Last Saturday I was able to catch a soccer match between Seoul FC and the LA Galaxy. For those who don't know, David Beckham now plays for the LA Galaxy so it was kind of a big deal for him to come all the way to South Korea. The game was held at World Cup Stadium, which was built some nine or ten years ago when South Korea hosted the World Cup. Since kickoff wasn't until 4:30pm a few of us decided to head in a bit early for some other activities, namely riding scooters. I headed in with my friends Casey and Henry and we were able to ride around some kids for about fifteen minutes before the novelty wore off. After we met up with about twelve other friends from Gimpo who also wanted to see the game. It's kind of nice having a community of friends to do things with. The game itself wasn't all that exciting but I'm glad I went. It was actually the first professional soccer game I've attended. However it was only an exhibition game and as the pictures show there wasn't a sellout crowd. It was a good day though.
In other news, I have officially started a new work schedule that should stay in place the remainder of my stay here in Korea. I no longer have any kindergarten in the mornings but I do teach them science on Tuesday and Friday, and gym on Wednesday afternoon. These classes are pretty easy as I get to play with magnets and teach the kids 'duck, duck, goose.' My afternoon classes are a bit different. Many of my classes have changed which means getting to know new students all over again. It took my about two months to really settle into my work routine so it feels like I have to start all over again. However this time around will be much easier since I know what I'm doing. I have a lot more students in most classes but I also have a class with only student. Another difference is the time I'm working. Instead of starting in the morning, my first class begins at 2:00pm and the last ends at 9:00pm. It's a little hectic right now but I think in a few weeks I'll be just fine. I'm actually looking forward to this schedule as it give me more freedom in the morning and late at night.
I'll finish this blog with an observation I've had since coming to South Korea. Nowhere in my life have I ever witnessed more public fights and drunkenness than here. Korea's national alcohol is known as soju (pronounced so-jew) which is like a chemically created vodka. It is potent and Korean's drink over 1 billion bottles of it every year. Public drunkenness is not frowned upon either and it's not uncommon to see random men passed out on the street any day of the week. When an argument erupts it's also quick to come to blows, and most people just stand by and let the event run it's course. I've never felt in danger though. In fact I'm quite amused by it all. From what I have seen Koreans are a very reserved people, but when they start drinking there is no backing down from an argument. I'll try to snap some pictures sometime for you to get some idea of what I'm talking about.
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