Volleyball, Bamboo, and Teaching with Allergies

September 22nd was an interesting day for me. It was the day I found out that I had been 'recruited' for the teachers' volleyball team. A 4th grade male teacher was talking to my co-teacher and making volleyball movements with his arms. That was all before they were discussing my size for my uniform. So I just put two and two together. That's right...this is no leisurely game. It is an intense nine-man set-up where we travel to different elementary schools and play other teacher teams.

So Wednesday began like any other. Then 2:10pm hit and it was game time. The PE teacher came to my office to get me. I had already changed into my activity clothes by this time, so I was just going with the flow. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. We walked downstairs and outside where he handed me a uniform and told me to get in the car with my principal and the schools business manager. Neither spoke to me on the ride there (I don't think they really could) so I just sat in the back and tried to keep from laughing at the whole situation. We arrived at the school and began our warm up. I was just stared at like they had never seen a foreigner before...it was a little uncomfortable. Then a really sweet woman who spoke great English came to talk to me. She said everyone was intimidated that I was really good, they thought maybe I played in college. I had to assure her that my only volleyball experience included middle school, the beach, and college intramurals...I was no where near intimidating. While I was 'fraternising with the enemy,' the business manager at my school kept eyeing me to warm up with him. He scares me a little. He is very intense and takes his volleyball very seriously. I warmed up with him for about 25 minutes. By this time, I was exhausted and sweating profusely...and the game hadn't began yet.

When the other team walked in I had to hold in my laughter. Once again, I thought this was just a "hey let's get our schools together and hit around a bit" kind of thing. No...they walked in, uniforms on, short little shorts, knee pads, and actual volleyball shoes. One man even had his fingers taped! I was thinking...ok...I obviously didn't get the knee pad memo...are these people really going to dive for the ball....do I have to?

The whistle blew and it was show time. I wished I could have observed for a while but they through my right into the action. I quickly realized my role and why I was there. Each team has to have at least three women playing...I seemed to be number three and we were all put in the back. Remember how I said it was nine man volleyball? Ya...well that is entirely too many people on the court at the same time. The three of us women hardly ever touched the ball, except to serve, I kinda of think that was the point. But I did serve very well thank you.

I learned afterward that it was only a practice game. We had another practice game on Friday and just this past Monday. This Wednesday, the 30th, is an actual game...it should be interesting! All in all...except for the fact that I don't have a translator, no one really explained the rules to me, the Korean criticism when I make a mistake, and the sweaty long sleeved uniforms without air conditioning...it's really fun! I'm glad I was asked to participate. I'll keep you updated on how our 'season' goes.

Saturday Andrew and I decided to continue our adventures to see the ''12 Scenic Sites of Ulsan" adventure. It was really cloudy and expected to rain so we didn't want to go too far from home. We decided to check out the Bamboo Forrest just off the Taehwagang River. Once again, the only directions we had was which bus to get on. It failed to tell us where to get off. This time we thought we were smart and brought a map. It didn't go too well. To make another long story of us getting lost short, we found it eventually and were not as impressed as we thought we would be. It was neat yes, but we learned it had been man made which kind of took the impressive factor down a bit. We were so exhausted after walking so much when we were lost, that we took a few pictures then returned home. It was kind of a bust. But on the bright side, we can cross it off our list. Bamboo Forrest....been there...done that.


I am beginning to experience what it's like to have allergies for the first time. I ran into another foreign teacher who said the same thing. So we have self diagnosed that it's allergies. It's awful! I mean the sneezing, running nose, congestion...it makes teaching a bit more challenging that's for sure. Oh...another week of teaching. I don't have any exciting stories for you. I just took a few more photos because they are so dang cute! These photos are of some students playing a memory game that I created. They had a blast and got so competitive. It's quite hilarious! Check out the excitement on number 69s expression! I love it!

Well this weekend is Chusok, Korean Thanksgiving, so I have off Friday and Monday! I'm pretty excited! You'll have to wait until my next post to find out where I go!