Registration Day

A week of staff days came and went. There were meetings, meetings, and more meetings. We did have a 1/2 day faculty retreat which was enlightening. As a faculty we met in small groups to discuss what it means to be "Centered in Christ" which is part of the school's mission statement. We talked about what that means to us personally and how it can be seen in our teaching. It was a good retreat.

One morning between meetings I was approached by a teacher I have known for the past year but had little personal interaction with. I have been wanting to get to know her and her husband better but there just didn't seem to be the opportunity. She invited me to join the Bible study she and some other young ladies are a part of. I was surprised and excited at the thought. Out of no where two of my desires seem like they will be fulfilled. 1. Getting to know this teacher (and some of the other ladies) and 2. Participating in a Bible study. I have been trying to complete the daily Mass readings, but that just isn't my meeting my Bible understanding needs. Mass readings give you a snapshot of a book in the Bible but can often be disjointed. I took my time in deciding if it really was something I can do this year. The Bible study meets on Thursday mornings from 7-7:45. As it turns out, Thursdays are the only days in which I have to teach first period and the day in which I teach 4 of 5 periods. Knowing that it will be a long day, I have decided that starting it with a Bible study is really the best choice.

Thursday night of last week marked the last "Meating" with all members present. Last year I became part of a going to have Korean BBQ (meat) every Thursday night. Over the summer one of the founding members decided to return home to be near family during trying times. He will be departing this week, so we had one last Thursday of good food and good times. Sunday night we returned to the normal restaurant with an extra 15ish people to have a farewell dinner. I am sad to see him go, but happy to have known him.

As a result of going to the farewell dinner I missed Sio's birthday dinner at On the Boarder, but I was able to spend some quality stitching time with her earlier in the day.

Having a social network already in place is one of the best parts of being a returning teacher. That and not having to try and remember every little detail about the school and living in Seoul.

Now onto current events. Today is Registration Day. Today is the day that all new students and parents come to school for a soft opening of sorts. The Head of School will formally welcome them and then they will disperse by division. The new high schoolers will be welcomed by the principal and the student council. The faculty will be introduced and then dismissed to our offices where we will wait for the students to be led around and introduced. Not too much stress which is good as I have a lot to finish before the start of instructional days tomorrow. I should have done a lot of work last night, but I was battling with my first batch of almond butter. What I learned is that I should roast the almonds in advance next time rather than attempt raw almond butter. In the end, after a lot of food processing (greater than 1 hour) I have a cup of almond butter sweetened with honey. While I'm not the biggest fan, my neighbor KC really seemed to enjoy it.