It is a quiet Monday at English Village in Paju, South Korea. The sky is somewhat overcast, but with my windows open and the birds’ calls leaking through there is a lighter feeling of Spring… or almost Spring. I hope. We’ll see… Earlier today I heard the masses of students entering through main street past my apartment. At about 350 students, they are the first of two groups this week beginning the restoration of the often busy pace and bulging student capacity at English Village.
As my weekend is on Mondays and Tuesdays, I will not teach the first busy round of students. But as Wednesday arrives I will join the other teachers in greeting a group of 585 students. That’s a lot.
English Village has been through some growing pains recently. In the Fall they lost nearly half of their staff in a quick and unexpected exodus. Until recently, there has been a hiring freeze leaving a smaller size staff to respond to regular size programming. Recently they have hired a modest collection of new Korean and foreign teachers, but we aren’t yet at a place to easily meet the teaching needs of incoming programs. Often this will mean larger and more classes taught by current teachers.
I continue to find my groove returning to the busy “young learners” (mostly middle-school students) week-day programs after a four-month hiatus teaching the little ones reading in our Bookclub program. I still teach Bookclub students on Saturdays only, appreciative to return to the small simple programming and body of students after three days in busier programs and classes. Bookclub is indeed a different world filled with typical childhood shenanigans like nose picking, hiding behind doors, and the occasional biting (… the last person to be bit, by the way, was me… but I digress…). This has challenges all its own, but in many ways it still feels like a gentle respite.
And so I am doing my best in mind and spirit to prepare myself for the impending busier season. In the meantime, I am lost in my own diversions of chanting, Reiki, yoga and the like. Life has been simple and in many ways good but with the slow awakening of Spring I admit I am itching for something to be different.
What about you? Is the arrival of Spring bringing anything new in your world? Let me know! It’s always good to hear from you!
Featured photo a little slice of sunset on the rooftops of English Village.
Gypsy Woman 
spring is bursting through in vibrant waves here in Scotland 🙂
you did not say if you bit back? Love Dad