July 13th- First Day of Class (Game Science High School)

Anxiety was the predominating factor in my mind this morning. Today was my first day of teaching, just me and seventeen other students stuck in a classroom. Our adhering material is the pursuit of knowledge. I almost had to coax myself into stepping one foot in that room. I did, and it was the most amazing experience I have had to date.
The day started off with an early breakfast. For some reason-which was quite an oddity- I was awake and cognizant. This is a picture of breakfast the first morning. Not exactly what I am used to in the States, but food is sustenance, and my body would fully shut down unless I adequately fed myself. After I fed myself I made for the classroom. My heart began to pound with a steady pulse until I thought that it would break through my skin. I stepped in, through the threshold, and into a new experience. Seventeen bright faces stared directly into my face, and I was frozen. I began my lesson by introducing myself, and then asking them questions about it. I respect teachers ten fold now, just from that five minute introduction. It is nearly impossible to describe the emotions that I was experiencing, but I will let pictures do the speaking for me. Here is a picture of my class. Now, looks are rather deceiving. There indeed is a classroom, but one may be questioning if I was teaching anyone at all. The answer is yes, they simply were not present for this little photo session of mine. Their classrooms are more modernized than American ones. Fifty inch flat screen televisions litter every classroom wall. It's like going shopping at Best Buy, every television that you see seems to get bigger and bigger, until you almost need panoramic eyes to even capture the entire spectacle. Before the class began there was a reverent Opening Ceremony, where I got the privilege of addressing the school by telling them my name and arbitrary facts about myself. This is me, speaking with little conviction, and most likely sounding like a dullard.I have found that when teaching foreign students English, humor may be used as a catalyst. Once the kids got into a concept, like throwing up sevens and parading around yelling, "Team 7 is going to Own you Noobs!" Team spirit has been aiding in progress in the classroom. Patience is the most important asset a teacher can possess, without it, one is sure to fail.

I cannot shake the fact that the students are so respectful to their teachers. I am addressed by my students as, 'Teacher David,' in all of its prestige, it is a petrifying feeling. The best feeling in the world is being in a classroom full of students and making them all laugh. This trip has been consistently solidifying my notion that God desires me with chalk in hand, and hungry minds on the receiving end.

The rest of this post is dedicated to pictures, so that you may glimpse South Korea through my eyes as well as your own. Above: Just the view that I see everyday commuting to and from class. To the left is the school and to the right are the dormitories. All in all, a breathtaking view. Supposedly, this is one of the only places in Korea where one can see rock formations.' Opening Ceremony