I'm Still Alive

The GRE test (the analytical writing portion) was not that scary. It was "strangely" the exact same as the practice tests. However, right before my test the GRE staff person informed me that I won't be able to take the rest of the test until late June of 2008. I kinda lost it (to put it mildly). I was promised that I would take the test in October of this year. Most Fall 2008 grad school applications are due in February of 2008 and January 2009 applications are due in early June. I don't want to have to wait that long to go back to school. So.. Japan, here I come. I should be able to take the test there this winter. (They have many computer-based testing centers).

Onto other topics...

This past weekend I went to our Annual Fall Teacher's retreat at Deer Mountain (in Sahsoomoey-dongsang). More than 300 English teachers got together to discuss our experiences and basically to relax. It was sooo fun! I didn't realize how much I missed simply talking with a large group of other English speakers.

On this trip I also experienced a few "firsts" in Korea. The first was our traditional sleeping mats (yos) and the squatter toilets. No need to go into detail about the toilets, but I will always appreciate public American bathrooms from now on.

Surprisingly, sleeping on the yos was almost comfortable. Korean homes are usually heated via the floor, so the flooring is softer--almost vinyl like and isn't as hard as I'm used to in the States.

As you can see from the photo, our retreat center was located in a very scenic area.