Winter Vacation Schedule

When you think of winter vacation, usually you think of time off of work. Well that's not the case for academies in Korea, it's just the opposit. In Korea winter vacation means it's time to crack down on the teaching because the students don't need to focus on school and can focus on their academy work. So the schedule this month has changed so that we finish much earlier than usual, but we also start much earlier too. So each day I have to get up earlier so I can be at the school for 10 AM. Then I prepare for my classes and start at 11. I have 3 classes and then a 30 minute break for lunch at 1:45-2:20. Then there are 2 or 3 more classes.
I used to have one more class to make 3 each day, but it was cancelled. The lady, an older lady who wanted to learn survival English for traveling, had to stop to take care of her son, who broke his leg in a skiing accident. It works good for me, because it was very difficult to teach her because she is much older and she has a very hard time listening for detail. So, I'm a little glad that I don't have to teach her any more. I'm told though that she will be returning when the schedule changes back and will start to take classes again. I hope I can teach her better than I had before. I also enjoy not having that class any more because it gives me time to chat with one of my co-workers, Jin. She's really nice and this last little while we have had some good chats. She has a dog also, so we get into talking about silly things that they do and such. We also talk about t.v. programs that we watch. It's a good time. I'm going to miss our chats when the schedule changes again.
All in all, it's pretty good. I finish at 5 and then can eat dinner at a normal time. It's nice to have the evening free because I can do things, like go to the movies or do some shopping or just relax. The only thing is that I have to go to bed early so that I will have enough energy to make it through the day. With the new schedule and eating at better times, I have been able to lose a good 4 lbs. It's nice to take off the weight.