Staycation in Review

Summer 2014 was definitely memorable. Despite not being able to travel abroad, it was quite enjoyable and gave me a lot to think about. As mentioned before, I ventured down to Daejeon with the goal of visiting my lovely former students at Chungdahm April. I spent Monday and Tuesday at the school just roaming around, catching glimpses of my old students. I know it sounds creepy, but really, if you know me, this is completely normal.

I rolled into the school around 9:45am on Monday morning with muffins in hand. Lemon poppyseed muffins, I might add. They were delicious. I taste tested one myself while I baked them on Sunday.

I was greeted by Esther, my lovely former boss, and Juliet Teacher! It was such a warm and welcome sight! Since it was the real start of AIS, I saw kids hustling and bustling to get to their correct classes. I recognized a few right off the bat. There were, of course, new faces, which tells me that the school is doing well. I chatted with Juliet for a bit and roamed around to say hi to whoever I could. I got a chance to talk to Kenny, the owner. I last saw him in February right before I left the school. He’s always been kind to me and it was no different this time. In typical Kenny fashion, he said something super corny, but stuck to me like no other:

Your body is in Seoul, but your heart is in Daejeon.

Although I chuckled when he said that, I thought to myself… “Damn Kenny, you’re right!” I saw his daughter Kelly who has grown so much since I last saw her in February. It wasn’t until after lunch that I ran into a lot of the kids that I used to teach. It started with Ace, Danny, and Martin… my big babies from Seedbed 2. I can’t believe they’re now in the 6 o’clock time block! That’s how you know they’re gettin’ old! Of course, I saw my rude babygirls Jiyeon and Sally. Jiyeon finally grew after 3 years. How dare they all grow up without me!! Other kids I saw throughout the day include: Christy, David, Alan, Eugene, Amy, my little chunk Kevin, David, Mary, etc. At the usual 4 o’clock block of classes, I saw my favorite Sprout 3 class back in the day. Unfortunately, my star Won (Bin) moved to Chungdahm. But I saw B.O.B, Peter, and Sonic – the 3 baddest kids on the block. They were so excited to see me. And if I wasn’t so overwhelmed with crying, I would’ve treated them to some snacks. I was so unprepared this time around. But next time, I will come armed with snacks and my e-mail address hahaha.

Tuesday’s visit was a bit more tame. I did know a few kids. I hung out in Inga’s Junior Master 2 class to watch her debate class. I’m glad to see debate back on the program for these kids. I also saw my baby Daehee from my old Sapling 2 class. God, I miss all my kids so much! I managed to stop by CDI to visit Joe who was watching CCTV. We caught up with our usual chat about things. Love that dude, he knows what’s up. I also saw one of my old Junior Master 2 kids, Noisy John, who is now in Eagle. The kid is soaring and yes, I did have part in his success hahahahaha. I had dinner with Kristina then made my way back to April to say goodbye to Esther before boarding the KTX to go back to Seoul. Overall, a wonderful visit and it makes me miss my kids even more.