Going, going...

A few letters from students, including a gorgeous poster from my third-years!

Should I have made a bigger deal out of my leaving? I've been downplaying my imminent departure so much that I wonder if my students have really digested the reality of it all. I know I haven't, not really. This has been the week of "last classes", and they have mostly looked like this: I pass out class awards, tell the students via riddle or just straight up that I'm going back to the States for grad school, and then show Video Game High School or play Mafia. Then the bell rings, the students leave, and I sit at my desk and wonder if I should be, like, emotional or anything. I think one thing I am going to regret is that I haven't set aside any time to take class photos with my students.

Tomorrow, the second-years are going on a field trip to Jirisan, and I will join them, so there's a good opportunity to "catch up," so to speak. All the photos I take will end up on Facebook, and now that my contract is officially over, I think I can start adding my students as friends. In this way, at least, goodbye isn't really goodbye, since we can easily keep in touch online. Still, what I'll miss the most is physically being with my students, and no social network can replace that.

I'm having my first-year students write letters to the new Fulbright teacher who will replace me this fall. The letters are very cute, and so far they give good insight into the students' personalities. Some students surprised me by writing very thoughtful letters or by writing more than I expected of them. Other students surprised me by writing me a letter instead of focusing on the assignment I gave them. Well, I'm not going to take issue with that. :) I've gotten a few other letters from students, which I will cherish. I'm really touched when students take the time to show me that I've made some sort of impact on their lives, as brief as my time here has been. So yes, even the sheet of paper that says nothing but, "I love you, Teacher! Forever," and a bunch of hearts is going in my keepsakes box.

All of my third-years wrote something in a large card they gave me today. Since it was our last class, and since I like them enough to hand them twenty bucks and permission to go to the corner convenience store, I treated them to ice cream! And we blogged, of course. Ah, these are the students I taught for four semesters. I'll miss them a lot.

Oh! Unrelated: our school cohir had a mini-concert today. One of the songs they performed was called "Flying Free"; it was very beautiful. The other was "Hava Nagila", and I thought it was strange to hear Hebrew being sung from my Korean students' mouths... but my Asian church choir has sung in plenty of different languages before, so I guess I shouldn't make a big deal out of it! I really enjoyed their performance! Check out the videos below.


So... really. I'm looking at nothing but a day trip with students tomorrow, and then Friday, which is just a half-day. The last day. But it still hasn't registered yet.

Winds Blow Deep into My Heart

This video is of my 3rd-year students performing the final song of their fall concert. I was bummed that I had to administer speaking tests during that period, so I missed most of it, but thankfully I hurried to the auditorium just after second period in time to catch this gem.

I didn't understand the lyrics of the song, but the melody was touching, and their harmonies were wonderful. I felt so lucky to be there!

After some Googling, I've discovered that the song is "Eres Tu" by 브니엘 (Peniel), which seems to indicate that this is a Christian song. However, the lyrics to "Eres Tu" don't exactly match what my students are singing, so they must have changed the lyrics a little bit.

I've posted the original lyrics (가사) below, and I've attempted a quick and rough translation. Korean speakers, feel free to correct them!

내 귀에 속삭이시던 그 말씀
영원히 너와 함께 하리
지난 밤 나를 부르던 그대 목소리
난 정말 잊을 수 없네

(Something along the lines of, "The words you whispered into my ear are eternally with me; last night, your voice singing to me I can never forget.")

주님의 부드러운 그 음성에
내마음 기쁨에 젖었네
언제나 다시 만날 수 있을까
나 주님 뵙기 원하네

("Lord, the voice of you singing drenches my soul; when can we meet again? I want to see my Lord.")

바람아 내 마음 깊은 곳까지
불어라 주님의 사랑 안고서
아 바람아 불어라 주님 나의 마음 깊은 곳까지
바람아 불어라 주님 사랑 안고서

("Winds blow deep into my heart; I'm held in my Lord's love. Ah, winds blow; my Lord is deep in my heart. Winds blow; I'm in my Lord's loving embrace.")

외로울 때에 위로를 주시고
슬픔과 눈물 닦으시네
평안과 기쁨 내게 늘 주시는
나 주님 뵙기 원하네

("When I'm lonely, he gives me comfort; he washes away sadness and tears. Peace and joy he always gives me; I want to see my Lord.")

바람아 내 마음 깊은 곳까지
불어라 주님의 사랑 안고서
아 바람아 불어라 주님 나의 마음 깊은 곳까지
바람아 불어라 주님 사랑 안고서
아 바람아 불어라 주님 나의 마음 깊은 곳까지
바람아 불어라 주님 사랑 안고서