the day the proudfeet touched ground

wednesday morning we woke with a start, to the sound of 300 koreans chanting what sounded like high-speed taichi.  anthem-styled songs blared through the speaker system that surrouds the school grounds.  after about 2 mins of attempting to return to sleep, i grabbed my camera, threw on a jacket and stepped out in to the (very early) morning.

this was outside our room.

and whilst i still have no idea who they were, or what they were doing, or why they were up before the sun - apparently, this is something we can expect to continue on a daily basis as the weather improves.

goodie gumdrops.

later that day - and much to our excitement, footie and minx arrived.

tanned and still wearing their holiday faces the two were greeted with an unexpected bout of snowfall.  enormous flakes fell for about 3 hrs, followed shortly after by a light rain which washed all the snow away.

it was so unscheduled and fleeting, that it seemed as if it was a welcome gift just for them.

while Fathead and i were at work, losing our voices in the torture chambers (called "classrooms" here) - footie and minx-star set about making themselves at home.  in a stroke of luck, they were given the room right next door to ours - which means that they have access to the balcony, as well as our back door.

we left them with a list of hints and tips, hand drawn maps and instructions on using the public transport systems.  it's pretty amazing - we didn't realise how much we knew until we were the ones answering the questions.

after work, we took them for their first night on the town - and what was really great was that so many people from the school joined us too.  since we've been here, there are some personalities that are always there, always friendly and always in the forefront of our days.  others, however, tend to slink into the shadows - probably through shyness or an unwillingness to be too social in the working/living environment.

however, with the south african contingent now sitting at a substantial 5-people (roslyn from cpt being the fifth) - it seems that the whole team has started to pull together, and other teachers are slowly coming out of their shells.

the night started at pub 210 - where the barman remembered my name ... incredible, having only been there once before.  after that, we went onto dublins for an open-mic night, where one of tour teachers played a set.

(canad)ian and jono, with luke (another canadian) playing his set in the background

Fathead, footie and minx in dublins

the night was long and the next, even longer. well, for Fathead and i anyway.  the other two slept in 'til midday, wandered into town and splashed out on two pot plants and a shower curtain for their new nest.