Sunday, November 1, 2009

Halloween at LanGCon Academy

Koreans don't celebrate Halloween. However, because we are an English school, LanGCon decided to have a Halloween festival for the kids. In the few weeks leading up to Halloween, our school was obsessing over what games we would play, what costumes we would wear, and how to decorate the school.

When the first schedule came out Lainy was assigned to "Spinning and adjusting the donkey's tail". Somehow "Pin the tail on the donkey" got lost in translation.

Andrew was assigned to "find the candy in flour". We figured this had to be a mistake. When we had our nightly meeting with our principal we told her we didn't understand. We were asking is it flour, or flowers? She said, "oh yes, flour you make cookies with." The three foreigners exchanged looks of horror. Is she serious? Shoving your face in a pile of baking flour to try and find candy? Its like bobbing for apples, but more dangerous? We told her we didn't think that was a good idea. And all of the Korean teachers told us it was a traditional Korean game. WHAT?! How is this safe? We told them we though it was disgusting and not smart. They insisted it was a game and they must play it.

(As Halloween grew closer, and H1N1 breakouts in Suwon and in our school, administration reconsidered and thought it wouldn't be a good idea to swap germs in mass piles of flour, thank goodness. The game was rescheduled to musical chairs.)

And, because people got wind of the fact that I was an art major, I was in the face painting room with the boss's wife (who was also an art major in college).

We spent days cutting out decorations and preparing for the festival. Another note about Halloween in Korea... because they don't celebrate it, they don't understand that you can be whatever you want for your costume. So whenever someone would as us what we were going to be they would say, "Are you going to be a witch or a vampire?"

I decided to throw them for a loop and be an angel. (I was going to go as hangman because the kids love that game, but when the boss offered to buy us costumes, I told her to grab me some angel wings). I was the only one the whole day who wasn't wearing black.

Sunny and myself.

Andrew was asked to wear a scary mask so he could scare the kids... so I painted his eyes black so it would be scarier with the mask on.

Gina and Sunny.



Howard was going to have a super lame costume, but we fixed that. And that's Kevin on the right. We couldn't stop laughing at what he was wearing. He had a shiny witch hat, a cape that said Happy Halloween, and a laminated arm band. Nice.

The decorations and "photo zone"

My face painting room. Whenever we didn't have students in with us, it was a very awkward silence because the boss's wife doesn't speak English and I don't speak Korean. Usually one of us would just get up and walk away as to avoid the awkwardness.

Howard decorated the two mascots outside the school.

Vampire teeth for Lang!

This is the front desk area. That's the boss's daughter Jully (Julie) on the right and her cousin on the left.






Lainy and I with the boss's daughter and niece. (his daughter is on the right) Andrew and I both teach her.

Staff photo. From back left: Howard, Kevin, Diana, Lainy, Andrew. Front Left: Tony, Rosella, Sunny, Gina, and Myself. This is everybody except the boss, his wife, and the two secretaries.


Face painting room.

These are four of my students in Andrew's musical chairs room. From left: Arthur, Sally, Ashley, Vicky. Arthur is one of my biggest trouble makers.

This is Nicole. She is one of my favorites.

Two more of my trouble makers. Brian on the left, and Sunny on the right.

Andrew is manning Musical Chairs. From left: Vicky, Nicole, Brian and Sunny.

These two are wonderful and really fun to have in class. Vicky and Nicole.

This is one of my classes going down the hallway to the next room.

This is Howard's balloon popping room. Disaster zone. One of the little girls got so scared from the balloon pop that she peed her pants and the started bawling. After about 30 minutes she was back in my room and got re-painted because it had washed away.


This is one of Andrew's old students, Billy during Pin the Tail on the Donkey. (We have been switching around classrooms, so he doesn't have him anymore).


Three of my students: Sally, Vicky, Nicole.

From Left: Sunny, Arthur, Sally, Ashley, Nicole, Vicky.

These also used to be Andrew's students. From left: Tommy, Jason, Cindy.

Billy.

One of the room's activities was making trick or treat bags. These are all my students.

Okay, I shouldn't pick favorites, but its hard not to when they come as sweet as Nicole.


Howard is pushing down on this little girl trying to pop the balloon. She was too tiny it wouldn't pop.

The little boy in the front right (red hat) is Chris. He is Andrew's student and is now in my story telling class. He is sooo tiny and adorable.

These are more of my students that I see later in the day. (except for the girl in the white glasses). The girl in the Green is Rachel, then James, Jeff, and Alice.


Me with some of my students. From left: Jeff, Alice, James, Grace, (girl I don't know) and Rachel.

This is Angela.

This little girl is a little sweetheart. This is the girl who was Eunice, then I renamed her to Rachel. Last week her mom called and informed us that she wanted to switch her name back to Eunice. (really?) oopse. Notice she is wearing a facemask by her chin. When people are sick they are supposed to wear these. Well, most students come to school with them on now because they are afraid of H1N1. They also are taking every student's temperatures before they come in to the classrooms.


The boy on the right is one of my new students, Justin. The boy on the left is his brother. (The kids were allowed to bring family or friends for the day). Justin was very proud because he made the cape himself.

The two in the front used to be the two kids in my favorite class. Now Andrew teaches them. The older looking girl in the back is Helen. In the front is Amy, and on the far right is Max.

Once Amy and Max found out that Andrew and I were engaged they always tease us. Amy has a mega-crush on Andrew. (Max told him so). She always strokes his arm in class and puts her arm around him. I have competition! She is a big sweetheart, though.

Here's Max! One of the most polite kids I've ever met. I miss having that class.

Sweet cape, Justin.


Max.

Max.

Helen on the left, Amy on the right. (Maria is covering up her face in the background).

Lainy is spinning Maria. She is embarrassed to be in pictures because she is in 6th grade, and that's how middle schoolers are.

Everyone wanted Howard to try the game. He failed.

Popping the balloons!

Ahhh the end of the day. My wings were made with real feathers!

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