Shut up, Malfoy.

So, today John and I got the fantastic opportunity to experience "Dr. Fish." We were at this swanky coffee shop/cafe in Seoul and you had the option to purchase 15 minutes of Dr. Fish therapy with your drink order. We opted for definitely yes on the Dr. Fish. There's even a "Dr. Fish Zone" on a raised platform in one whole corner of the coffee shop. First you rinse your feet off in a small wooden tub and then you stick them into the shallow pool where the Dr. Fish await. The Dr. Fish then swarm onto your feet and begin to eat away at all the dead skin on your feet. It tickles like crazy at first and we have some hilarious pictures of ourselves being tickled by the Dr. Fish. You can view those photos here:

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=41503&l=ec4e5&id=631992912

Needless to say, Dr. Fishes are amazing and I would recommend them to anyone who needs a little foot exfoliation and some cheering up.

Autumn is definitely starting to happen here in Korea and I couldn't be more happy about it. It is no longer humid, but sunny and cold. There's a definite briskness in the air that just feels like the fall and I love it. Not to mention, my fall clothes are so much nicer than my summer ones and now I get to revel in hoodies and scarves and fun colored socks. And it's awesome to be able to walk outside now and not feel instantly sticky. Gone are the days of sweat and humidity; blankets and tea and the changing colors of leaves to come!

Speaking of changes, teaching is getting a whole lot easier. Or maybe it's not getting easier, we're just getting used to it. We definitely don't feel as overwhelmed or swamped or tired as we did before. We find ourselves falling into small routines, picking up new and helpful habits, learning our students and how we need to teach them, and getting used to our schedules. I'm finding that I am really enjoying myself, and I'm also finding that I'm not the rockstar teacher that I thought I was going to be. I mean, I'm not a bad teacher, I'm just realizing that teaching is harder work than I imagined and that a smile and an extroverted personality will not necessarily carry me throughout all of my classes. I am learning the importance of being well-prepared, having big expectations and committing to them, and that sucess doesn't happen in a day. And I have learned that I cannot expect all of my students to love me, but that I can strive to earn their respect and admiration. This one is a hard one for me because I have always wanted everyone to love me. I know that my time spent teaching here in Korea will be one of those experiences that shapes me and adds little (or big) dents into my character.

And lastly, speaking of experiences, there is a high school aged boy that has been hanging around the Center lately. John and I believe that there is good chance that he could be developmentally disabled but we don't know for sure. All we know is that whenever he sees me, John or Johnny he talks to us. He knows that we are foreigners and English teachers so when he talks to us he tries to air all of the English phrases that he can. He's bombarded us with "Hey baby" and "Psst, come over here" and "How ya doing" over and over again. But by far the best phrase we've ever heard come out of his mouth has been "Shut up, Malfoy" (for those of you who might not know, this is a Harry Potter reference). He usually mumbles this over and over in the middle of conversation. At first I didn't understand what he was saying because it's just absurd to hear somebody, especially in broken English, tell you to "Shut up, Malfoy." And supposedly I'm not the only Malfoy, John and Johnny have both been told to shut up too.