Spontaneous Holiday?

I just found out today that we don't have class tomorrow! I'm not sure why, but I think it's a state-wide holiday, and not national. Gyeonggi-Do something or other Honor and Celebration for Make Glory the Beautiful... wait, what was I talking about?

So, I'm going to try to make the most of the day and go shopping in Icheon. I'm not really sure what there is to buy there, but Mi Sun suggested it, and I guess she's going to show me around, since, well, she works with me and thus has tomorrow off too. 2 things I'm definitely looking for: maple syrup and oatmeal. I really like eating breakfast, it turns out -- not least because I have to leave my apartment around 8am and I don't get lunch till after 12. 5 hours of getting ready and dealing with ankle-biters is hungry work, ya'll. Believe that.

I don't really think I'll be able to buy much else, like, American-y. I've heard that for decently priced meat and cheeses and normal stuff like Dinty Moore Beef Stew and Hormel Chili that you have to go to a) the Army Base or b) Costco. That Canadian guy Dave has a car and offered to take me to Costco some weekend but I just haven't taken him up on it yet. Although, I'd really like to buy some steaks. I mean, this is costco, so I'll probably end up with 12 pounds of steaks, but that's why I have a ginormous freezer, right? And no, I don't think I'll buy either beef stew or canned chili, in case you were wondering.

So my extra classes didn't go so well today. I was kind of disappointed, bein as how I just got back from job training and all, but hey! things never go the way you expect them to. I realized that I need some sort of coherent reward/punishment system. I'm thinking each day I'll start with their names on the side of the board and 2 stars next to each one. Participating in an activity and being good will earn you a mark. Talking when I'm talking, being disruptive, or not participating will get them taken away. If you get to zero, then there'll be some sort of consequence, based on your behavior. A time out or what have you... I don't have the details all worked out yet, but I feel like I'm losing them. Part of the problem is that my class doesn't matter -- there's no grade, no reason to try unless they just like English. Which some of them do, and they're awesome. But the ones that don't make it very difficult to spend any amount of quality time with the ones that do. Anyway, I need to find a way to make them accountable for their perfomance and behavior in my class. I think I'll talk to my coteacher and see if we can set up some kind of reporting system that will go back to their homeroom teachers, so they'll know if their kids are being little hellians. I gotta ask about that... so we'll see. Oh, and obviously, the reward part of the system: each student who finishes class with 5 stars (out of a possible 6 or 7: 2 to start plus ~4 activities) gets a sticker for the day. And the 2 with the most stickers at the end of the month get a little prize. Candy or maybe some American treat, or a pencil case. They like pencil cases here.

What do you think? Got any suggestions for me? I'm all ears on this one.

I kicked my own ass at the gym yesterday. I think it was taking several days off for that teacher training that did me in. My arms don't wanna work today. Good stuff.

Oh! Get this! I (finally) successfully ordered pizza. In Korean. For delivery. To my house. I'm the man with the master plan... no school tomorrow and potato pizza coming my way. What a great night! And on that note, I need to put on some pants.