Allo folks. Sorry about the no posting lately. It is a result of the following two specific occurences in my life:
(1) My general level of health as of late (or lack thereof), which I'll get into in a bit; and
(2) The summer intensive period, which I will get into right now.
Intensive
Twice a year, once for the full month of January and once starting in late July and going to mid-august, we have 'intensive' periods at school. In Korea, kids get winter vacation in January, and they get summer vacation for about a month as well. Since there is insane pressure here on Korean parents to have their kids studying and working to death throughout the entirety of their childhoods, the parents can pay some cash and sign kids up to go to our school (or others) in the mornings. So, while they do have public school off, they still have to come to their English private school, and probably all kinds of other schools as well.
What this means for me.
My regular schedule is basically teaching from 3pm-8pm every day. In 5 hours I'll teach anywhere from 4-7 classes of 40 or 50 minutes each. This doesn't seem like a lot, but is a full enough day. The kids have a lot of unused energy, and teaching is pretty exhausting. If I teach energetically, all the way through, by the end of the day I go home and could pass out. It often feels like a 12 hour day rather than a 5, if I've put myself into it. Not that I don't enjoy it, mind you. The kids are a blast, and energize as well as wear out. It's more a mental power-sync than a physical one - at the end of the day, thinking is just no longer a priority. During intensive, however, we also teach 4 40 minute classes from 9:30-12:25. So today I got up at 8:30, went to class from 9:30-12:30, came home until 2:30, and back to ECC for classes from 3-8. This schedule, every day for a month, is entirely exhausting, and certainly not fun in any way. Winter is worse because it's freezing when you wake up, but 40 degree weather certainly doesn't make Jason any better at teaching. Ah well, two more weeks and it's over, and I can't wait.
Side Note - When I say that the kids are worked to death I don't think I'm exaggerating all that much. A good proportion of my kids wake up at 6am, go to public school from 8-2, ECC from 3-5, Science academy from 5-8, Chinese academy from 8-10, get home at 11 and study and do homework for one hour and then go to bed. Any number of those academies could be switched out for - music lessons, taikwondo, math classes, etc. But the schedule is all to often the same. Me and Brendan were out drinking one Saturday night and went to buy some things at the convenience store across from our school, when we saw 3 of our kids, middle school kids, coming out of ECC. It was 1:30 AM.
It is, I think, a terrible system. Kids are stretched too far to gain any real amount of knowledge, while at the same time they're being robbed of the lot of their childhood. They learn little to nothing in the time I get with them, shuffling from one class to another, like sleep-deprived zombies. Kids need excitement, independence, fun, freedom and a host of experiences good and bad to properly grow, and it is easy to see the results in the amount of socially underdeveloped adults that we work with. The majority of the female Korean teachers at work keep their heads down and don't talk to anyone, and there isn't a girl in the office who likes any of the male korean teachers (4 of them) who, I will admit, are all too often strange to an insane degree.
The lifestyle of the kids here would be tantamount to child abuse back home, but hey.. I'm culturally biased. Sorry about the rant, it's just kind of annoying that it seems so obviously idiotic, yet is so ubiquitous here. What I really wonder is what's going through the parents' heads. I find it so hard to believe a rational adult could think by cramming a kid's hours full of class after class that they will just absorb all information put in front of them. Most of my kids don't even do my homework because it's not as important as their other homework (e.g. they won't get in as much trouble with me as they might with a korean math teacher, which is absolutely true) and they've no time to do it.
But, as a conscientious observer, all I can do is try to teach my kids to the best of my ability each day. I can feel when I'm doing it, and I know that when I do bust my arse I'm able to get through to kids pretty well. If I try hard I'm not a half-bad teacher. Many times better than a year and a half ago, let's say. Usually I feel like most days I'm putting out this 110% attitude and providing the kind of learning environment I want to be. That is, historically, unless I'm hungover or sick. Lately though, with so many classes, and my general energy levels, it is a rare occurrence. This is something I'm hoping will change very soon, which is a great segue to my next topic. Health.
Health
For a little over a month I've been having a lot of energy related problems. I went to the doctor two weeks ago with a note that in korean something to the tune of 'no energy, dizziness/lightheadedness/can't sleep. The note also explained that I had a vegan diet (and what that meant) and I was worried that I might be deficient in something. He concluded without any tests that it was the lack of sleep that was my problem, and gave me some sleeping pills. He also told me to eat a lot of protein, which I feel I'm definitely eating enough of, and sent me on my way.
The pills were for seven days. I took one the first night after seeing him, right as I was going to sleep as he suggested, couldn't sleep for hours, and woke up worse than ever with a huge headache. I didn't keep taking them. I genuinely feel my slight bout of insomnia is a symptom rather than a cause, and don't think the pills will help me. I don't like taking pills in any case, and they make it harder for me to relax and sleep.
Not satisfied, I went to a bigger hospital with the same note, this time with another one saying I wanted blood work done to see if I was deficient in something. The doctor concluded that lack of sleep was my problem, and after I told him the pills didn't work he prescribed me different sleeping pills he assured me would. I didn't fill the prescription, but I did get blood taken so now I'm just waiting on the bloodwork to get back. I'm to go back to the hospital next wednesday to find out.
I'm really hoping they do find something, because at this point I'm just going through the motions of my daily life. I don't prepare for classes, I do the bare minimum of teaching and give the kids a puzzle or free time for the rest of my minutes. I've no interest in doing anything after work, I've not even the energy to read a book, and I usually just watch bad TV and go to bed.
I've never been a great sleeper, and it usually takes me a while, but lately It might take 3 hours and I regularly wake up exhausted. (This may be a fault of the heat, as it is often 27 and up in my room at night)
The dizziness isn't getting any worse, I feel, but it is pretty severe. If I tilt my head back for about 10 seconds, the world starts spinning. Getting up or laying down always takes me 5 seconds or so to reorient from the headrush, and if i'm sleeping on one side and roll over to the other too quickly, it is the same.
Let's hope this is just a small slump, and get past it asap, yea?
Enough of this depressing stuff. Zoey. Your package arrived two days ago. Thank you so much. The hat is brilliant, and as I haven't been talking to mom as much as I'd like to lately, she didn't ruin the surprise at all. Super happy about it. I confess I've already eaten the bars. They were delicious. Thanks again. You're a pro. And now a gift for you, though not quite so tangible, are some pictures of my kids I took today. With these I am out. I will update y'all next week. I've no plans for the weekend but a lot of nothing, for which I can't wait. Later players. 
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