you deny this happiness?)

 (Through the slurred mumbles I caught that Ashley wanted her photo taken... I think.)

(Danny is always adorable, even when he doesn't listen; down the slide, Danny.)

 (Danny's also in love with Stella, brought her a ring to school!)

 (Roooooy! m'boy.)

 (Allie and Willie - check out that perm!)

(Children fascinated by worms. On closer inspection, sticks.)

We're supposed to go to some park (driving distance) tomorrow, but it's been raining all week and supposed to continue tomorrow... I was really looking forward to a field trip outside the dentist's office (once a semester... twice for me so far = boooooooooooring).

In other news. Now I'm not complaining, I'm simply stating, y'know. Just so y'know. Y'know? Our directors recently took out the water (hot/cold; purified) machine in the lobby which runs about $40/month and kept the "coffee" (sweet, disgusting; made from a mix) machine which runs about $50/month because Mr. C drinks the coffee (and apparently doesn't want to take the time to mix the mix with hot water himself...) and they can't afford to keep both when they've just installed a $5,000 seawater fish tank... that happened today, the fish tank; the water machine was removed the other week. The coffee machine was gone by midday today. The fish will be put in in three weeks after the water has time to purify... so I was told. Sometimes it seems it's all about looks over logic... I don't understand, but I'm not the only one as I see the Korean staff shaking their heads as well. Just some news.

Oh! And we get a new teacher on Saturday! I'm excited. Our last teacher didn't work out so well and she was fired after a month and a half for things she did and didn't do in the second week. Our directors aren't big on confrontation either... just saying. But, things are good with the kids, amazing in fact; they make me so happy. I've almost completed eight months with four to go!!

Good days; sunshine ahead.

What a FIND!!!

On my way home from school tonight, Kat and I stumbled upon a pile of someone's unwanted goods. JACKPOT!! She walked with a small set of drawers and I got a small shelving unit - I've been wanting some shelves to alleviate the stacks and stacks of papers, books, other things stackable around my apartment. Huzzah!

Then, I was able to sweet talk Andrea, Jennie, Kat and Annie into helping me move a couch from Sara's apartment to my place. When we got to Sara's she had a new couch, and it was a couch she found in the park, and it was a nice couch. The new couch I have is orange with silver-gold swirls and I'm very excited to have another sitting surface. There kind of isn't any room for it and it's currently blocking the entrance to my "laundry closet" but that's okay, climbing is fun. I HAVE A COUCH!! Maybe I could pivot it and use it as a partition between kitchen and living space... but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

All of these good finds tonight made me so grateful, a1.) for sweet street finds: "new" shelving unit, desk/table my laptop and other paper piles reside on, and b2.) friends sharing their finds when they move or get tired of them: nightstand, trashcan, lamp(!), and "new" couch. When I stop on the street to inspect the goods left behind ("This table/chair/what-have-you is in great condition! Why would anyone throw it away?" Do a wobble test: "Durable, too!"), I laugh and think of immigrants back home who get their trucks out and slowly scour through the alleys and sidewalks of Chi City looking for sweet finds. Well, the only thing that separates them from us - they have trucks, those lucky ducks! Yes indeed. Sweet finds. They excite us, and for good reason: they're in good shape, and most importantly, they are free.

Korea, you continue to make me smile. The well of stories you provide me with gets deeper on the daily. I (make a heart with my hands) you. ^^

I took Andrea and Kat out for twist ice cream after the heavy lifting and pivoting, and it was taaaaaaasty!