It has been about a month since my last post, but my free time has all but disappeared since the start of this semester. I have been working on my yearly goals and feel like l am making some progress towards my goals. I am down about 15 pounds and have cut out fast food, fried food, and pretty much all sweets. I just started working out 5 days a week instead of 3, and although I feel like my life revolves around going to the gym, I am starting to feel the results. I really got motivated by reading the quote by Jack LaLanne, the fitness guru, who recently died at the age of 96. He said, “I hate working out, but I love the results.” This seems to be my motto. I can’t really stand to be in the gym, but I do enjoy the results. I have a long way to go, but I am slowly making some progress.

I feel like I have made some progress in my Korean studies as well, but I still need to read more in my free time. I am making decent progress in my Sogang textbook and in the lessons available on TTMIK, but really want to start doing more free reading in Korean. I don’t suffer from a lack of motivation, but at the same time I do if that makes any sense. I just need to do a better job of scheduling my Korean study time.

I am still enjoying the MATL program at USM, and luckily I am only taking three classes this term. I do have a lot to read this term and a few big projects to work on as well. My Sociolinguistics class is great, and I probably like it so much because I get to talk about Korean culture a good bit. The class is small but most of the students have experience living in a differernt country or are actually international students. Looks like I am going to pay a visit to the Hindu temple in Jackson for an assignment in Sociolinguistics that requires us to place ourselves in an environment where we are likely to suffer from culture shock. It should make for an interesting essay. My reading list seems to grow every week and there are still a few dozen books that I would like to cover this semester. I also have a number of other research papers that I am trying to work my way through, but my classes require so much reading that I have not been able to do research on topics that are of a personal interest to me.

Currently Reading:
Principles of Language Learning and Teaching- H Douglas Brown
Second Language Acquisition- Gass and Selinker
How Languages are Learned-Lightbown and Spada
Language: the Social Mirror- Elaine Chaika
Teaching Culture: Perspectives in Practice-Patrick R. Moran
Language Shock-Michael Agar
Chomsky Notebook-Noam Chomsky
Focus on Form in Classroom Second Language Acquisition-Doughty and Williams

I am also trying to figure out how I am going to go to the TESOL convention in New Orleans during March. Hopefully, I will have gotten far enough ahead that I can miss a couple of days of class.

I have been pleased with the students that I am working with for my assistantship. I only have to work 20 hours a week, but my hours are not blocked so it seems that I am always at the office. My students all seem to know what I expect of them and have been coming to their sessions fully prepared. We will see if they keep up the good work.

Recently, I have been doing a fair amount of research into focusing on form in the language classroom. I have enjoyed reading about how I should have been teaching grammar and wish that I would have these classes before I taught in Korea.

Jeju!

After JJ spoke with her family on Lunar New Year’s Day, plans were made for a visit to Korea at the end of the summer. We will probably end up splitting our time between Jeju and Seoul.(And hopefully a side trip to Dongtan) I need to do some camera shopping/trading in Namdaemun, and I know that JJ has lots of items that she wants to pick up as well. I really am looking forward to spending about 11 days in Korea, but really don’t look forward to paying for the flight and since my mom has already booked a vacation home in Florida for the first two weeks of summer vacation, it looks like all of our free time is booked for the next few months.