There’s so much to tell about my classes. On the whole, I play more of a "tape recorder" role (just pronouncing everything for the teacher), and while that makes lesson planning practically non-existent, it gets mundane and boring VERY quickly. I never realized how much of a control freak I can actually be until now. I want to throw the teacher into a desk and just take the reins of the classroom. My only drawback would be that their English levels are so low that I cannot run the class by myself without knowing Korean.
It's a little frustrating how poor the teachers' pronunciation is. For example, they'll say “payjee” for “page” and “dis is your Engrishee teachah.” And this is understandable because they were taught by someone much like themselves growing up. I remember the days when I started taking Spanish classes in middle school and now I realize how poorly we were taught pronunciation by non-native speakers. Same thing here. So I can see where my services lie, but it won’t be very effective when I am only with these classes once a week and spend a total of about 3 minutes actually talking in front of the students. And sometimes I think the teachers are concentrating so hard on their English pronunciation during lessons that they cannot focus on teaching effectively.
In all honesty, I'm starting to lose interest because there's not much creativity in the lesson plans since schools are required to follow a boring CD-Rom curriculum. Of course, my teaching experiences differ according to which teacher I’m teaching with. I have one particular teacher that just drives me nuts in class. Although she is super nice and sweet and can be quite silly with the kids, we can barely communicate. She has to use a speaker microphone during her class because she can’t raise her voice. I used to think I could never raise my voice either until I started working with kids and realized everyone has it in them. But even with her microphone, students still don’t listen to her. Mostly because she doesn’t even discipline the students so they are constantly disruptive and never paying attention. I get frustrated at times and start scolding them, mostly just to express my anger and not really to calm them down. I just give up trying to discipline because why would they listen to me if the main teacher isn’t enforcing anything? It doesn’t help that these classes fall on a Monday. Every Monday I find myself extremely grouchy and mean to the kids and end up wanting to stab my eye with a pencil. Sounds like somebody's got a case of the MOOONDAYS.
I was told that corporal punishment is very common here. And being in a rural conservative area, I figured it’d be quite common. I have yet to see it. Maybe they just don’t do it in my presence? Sometimes (to be honest) I kind of want to partake in it because the kids can really be nuisances. Mostly the boys.
In between classes students are free to roam about the school grounds as they please with no supervision. Teachers go about their business without worrying about kids running home or really causing any trouble. There is the occasional playful hitting, but it rarely gets serious. This makes it easy for staff meetings in the middle of the day because there doesn’t need to be any adults around to supervise the children. It’s so wonderful that Korean children are so well-disciplined in this manner! I think the children don’t mind being in school because they get to be with all of their friends so none will run away and go home. Pretty good sense of responsibility in my book. And they’re (generally) pretty good about running back to class when break is over. I love it!
Teachers on the other hand spend a lot of time screwing around. I find them wandering the halls during class time, smoking outside, sleeping at their desks, taking 2 hour lunch breaks. Their students do all the cleaning. It’s interesting how much more teaching American teachers do. In the States, I rarely had a moment to chit chat with another teacher unless it was after school. It seems bizarre considering teachers here make just as much, if not more, than Korean teachers. And that doesn’t even factor in the cost of living, which is significantly lower in Korea.
But I've started teaching a class to elementary teachers, so at least I can start some real lesson planning! It’ll be interesting because these teachers don’t know a lick of English. And is it weird that 2 of my co-teachers (one is the school’s designated ENGLISH teacher) are taking my class? I think I should be running their classes. Blah, it’s just weird. I'm also excited to start an after school English club for the students, which should be more fun than the classes right now.
I'm still having a hard time defining my clear objective while I'm here. Initially it was to really make a difference in the way the students are learning English, but their minimal exposure to the language makes things very difficult. I want this job to contribute to my future career and not to be taken lightly and merely as a means of living abroad. So I'm going to spend some time thinking about how I want to go about this. I’m afraid that what I’ll get most out of this will just be the traveling and cultural experience. Maybe I’ll be okay with this. In the meantime, I'm just adjusting by eating a lot of kimchi, flashing my V for Victory scissor hands, bowing to every passerby, and playing soccer with the students after school.
Also, students carry around snap-blades in their pencil cases (instead of the usual plastic safety scissors)! I understand that they use them for cutting things sometimes, but that also entitles them to cut someone else’s throat. This would never ever be allowed in the hands of a child back home. Maybe that’s because American kids are kind of crazy.
March 31, 2008
March 26, 2008
Athletic women
I may be generalizing...
but athletic women rarely exist in my part of town. Well, in all of South Korea apparently. When I tell Koreans that I love love love soccer, they say "cool" but I'm sure they're thinking "Ew. She plays sports and doesn't walk around in heels all day and doesn't add 18 layers of foundation? She's probably a lesbian!" (have you seen the women that play for the national team?!?). It's fun trying to explain how big women playing soccer is in the States. Let alone any [contact] sport.
I'm glad the kids don't care. They just love that a teacher is willing to play with them for once. I played soccer and basketball with 3 of my favorite girl students today and realized 1) how out of shape I am! 2) that I am 23, not 13 and 3) some of the most fun I've had in Korea have been with these girls.
We also had a teacher volleyball match after school. I was really excited to finally be getting into some of the social physical activities, until I realized I was the only female playing with about 15 men! I think we were all thrown off by that at first, and I even felt like they might've been a bit hesitant and sexist about me playing. But then I'd make a good hit and they'd be impressed. I was taken back a bit because even though I CAN play volleyball, I'm still pretty awful at it. But I think they understand that maybe women play more sports in the USA than they do in Korea?
Of course, all the female teachers were busy preparing a late afternoon snack/pre-dinner session in the cafeteria. I fear I may have grown a penis and a little chest hair throughout this whole ordeal!
Anyway, I'm glad I thought better against bringing my soccer cleats with me, seeing how I will most likely never use them. This saddens me. (Which is okay, because most are just dirt fields anyway).
but athletic women rarely exist in my part of town. Well, in all of South Korea apparently. When I tell Koreans that I love love love soccer, they say "cool" but I'm sure they're thinking "Ew. She plays sports and doesn't walk around in heels all day and doesn't add 18 layers of foundation? She's probably a lesbian!" (have you seen the women that play for the national team?!?). It's fun trying to explain how big women playing soccer is in the States. Let alone any [contact] sport.
I'm glad the kids don't care. They just love that a teacher is willing to play with them for once. I played soccer and basketball with 3 of my favorite girl students today and realized 1) how out of shape I am! 2) that I am 23, not 13 and 3) some of the most fun I've had in Korea have been with these girls.
We also had a teacher volleyball match after school. I was really excited to finally be getting into some of the social physical activities, until I realized I was the only female playing with about 15 men! I think we were all thrown off by that at first, and I even felt like they might've been a bit hesitant and sexist about me playing. But then I'd make a good hit and they'd be impressed. I was taken back a bit because even though I CAN play volleyball, I'm still pretty awful at it. But I think they understand that maybe women play more sports in the USA than they do in Korea?
Of course, all the female teachers were busy preparing a late afternoon snack/pre-dinner session in the cafeteria. I fear I may have grown a penis and a little chest hair throughout this whole ordeal!
Anyway, I'm glad I thought better against bringing my soccer cleats with me, seeing how I will most likely never use them. This saddens me. (Which is okay, because most are just dirt fields anyway).
March 24, 2008
Communication is key
com·mu·ni·ca·tion /kəˌmyunɪˈkeɪʃən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kuh-myoo-ni-key-shuhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. the act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated.
2. the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs.
3. something imparted, interchanged, or transmitted.
4. a document or message imparting news, views, information, etc.
5. passage, or an opportunity or means of passage, between places.
Biology. a. activity by one organism that changes or has the potential to change the behavior of other organisms.
Communication has been quite the roller coaster for me over the last few weeks. It comes and goes in various forms and with either brilliant charm or passionate disaster. Here are a few communication blunders and triumphs.
My coteacher is now sick and I think she caught it from me. But I place the
blame entirely on her because I did not ask her to stick her face 3cm in
front of mine when she spoke to me. If only she knew I could still hear her
from more than 4cm away, she'd be in perfect health. Lesson learned, eh? Also, even female strangers I'd met 8 seconds before would get really close to me and often clasp my arm in hers...and that sort of immediate intimacy freaks me out. Males in particular do not hold back in terms of being affectionate with their friends. They will hold hands with one another, walk arm to waist like it's no big deal. It's a bit weird coming from a society where every little gesture propagates homophobia. But I admit I do like it and think it's cute.
I befriended the daughter of my coteacher's friend, who speaks very minimal English. We had planned to go see a movie, which I thought was clever so that we didn't have to talk. But seeing how it was a Korean film with no subtitles, we thought against it and just walked around. It was tough at times to find things to talk about but we did our best with pointing and circumnavigating that I think we created a small bond. She bought me a gift and I bought her strawberries. And we took sticker pictures together.
Students love to flatter me:
"Miss Kue so beautiful!"
"Miss Kue so pretty! NO she's wonderful. NO SHE'S UNBELIEVABLE!"
Student: Do you have a boyfriend?
Me: No, I don't.
Student: Why? You so beautiful!
I also think it's funny when adults ask me if I have a boyfriend, and when I say no, they ask if I plan to. That must be the reason I've been single! I never PLANNED having a boyfriend. I'm going to work on a blueprint tonight.
I enjoy how the word "maybe" is used for every uncertainty. "So did you just go to the bathroom?" "Eh...maybe." *nod* "Where did your parents go?" "To the store maybe."
I have a "coteacher" that knows NO English, so it had been frustrating working with him. No communication is automatically miscommunication. I had to use another English teacher as means of communication--whew! Ended up coming up with a good teaching arrangement conducive to both our teaching plans.
2 older male teachers always say "Good morning!!" to me when they see me and then always start bursting with laughter at their English like it's the funniest thing in the world. This has happened already over 30 times. And the laugh has not changed. NOT EVEN JOKING. It was cute the first 15 times but now it's getting annoying. Come on, is it really that funny to say "good morning" in another language when you do it every single day?
I am getting very used to bowing. Most of the time I am not even sure, so I just bow just in case. It's helpful to watch and wait until I have eye contact with someone and then as they start to bow I will do it with near automatic reflex so that it looks natural (as if I was going to bow anyway).
I wish I did understand more Korean, though. One reason being I would like to sit in classes and watch how subjects are taught in Korean. Secondly, I know people around me are always talking about me. I just wish I knew WHAT they were saying (regardless if it's good or bad). Also, not verbally communicating with teachers throughout the day makes things not only frustrating, but boring...so I get tired very easily.
I'm getting tired of saying "hello" and "hi" a million times a day--it may be the only lick of English I'll remember upon my return home.
This may not really tie in, but it's been bugging me lately. Many Koreans I know chew SO loud. I really can't stand it. One in particular is always making these dry mouth noises so I have to try to think of something to talk about. They also chew gum louder than I thought possible. I went home and tried it for myself, just to see if it was actually quite liberating...but I tried so hard and couldn't even get it to their level. It's just a big pet peeve of mine. Yes, the mouth opens. But it also closes.
Last but not least, I am now Bonghwa elementary schools' official Human Tape Recorder, HaTeR for short.
–noun 1. the act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated.
2. the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs.
3. something imparted, interchanged, or transmitted.
4. a document or message imparting news, views, information, etc.
5. passage, or an opportunity or means of passage, between places.
Biology. a. activity by one organism that changes or has the potential to change the behavior of other organisms.
Communication has been quite the roller coaster for me over the last few weeks. It comes and goes in various forms and with either brilliant charm or passionate disaster. Here are a few communication blunders and triumphs.
My coteacher is now sick and I think she caught it from me. But I place the
blame entirely on her because I did not ask her to stick her face 3cm in
front of mine when she spoke to me. If only she knew I could still hear her
from more than 4cm away, she'd be in perfect health. Lesson learned, eh? Also, even female strangers I'd met 8 seconds before would get really close to me and often clasp my arm in hers...and that sort of immediate intimacy freaks me out. Males in particular do not hold back in terms of being affectionate with their friends. They will hold hands with one another, walk arm to waist like it's no big deal. It's a bit weird coming from a society where every little gesture propagates homophobia. But I admit I do like it and think it's cute.
I befriended the daughter of my coteacher's friend, who speaks very minimal English. We had planned to go see a movie, which I thought was clever so that we didn't have to talk. But seeing how it was a Korean film with no subtitles, we thought against it and just walked around. It was tough at times to find things to talk about but we did our best with pointing and circumnavigating that I think we created a small bond. She bought me a gift and I bought her strawberries. And we took sticker pictures together.
Students love to flatter me:
"Miss Kue so beautiful!"
"Miss Kue so pretty! NO she's wonderful. NO SHE'S UNBELIEVABLE!"
Student: Do you have a boyfriend?
Me: No, I don't.
Student: Why? You so beautiful!
I also think it's funny when adults ask me if I have a boyfriend, and when I say no, they ask if I plan to. That must be the reason I've been single! I never PLANNED having a boyfriend. I'm going to work on a blueprint tonight.
I enjoy how the word "maybe" is used for every uncertainty. "So did you just go to the bathroom?" "Eh...maybe." *nod* "Where did your parents go?" "To the store maybe."
I have a "coteacher" that knows NO English, so it had been frustrating working with him. No communication is automatically miscommunication. I had to use another English teacher as means of communication--whew! Ended up coming up with a good teaching arrangement conducive to both our teaching plans.
2 older male teachers always say "Good morning!!" to me when they see me and then always start bursting with laughter at their English like it's the funniest thing in the world. This has happened already over 30 times. And the laugh has not changed. NOT EVEN JOKING. It was cute the first 15 times but now it's getting annoying. Come on, is it really that funny to say "good morning" in another language when you do it every single day?
I am getting very used to bowing. Most of the time I am not even sure, so I just bow just in case. It's helpful to watch and wait until I have eye contact with someone and then as they start to bow I will do it with near automatic reflex so that it looks natural (as if I was going to bow anyway).
I wish I did understand more Korean, though. One reason being I would like to sit in classes and watch how subjects are taught in Korean. Secondly, I know people around me are always talking about me. I just wish I knew WHAT they were saying (regardless if it's good or bad). Also, not verbally communicating with teachers throughout the day makes things not only frustrating, but boring...so I get tired very easily.
I'm getting tired of saying "hello" and "hi" a million times a day--it may be the only lick of English I'll remember upon my return home.
This may not really tie in, but it's been bugging me lately. Many Koreans I know chew SO loud. I really can't stand it. One in particular is always making these dry mouth noises so I have to try to think of something to talk about. They also chew gum louder than I thought possible. I went home and tried it for myself, just to see if it was actually quite liberating...but I tried so hard and couldn't even get it to their level. It's just a big pet peeve of mine. Yes, the mouth opens. But it also closes.
Last but not least, I am now Bonghwa elementary schools' official Human Tape Recorder, HaTeR for short.
March 23, 2008
ONE month in
It's been one month since my arrival to Korea. Let's see.
When I arrived I knew about 0 words in Korean. It's been one month and I think I know 2. By the end of the year I should be able to form one complete sentence.
After a long (and usually boring) day at work, all I want to do is go home, lie on my bed, and watch OnStyle all night without moving. But most of the time, just as we're leaving the school, my coteacher decides to tell me we're going out to eat for dinner (this happens A LOT). I always get so mad and aggravated because I just want to go home! And then we start eating and I realize how much I love it when they make these rash decisions. Everyone said I'd lose weight because Korean food is so healthy and light. While this is true, I think I took advantage of this and overate. Plus people were taking me out to dinner left and right and it would be very impolite to decline. I LOVE free food. Especially delicious Korean food.
I love the mountains. It's not even spring time yet and they're already beautiful. You will hear much much more about my secret love affair with the mountains by the time the cherry blossoms and azaleas bloom. Just warning you.
I had my first visitor! Look who came to visit!
Ok ok so Andrew didn't come to Korea to see ME but he did come all the way to Yeongju to visit (and my town is not that exciting). It was great to see a familiar face (even though he looks just like every other person here, but that's beside the point). Either way, I think everyone should follow his example. And by that, I mean COME VISIT ME. I know it doesn't seem like a touristy country, but 1) that's good because then there's less tourists around! and 2) it's beautiful here! Especially if you are a big hiker/like Buddhist culture/like beaches with beautiful water/are from Wisconsin which is made up of -50% mountains.
I have also been complimented numerous times on my beautiful "BIG" eyes. How flattering! I've always thought I was pretty chinky, but apparently to many Koreans (young and old), I have very beautiful eyes and they are jealous. My vice principal's daughter even started using the stem of her glasses to try to enlarge her eyelids. She says she can't ever wear contacts because her eyes are too small. Crazy crazy.
Well, I have officially been dubbed a Korean. Yay for sticker pictures! I haven't done one of these since the Sanrio days in middle school.
When I arrived I knew about 0 words in Korean. It's been one month and I think I know 2. By the end of the year I should be able to form one complete sentence.
After a long (and usually boring) day at work, all I want to do is go home, lie on my bed, and watch OnStyle all night without moving. But most of the time, just as we're leaving the school, my coteacher decides to tell me we're going out to eat for dinner (this happens A LOT). I always get so mad and aggravated because I just want to go home! And then we start eating and I realize how much I love it when they make these rash decisions. Everyone said I'd lose weight because Korean food is so healthy and light. While this is true, I think I took advantage of this and overate. Plus people were taking me out to dinner left and right and it would be very impolite to decline. I LOVE free food. Especially delicious Korean food.
I love the mountains. It's not even spring time yet and they're already beautiful. You will hear much much more about my secret love affair with the mountains by the time the cherry blossoms and azaleas bloom. Just warning you.
I had my first visitor! Look who came to visit!
Ok ok so Andrew didn't come to Korea to see ME but he did come all the way to Yeongju to visit (and my town is not that exciting). It was great to see a familiar face (even though he looks just like every other person here, but that's beside the point). Either way, I think everyone should follow his example. And by that, I mean COME VISIT ME. I know it doesn't seem like a touristy country, but 1) that's good because then there's less tourists around! and 2) it's beautiful here! Especially if you are a big hiker/like Buddhist culture/like beaches with beautiful water/are from Wisconsin which is made up of -50% mountains.
I have also been complimented numerous times on my beautiful "BIG" eyes. How flattering! I've always thought I was pretty chinky, but apparently to many Koreans (young and old), I have very beautiful eyes and they are jealous. My vice principal's daughter even started using the stem of her glasses to try to enlarge her eyelids. She says she can't ever wear contacts because her eyes are too small. Crazy crazy.
Well, I have officially been dubbed a Korean. Yay for sticker pictures! I haven't done one of these since the Sanrio days in middle school.
March 17, 2008
Fast & the Furious 4: Korean Street Racing
A few friends and I went to Haeinsa Temple on Sunday to visit a very beautiful Buddhist temple holding Tripitaka Koreana, which are over 80,000 Buddhist scriptures carved onto preserved wooden printing blocks from the 1300s. There was the surrounding Gaya Mountain, one of South Korea's largest. Basically...way cool. See photo gallery for visuals (too lazy to post on here).
We had to take the bus back to the city of Daegu, where we would then take another bus back to our city of Yeongju. We arrived by 7pm and there were 3 more buses left for the night...but all were sold out! So stranded and knowing we had to work the next morning, a Korean man from Yeongju approached us and asked if we wanted to split a taxi back, which costs us about $35/each (ouch). So we had to take it. And then the adventure began...
At the beginning, we were going at a relatively normal speed, maybe 120 km/hr (~75 mph). Then all of a sudden, we were sent off into a warped zone (perhaps an alternate universe) and speed jumped about 60 km/hr. So yes, my friends, for nearly the entire way back to Yeongju (normally a 1.5hr ride) we were speeding at a rate of yes, 180-190 km/hr, equivalent to 110-115 mph...and a frequent high of 200 km/hr, which is about 125 mph. He maybe slowed down to 100mph around sharp curves and around other cars, honking at them to get out of his way before he hits them and kills all of his passengers (us). I was also the only one without seatbelt access. One of us did at one time ask him to slow down but that obviously made no difference. In fact, I think he went faster (she had used the impolite form apparently--oops). He also at one point had no passing lane, so he decided to speed along the shoulder of a dangerous curve, which I'm pretty sure took about 10 years off my life. Here's the nutty part (as if it wasn't already nutty enough): we were approaching a police car and we were all SO relieved to know that he'd finally be slowing down...only to find him honking at the police car and perhaps even increasing his speed. OH. MY. Apparently cops don't pull over for speeding. Instead, there are video cameras along the streets to "capture" the speeding cars. But the driver later told us that if you go over 180km/hr they can't capture you on camera.
So imagine a really cool simulated racing game (i.e. Need For Speed or Cruisin' USA) where you're rapidly passing every car on the road and then you hit some wall and spin around and crash and burn. This was exactly that, only you don't magically reappear after you crash. You can imagine it was about the best moment of my life. And this is only because I realized how much I love life and dying would not grant me that satisfaction. You know how people say your life flashes before your eyes when you're having a near-death experience? Well, I think those people make that up. Because my near-death experience consisted of a lot of "Oh f*ck f*ck f*ck" thoughts. And that was it. I now truly understand the meaning of this t-shirt (cleverly made for foreigners by foreigners).
It was great how we were able to laugh at the situation and talked about what death would be like. Of course, it was a very heavy nervous laugh.
I once thought being a racer would be killer...yes indeed, it would be A killer.
I am alive, don't worry. Unless they have blogging in the afterlife, then wow! Not that different in the afterlife, I guess.
We had to take the bus back to the city of Daegu, where we would then take another bus back to our city of Yeongju. We arrived by 7pm and there were 3 more buses left for the night...but all were sold out! So stranded and knowing we had to work the next morning, a Korean man from Yeongju approached us and asked if we wanted to split a taxi back, which costs us about $35/each (ouch). So we had to take it. And then the adventure began...
At the beginning, we were going at a relatively normal speed, maybe 120 km/hr (~75 mph). Then all of a sudden, we were sent off into a warped zone (perhaps an alternate universe) and speed jumped about 60 km/hr. So yes, my friends, for nearly the entire way back to Yeongju (normally a 1.5hr ride) we were speeding at a rate of yes, 180-190 km/hr, equivalent to 110-115 mph...and a frequent high of 200 km/hr, which is about 125 mph. He maybe slowed down to 100mph around sharp curves and around other cars, honking at them to get out of his way before he hits them and kills all of his passengers (us). I was also the only one without seatbelt access. One of us did at one time ask him to slow down but that obviously made no difference. In fact, I think he went faster (she had used the impolite form apparently--oops). He also at one point had no passing lane, so he decided to speed along the shoulder of a dangerous curve, which I'm pretty sure took about 10 years off my life. Here's the nutty part (as if it wasn't already nutty enough): we were approaching a police car and we were all SO relieved to know that he'd finally be slowing down...only to find him honking at the police car and perhaps even increasing his speed. OH. MY. Apparently cops don't pull over for speeding. Instead, there are video cameras along the streets to "capture" the speeding cars. But the driver later told us that if you go over 180km/hr they can't capture you on camera.
So imagine a really cool simulated racing game (i.e. Need For Speed or Cruisin' USA) where you're rapidly passing every car on the road and then you hit some wall and spin around and crash and burn. This was exactly that, only you don't magically reappear after you crash. You can imagine it was about the best moment of my life. And this is only because I realized how much I love life and dying would not grant me that satisfaction. You know how people say your life flashes before your eyes when you're having a near-death experience? Well, I think those people make that up. Because my near-death experience consisted of a lot of "Oh f*ck f*ck f*ck" thoughts. And that was it. I now truly understand the meaning of this t-shirt (cleverly made for foreigners by foreigners).It was great how we were able to laugh at the situation and talked about what death would be like. Of course, it was a very heavy nervous laugh.
I once thought being a racer would be killer...yes indeed, it would be A killer.
I am alive, don't worry. Unless they have blogging in the afterlife, then wow! Not that different in the afterlife, I guess.
March 12, 2008
What just happened?
My coteacher is sweet. She tried arranging for a ride back early to my base school today so I could play kickball. Unfortunately, I figured I wasn't going to be able to play so I did not wear appropriate clothing nor did I bring sneakers with me (I thought about it). But hopefully next time!
Also, I knew I was charming, but I never realized how charming I can be even around people who can't speak English. I am GOOD. The staff here at my 3rd school loves me. I'm pretty good at being a suck up. One of them gave me a fancy cell phone chain thingy. Another asked me to be her friend via email. The principal says he likes my attitude, as I am very patient with everyone's speaking skills and I am eager to help the students learn English as best as possible.
By the way, who wrote those depressing entries before? Geez, what a downer she was.
Also, I knew I was charming, but I never realized how charming I can be even around people who can't speak English. I am GOOD. The staff here at my 3rd school loves me. I'm pretty good at being a suck up. One of them gave me a fancy cell phone chain thingy. Another asked me to be her friend via email. The principal says he likes my attitude, as I am very patient with everyone's speaking skills and I am eager to help the students learn English as best as possible.
By the way, who wrote those depressing entries before? Geez, what a downer she was.
March 11, 2008
Of course I'm cheesy...I'm from Wisconsin!
Talk about a sudden turn of events. Vis-à-vis my previous post, I have been a tad bit frustrated lately. There are still a million logistical things I need to get done as a working foreigner that I frankly don't want to deal with. Amidst this crazy . ordeal, I've been feeling all sorts of emotions and I couldn't handle it today. I realized how bad it was when we were leaving school and I realized I would not be able to participate in my base school's kickball game tomorrow because Wednesdays I am at a different school that is 15-20 min away and I have to stay there until 4 (the game is at 2) to wait for my ride back. My coteacher then told me that they have a game every other Wednesday. When I heard this (if you know me, you know I absolutely love kickball), I nearly started crying. Okay, I don't love kickball THAT much but I think it was the breaking point to all of the stress and frustrations I've had lately, from being homesick to the language barrier to the classroom experiences thus far to all of the paperwork and tasks I need to do. Kickball was the one last thing I could look forward to (for the time being). I couldn't wait to get to my apartment to just start bawling. And I knew I had no one to talk to because everyone back home was sleeping and I just met all the people here and it would be too awkward.
The moment I walk in my door, ironically "Seasons of Love" from Rent randomly plays on my Ipod and I suddenly realize what a douchebag I'm being and how lucky I am to be here right now. How so many people are envious of my experiences to come and would gladly give it all away to be where I am right now. I am living it for these people and here I am pitying myself plenty. So I run out the door on a quest to feel the life of the city and to bring me back to reality.
Never before have I been so right. I live downtown where it is full of shops, markets, cars, and people walking to and from. And behind one busy street through a lonely alley I found this:
Intrigued by a random large rock in the middle of the city, I explored further and found myself atop a mountain that oversees a lot of Yeongju. I live on the 4th floor in my building, so I don't have much of a view. I found this little mountainous park and have decided it is going to be my new haven. I know it isn't the most spectacular thing in the world and I've definitely seen better, but it was there when I needed it most...and as cheesy as this sounds,
I took this as a sign, because my mom always calls me Slowpoke:
It was tonight that I truly realized why I chose to come here. And I know this won't really make sense to anyone, but it made total sense to me.
Plus now I can just climb this mountain everyday and save the money I'd be spending with a gym membership (there's a row of treadmills across the street staring me down every time I look out my window).
Also, I was so pleased I stopped at a 7-Eleven and bought myself some good ole fashioned Wisconsin beer. It even came with a little gift!
/Signing off
The moment I walk in my door, ironically "Seasons of Love" from Rent randomly plays on my Ipod and I suddenly realize what a douchebag I'm being and how lucky I am to be here right now. How so many people are envious of my experiences to come and would gladly give it all away to be where I am right now. I am living it for these people and here I am pitying myself plenty. So I run out the door on a quest to feel the life of the city and to bring me back to reality.
Never before have I been so right. I live downtown where it is full of shops, markets, cars, and people walking to and from. And behind one busy street through a lonely alley I found this:
Intrigued by a random large rock in the middle of the city, I explored further and found myself atop a mountain that oversees a lot of Yeongju. I live on the 4th floor in my building, so I don't have much of a view. I found this little mountainous park and have decided it is going to be my new haven. I know it isn't the most spectacular thing in the world and I've definitely seen better, but it was there when I needed it most...and as cheesy as this sounds,
it spoke to me.Remember that scene in "The Shawshank Redemption" when Andy played the Italian opera music over the loud speaker? He said, "there are places in this world that aren't made out of stone...that there's something inside that they can't get to, that they can't touch. That's yours." Okay maybe not that dramatic but that's how places like this make me feel amidst the pressures of daily life. I stood over the city atop [what I learned is] Guseong Park and stared at my life for the next year and couldn't have been happier. I'm glad to have found a place I can just go to when I need a break from all of the stress, especially in the city, even if it's a small one.
I took this as a sign, because my mom always calls me Slowpoke:
It was tonight that I truly realized why I chose to come here. And I know this won't really make sense to anyone, but it made total sense to me.
Plus now I can just climb this mountain everyday and save the money I'd be spending with a gym membership (there's a row of treadmills across the street staring me down every time I look out my window).
Also, I was so pleased I stopped at a 7-Eleven and bought myself some good ole fashioned Wisconsin beer. It even came with a little gift!
/Signing off
That's Korea for you
Um. Slightly frustrated.
Yesterday was the first day of English class at Bonghwa Elementary. I prepared a little powerpoint introduction of myself (I thought it was quite brilliant). It was a good thing I brought my laptop with me because after 1 class, the heater messed up the electricity of the room and the teacher's computer wasn't working anymore. The kids loved my powerpoint and surprisingly, they understood almost all of it.
It was great being in front of a class again, but I was very frustrated during a lot of it. The kids were not necessarily naughty or anything, but they would NOT stop talking. I was frustrated because my coteacher was not doing anything. Every once in a while she'd say "be quiet" but did not enforce it so kids were talking like crazy while others were giving their introductions. I was almost willing to condone corporal punishment because it was so noisy! Anyway, other than that, the day was fairly boring.
At lunchtime a random teacher kept talking to me in English and invited me to all of these things (and her house) because she wanted to learn English. I don't mind, but it's a little overwhelming having all these people clinging on to you because they want to learn English so desperately. It's flattering but sometimes I need my space fo realz. I've gotten over the gist of my sickness, but now I have a visit from Aunt Flo (which might explain my abnormal foul mood and complaining), so I was cramping and not very hungry (not to mention this school's food isn't as good as my base school) so I ended up throwing a lot of food away. This teacher kind of scolded me and said that everyone eats their food otherwise it is wasted. I just said I wasn't really hungry, but I was really just thinking (and PMSing) "BACK OFF! THIS FOOD IS TERRIBLE AND I'M CRAMPING AND DO NOT FEEL LIKE BEING ADVENTUROUS IN MY FOOD TODAY SO LEAVE ME ALONE!" But I just bowed and walked away.
I then had to walk back to my base school but took a detour and walked alongside the river. It was a site to see because the city is small but very open to the mountains. And lucky for me, it was a GORGEOUS day. There were mushrooms everywhere! Apparently, Bonghwa holds an annual Pine Tree Mushroom Festival because they have a lot of those growing on the mountains. It's too bad I don't like mushrooms.
When I got to my base school, I asked my coteacher for her and my schedule. She hands me mine and it's got 2 more classes added to it: 2 days of after school English conversation and 2 days of teacher's study. And of course, she just walks away and doesn't inform me at all about it. Turns out I have to teach another conversational class to students and then on top of that stay late to teach English to some local teachers. I don't mind doing it, but I really would like to KNOW that I have to do it instead of one day being asked to stay late and teach without even being aware of it. Oh and then also having to wait for the teachers to choose a textbook. It's so great only knowing what's going on with my job because I ask and never because they decide to let me know even when they know themselves.
Speaking of which, I loved walking out of the school to FINALLY go home and my coteacher saying "oh yes, we are going to another dinner." Ugh, I just wanted to go home!
But yea yea, I guess "that's Korea for you."
Yesterday was the first day of English class at Bonghwa Elementary. I prepared a little powerpoint introduction of myself (I thought it was quite brilliant). It was a good thing I brought my laptop with me because after 1 class, the heater messed up the electricity of the room and the teacher's computer wasn't working anymore. The kids loved my powerpoint and surprisingly, they understood almost all of it.
It was great being in front of a class again, but I was very frustrated during a lot of it. The kids were not necessarily naughty or anything, but they would NOT stop talking. I was frustrated because my coteacher was not doing anything. Every once in a while she'd say "be quiet" but did not enforce it so kids were talking like crazy while others were giving their introductions. I was almost willing to condone corporal punishment because it was so noisy! Anyway, other than that, the day was fairly boring.
At lunchtime a random teacher kept talking to me in English and invited me to all of these things (and her house) because she wanted to learn English. I don't mind, but it's a little overwhelming having all these people clinging on to you because they want to learn English so desperately. It's flattering but sometimes I need my space fo realz. I've gotten over the gist of my sickness, but now I have a visit from Aunt Flo (which might explain my abnormal foul mood and complaining), so I was cramping and not very hungry (not to mention this school's food isn't as good as my base school) so I ended up throwing a lot of food away. This teacher kind of scolded me and said that everyone eats their food otherwise it is wasted. I just said I wasn't really hungry, but I was really just thinking (and PMSing) "BACK OFF! THIS FOOD IS TERRIBLE AND I'M CRAMPING AND DO NOT FEEL LIKE BEING ADVENTUROUS IN MY FOOD TODAY SO LEAVE ME ALONE!" But I just bowed and walked away.
I then had to walk back to my base school but took a detour and walked alongside the river. It was a site to see because the city is small but very open to the mountains. And lucky for me, it was a GORGEOUS day. There were mushrooms everywhere! Apparently, Bonghwa holds an annual Pine Tree Mushroom Festival because they have a lot of those growing on the mountains. It's too bad I don't like mushrooms.
When I got to my base school, I asked my coteacher for her and my schedule. She hands me mine and it's got 2 more classes added to it: 2 days of after school English conversation and 2 days of teacher's study. And of course, she just walks away and doesn't inform me at all about it. Turns out I have to teach another conversational class to students and then on top of that stay late to teach English to some local teachers. I don't mind doing it, but I really would like to KNOW that I have to do it instead of one day being asked to stay late and teach without even being aware of it. Oh and then also having to wait for the teachers to choose a textbook. It's so great only knowing what's going on with my job because I ask and never because they decide to let me know even when they know themselves.
Speaking of which, I loved walking out of the school to FINALLY go home and my coteacher saying "oh yes, we are going to another dinner." Ugh, I just wanted to go home!
But yea yea, I guess "that's Korea for you."
March 10, 2008
My first week in Yeongju in a VERY large nutshell
It has been an eventful week. Read at your own risk--this is very long!
For my BW3s peeps (Shelly, Gilbert, Norma, Carolyn): At orientation, after one of the lectures, the EPIK staff provided for us some delish chicken with a sweet and soury batter. My buddy Dan and I were so in love with them that we hunted this place down and ordered some for ourselves. Being so far away from Buffalo Wild Wings has been a travesty. I have now found the closest replacement to my BW3s and hope to give them as much tender, love, and care as I did to my parmesan garlic and honey bbq wings.
On the first day of school, all the new staff and teachers (myself included) were taken into another room where the Principal sat at a desk with a beautiful mountainous view backdrop and the rest of us had to stand against the wall. They whipped out a video camera where the Vice Principal introduced all of us. I had to bow into the camera. I have no idea where this footage is going to be shown.
I spent the entire week doing absolutely nothing. I practiced some Korean, wrote in my journal, watched some episodes of the Office on my Ipod, and when I was finally hooked up to the internet on Friday, I surfed the net. Very eventful. I am anxious to get into the classroom!
I did observe one teacher's 6th grade class one day and met all of his students (I will be teaching them English). I sat in the back of class and as the teacher was going on about Korean history and trying to explain some of it in English for me, the students kept looking back and staring at me like I was going to suddenly turn into an alien. During the break, a lot of the students came up to me to introduce themselves. I was impressed with some of their language skills as well as their eagerness to show me how much they already know. One particular girl told me it is her dream to go to America because she thinks the boy from "A Cinderella Story" is very very very very handsome (I later remembered the actor's name as Chad Michael Murray).
Lunch at the schools is awesome! Unlike back home, all of the food is cooked in the kitchen an there's something different every day. No more pre-packaged nasty stuff. However, they are served on prison trays:
After lunch the female teachers always meet in the science room to brush our teeth. Then we sit and have tea together. It is strange that we have a one hour break for lunch and then spend a good another hour just chatting and having tea. These teachers are quite a friendly bunch and love trying to show off their VERY minimal English skills.
On the first day of school, all the staff went out to dinner as a welcome party. We went to a local restaurant with floor seating. They would bring a few dishes at a time that everyone would pick at. Then the food just kept coming and coming. I swear it was neverending. THERE WAS SO MUCH FOOD. We went out to dinner a second time and had a very delish meal again, a very spicy beef stew:
And a ton of Soju (Korean's version of a cheap watered down vodka) and beer. I tried to try most things, some of them new for me (like eating raw beef). I did fairly well this time around with sitting on the floor by warming up the circulation my legs with chopsticks and then alternating my legs every few minutes. The rest of the time was spent giving each other shots. Then, as is huge in Korean culture, the entire group went out to a norae bang (karaoke room). I had been to a few during orientation with other foreigners and that was a grand time!
They provide tambourines for the percussion part of any song.
At the norae bang, most of the men were drunk, so they often came up to me and tried to speak in English. I had some funny conversations with them. From all of these, I basically learned that Soju is the best. They are way into these norae bangs and it's very amusing. I was even coerced into singing. I was going to bust in with some hardcore Nirvana or Eminem but decided with better judgment to go with Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl." Then I did another rendition of "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by the Darkness, but I don't think anyone understood why I was trying to sing most of it in falsetto. My principal is a super kind man as well and has been very worried about my state of being here. It is very heartwarming.
It snowed for the first time since I've been here and it is SO much more beautiful than back home. There are so many more trees and mountains to really enhance the fall of snow. I wish I had taken more photos of the drive to Bonghwa because the view was breathtaking. Here are a few shots I managed to take in Bonghwa. At the school everyone was so fascinated by the snow we took many group shots. Luckily we had a nice view behind Naesung Elementary.
My coteacher, Chun Hee, and I
The view of the mountains after most of the snow had melted. This was taken on our way to Andong. Come spring these should be blooming with beautiful flowers. I cannot wait!
One of the mornings we had decided to take the bus to school because my coteacher is afraid of driving in the snow. As we were waiting for the bus, a taxi pulled up and offered to drive us to the school for 2,000 Won each (about $2) whereas bus is 1,800 Won ($1.80) so only being .20 more we took it. Turns out my ride was free because the driver had 2 grandchildren at Naesung Elementary and was very grateful to have me there as an English teacher. I was very flattered to know that my services will
be appreciated!
I was also taken to the Bonghwa Education Office to meet the superintendent and other supervisors. My coteacher told me (at least this is how she translated it) that the supervisor said because I am asian, everyone has been very friendly to me. While I do see that as being true, I can't be too sure if that was supposed to be the correct translation, but that's what she told me. Either way, I'm not surprised. I also got to finally see the other 2 schools I'll be working at. Surprisingly, the 3rd one is the smallest, furthest, and only has about 60-70 students and the coteacher there speaks the best English I've heard so far since my arrival in this town! How random. It sucks that I was not able to spend more time at these schools, though. Because I had spent every day in Naesung, I was able to get to know the staff pretty well and feel very comfortable. It won't be the same at the other 2 schools.
I also met up with John, another EPIK teacher from my orientation. It was nice to see another westerner and to be able to speak English at a normal rate as well as compare horror stories. He also met another teacher randomly on the street. And through him, I was able to meet all of the other native English teachers that are living in Yeongju. It was great to finally meet others, even though most of them were couples. We ate at a local restaurant owned by a Canadian chef (very delish but expensive food) and went out to a few bars, one particularly being a karaoke transgender bar. Very interesting to see...we also learned that Korean culture is very repressed and that all of these transgender women live double lives as their families have disowned them and they must act and dress as men during the day. For them, the repression of being transgender is a part of their culture and they could never see themselves getting anywhere close to where many other countries are today in terms of the LGBT community. More on this later.
A million more things happened this week but this blog has taken nearly 2 hours to do and frankly, it's enough. First day of real teaching tomorrow!
By the way, I got married at orientation! I just needed the easy access into England.
For my BW3s peeps (Shelly, Gilbert, Norma, Carolyn): At orientation, after one of the lectures, the EPIK staff provided for us some delish chicken with a sweet and soury batter. My buddy Dan and I were so in love with them that we hunted this place down and ordered some for ourselves. Being so far away from Buffalo Wild Wings has been a travesty. I have now found the closest replacement to my BW3s and hope to give them as much tender, love, and care as I did to my parmesan garlic and honey bbq wings. 
On the first day of school, all the new staff and teachers (myself included) were taken into another room where the Principal sat at a desk with a beautiful mountainous view backdrop and the rest of us had to stand against the wall. They whipped out a video camera where the Vice Principal introduced all of us. I had to bow into the camera. I have no idea where this footage is going to be shown.
I spent the entire week doing absolutely nothing. I practiced some Korean, wrote in my journal, watched some episodes of the Office on my Ipod, and when I was finally hooked up to the internet on Friday, I surfed the net. Very eventful. I am anxious to get into the classroom!
I did observe one teacher's 6th grade class one day and met all of his students (I will be teaching them English). I sat in the back of class and as the teacher was going on about Korean history and trying to explain some of it in English for me, the students kept looking back and staring at me like I was going to suddenly turn into an alien. During the break, a lot of the students came up to me to introduce themselves. I was impressed with some of their language skills as well as their eagerness to show me how much they already know. One particular girl told me it is her dream to go to America because she thinks the boy from "A Cinderella Story" is very very very very handsome (I later remembered the actor's name as Chad Michael Murray).
Lunch at the schools is awesome! Unlike back home, all of the food is cooked in the kitchen an there's something different every day. No more pre-packaged nasty stuff. However, they are served on prison trays:
After lunch the female teachers always meet in the science room to brush our teeth. Then we sit and have tea together. It is strange that we have a one hour break for lunch and then spend a good another hour just chatting and having tea. These teachers are quite a friendly bunch and love trying to show off their VERY minimal English skills. 
On the first day of school, all the staff went out to dinner as a welcome party. We went to a local restaurant with floor seating. They would bring a few dishes at a time that everyone would pick at. Then the food just kept coming and coming. I swear it was neverending. THERE WAS SO MUCH FOOD. We went out to dinner a second time and had a very delish meal again, a very spicy beef stew:
And a ton of Soju (Korean's version of a cheap watered down vodka) and beer. I tried to try most things, some of them new for me (like eating raw beef). I did fairly well this time around with sitting on the floor by warming up the circulation my legs with chopsticks and then alternating my legs every few minutes. The rest of the time was spent giving each other shots. Then, as is huge in Korean culture, the entire group went out to a norae bang (karaoke room). I had been to a few during orientation with other foreigners and that was a grand time!
They provide tambourines for the percussion part of any song.
At the norae bang, most of the men were drunk, so they often came up to me and tried to speak in English. I had some funny conversations with them. From all of these, I basically learned that Soju is the best. They are way into these norae bangs and it's very amusing. I was even coerced into singing. I was going to bust in with some hardcore Nirvana or Eminem but decided with better judgment to go with Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl." Then I did another rendition of "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by the Darkness, but I don't think anyone understood why I was trying to sing most of it in falsetto. My principal is a super kind man as well and has been very worried about my state of being here. It is very heartwarming.
It snowed for the first time since I've been here and it is SO much more beautiful than back home. There are so many more trees and mountains to really enhance the fall of snow. I wish I had taken more photos of the drive to Bonghwa because the view was breathtaking. Here are a few shots I managed to take in Bonghwa. At the school everyone was so fascinated by the snow we took many group shots. Luckily we had a nice view behind Naesung Elementary.
My coteacher, Chun Hee, and I
The view of the mountains after most of the snow had melted. This was taken on our way to Andong. Come spring these should be blooming with beautiful flowers. I cannot wait!One of the mornings we had decided to take the bus to school because my coteacher is afraid of driving in the snow. As we were waiting for the bus, a taxi pulled up and offered to drive us to the school for 2,000 Won each (about $2) whereas bus is 1,800 Won ($1.80) so only being .20 more we took it. Turns out my ride was free because the driver had 2 grandchildren at Naesung Elementary and was very grateful to have me there as an English teacher. I was very flattered to know that my services will
be appreciated!
I was also taken to the Bonghwa Education Office to meet the superintendent and other supervisors. My coteacher told me (at least this is how she translated it) that the supervisor said because I am asian, everyone has been very friendly to me. While I do see that as being true, I can't be too sure if that was supposed to be the correct translation, but that's what she told me. Either way, I'm not surprised. I also got to finally see the other 2 schools I'll be working at. Surprisingly, the 3rd one is the smallest, furthest, and only has about 60-70 students and the coteacher there speaks the best English I've heard so far since my arrival in this town! How random. It sucks that I was not able to spend more time at these schools, though. Because I had spent every day in Naesung, I was able to get to know the staff pretty well and feel very comfortable. It won't be the same at the other 2 schools.
I also met up with John, another EPIK teacher from my orientation. It was nice to see another westerner and to be able to speak English at a normal rate as well as compare horror stories. He also met another teacher randomly on the street. And through him, I was able to meet all of the other native English teachers that are living in Yeongju. It was great to finally meet others, even though most of them were couples. We ate at a local restaurant owned by a Canadian chef (very delish but expensive food) and went out to a few bars, one particularly being a karaoke transgender bar. Very interesting to see...we also learned that Korean culture is very repressed and that all of these transgender women live double lives as their families have disowned them and they must act and dress as men during the day. For them, the repression of being transgender is a part of their culture and they could never see themselves getting anywhere close to where many other countries are today in terms of the LGBT community. More on this later.
A million more things happened this week but this blog has taken nearly 2 hours to do and frankly, it's enough. First day of real teaching tomorrow!
By the way, I got married at orientation! I just needed the easy access into England.
Strange observations
Disclaimer: Anything I have said or will say in this blog is merely my initial perception and observation of Korean culture and customs during my time here. Although I may pass judgment, my thoughts should not be in any way mistaken as an intent to define Koreans and their culture as inferior or lacking to mine but rather a perception of differences and a moment of cultural shock and ignorance. I don't want anything I write about to reflect any sort of negativity towards this country and its people and customs.
That being said! Differences I've noticed so far:
- Koreans are nutty drivers! There seems to be no sort of traffic control of any kind so Koreans are driving and weaving in and out like it's nothing. I worry for my safety all the time! No one follows traffic signs or lights and just go kind of when they feel like it. I have decided that I will never drive while I'm here.
- Heated floors
- Food to be thrown away must be kept in separate bins. Instead of wasting this food, they actually use leftovers to feed farm animals
- One must take off their shoes upon entering all homes and most buildings. Sometimes there are extra slippers supplied. Basically, it was a waste of space bringing so many dress shoes for work because I just wear slippers the whole day anyway! This is where we store all of our shoes:
- There are no dryers! Everything is hang dried. I need an iron.
- Western toilets are not that common. I'm getting used to using the toilets in the ground kind. The first time I had to #2 in one of those was horrible. It was at a karaoke place and of course when I was done there was no toilet paper (usually have to be taken into the stall beforehand) and I had to ask a teacher waiting after me to hand me some. Not cool.
- Many public bathrooms in restaurants/bars/norae bangs are unisex. Meaning, you walk into a large bathroom area and there is one stall for men/women and 1 or 2 urinals. And men and women alike just all use it at the same time.
- The country does not put toilet paper in the toilets. I think it's gross, so sometimes I do. In my apartment, I always do. Whoops.
- Restaurants and bars have little call buttons on the tables to notify waiters/waitresses that you need service.
- There is no tipping here. It's actually looked down upon and not expected.
- You can hire "dancing girls" into your karaoke rooms. Men have too much fun with that.
- Korean age begins at conception and ties in with the Chinese New Year. So most Koreans say they are older than what they would be back home. i.e. I am 23 years old but in Korean age I am 25.
- Students' textbooks are so fun! They are bright and colorful with cute and fun cartoon drawings. I think I would've paid a whole lot more attention in school if mine looked like these.
- My bathroom is also my shower
- Names are pronounced last, first. Thus, Koreans would actually call me Kue Amy all the time.
- Students clean the schools! There aren't school janitors that clean every day. Every once in a while someone will come in a collect garbage, so you'll have garbage sitting for days. Students are found sweeping, mopping, dusting...everything! Child labor laws? What child labor laws?
- In addition to the above, corporal punishment is still practiced here. I am lucky enough to not have witnessed it (yet)...
- Back home when you are sick, it is ideal to stay away from spicy foods. Here, Koreans believe that spicy foods HELPS with a cold/cough/sore throat. If so, it's a good thing because almost all Korean food is spicy!
- The schools are FREEZING in the hallways of the school because doors are left open and there is no heating. Each room has its own heat, though. But the second you step out of the room you need to bundle up.
There will be more to add to the list, I am sure.
That being said! Differences I've noticed so far:
- Koreans are nutty drivers! There seems to be no sort of traffic control of any kind so Koreans are driving and weaving in and out like it's nothing. I worry for my safety all the time! No one follows traffic signs or lights and just go kind of when they feel like it. I have decided that I will never drive while I'm here.
- Heated floors
- Food to be thrown away must be kept in separate bins. Instead of wasting this food, they actually use leftovers to feed farm animals
- One must take off their shoes upon entering all homes and most buildings. Sometimes there are extra slippers supplied. Basically, it was a waste of space bringing so many dress shoes for work because I just wear slippers the whole day anyway! This is where we store all of our shoes:
- There are no dryers! Everything is hang dried. I need an iron.
- Western toilets are not that common. I'm getting used to using the toilets in the ground kind. The first time I had to #2 in one of those was horrible. It was at a karaoke place and of course when I was done there was no toilet paper (usually have to be taken into the stall beforehand) and I had to ask a teacher waiting after me to hand me some. Not cool.
- Many public bathrooms in restaurants/bars/norae bangs are unisex. Meaning, you walk into a large bathroom area and there is one stall for men/women and 1 or 2 urinals. And men and women alike just all use it at the same time.
- The country does not put toilet paper in the toilets. I think it's gross, so sometimes I do. In my apartment, I always do. Whoops.
- Restaurants and bars have little call buttons on the tables to notify waiters/waitresses that you need service.
- There is no tipping here. It's actually looked down upon and not expected.
- You can hire "dancing girls" into your karaoke rooms. Men have too much fun with that.
- Korean age begins at conception and ties in with the Chinese New Year. So most Koreans say they are older than what they would be back home. i.e. I am 23 years old but in Korean age I am 25.
- Students' textbooks are so fun! They are bright and colorful with cute and fun cartoon drawings. I think I would've paid a whole lot more attention in school if mine looked like these.
- My bathroom is also my shower
- Names are pronounced last, first. Thus, Koreans would actually call me Kue Amy all the time.
- Students clean the schools! There aren't school janitors that clean every day. Every once in a while someone will come in a collect garbage, so you'll have garbage sitting for days. Students are found sweeping, mopping, dusting...everything! Child labor laws? What child labor laws?
- In addition to the above, corporal punishment is still practiced here. I am lucky enough to not have witnessed it (yet)...
- Back home when you are sick, it is ideal to stay away from spicy foods. Here, Koreans believe that spicy foods HELPS with a cold/cough/sore throat. If so, it's a good thing because almost all Korean food is spicy!
- The schools are FREEZING in the hallways of the school because doors are left open and there is no heating. Each room has its own heat, though. But the second you step out of the room you need to bundle up.
There will be more to add to the list, I am sure.
March 3, 2008
First Day on the Job
I am sitting here in the Vice Principal's office...waiting...bored out of my mind! I'm glad I brought my handy dandy Korean Phrase book (yay Lonely Planet) to keep my occupied in the meantime. I really need to learn Korean.
All morning consisted of a lot of bowing and hand shaking, most of which I did not participate in and feel awkwardly stupid about. Classes have started and apparently I am not teaching this week. Which is GREAT because I could use the rest of this week to recover from my aching illness before I jump into a classroom of 25-30 rowdy 3rd to 6th graders.
There are suprisingly a lot of male teachers...maybe even half. They're all older but really cute. i.e. The principal is wearing a baby pink tie with hot pink bubbly circles all over it. The kids are very cute, especially when they are speaking in English.
Apparently, my curriculum is very easy. All elementary schools in South Korea are using the same CD-Rom that has pretty much all the lessons planned out for every unit. All I have to do is one follow-up lesson. Considering the skill level of these students (VERY basic), it won't be too difficult. In fact, I don't really have to know anything about English except how to pronounce words. I'm a little relieved at this curriculum...but at the same time I don't feel like I'll get a chance to challenge myself and be creative. That kind of challenge would be more at the middle school/high school levels. Perhaps next year?
Oh yes, I also LOVE the toilet hole in the ground at school. My thighs are going to be stone hard when I come back to the States. Granted, there is a western style toilet at the school, but the stall door is broken! Just. My. Luck. This will take some getting used to.
Again, I REALLY need to learn Korean. On the up side, my coteacher bought an electronic Korean-English dictionary so we could communicate more effectively :-)
All morning consisted of a lot of bowing and hand shaking, most of which I did not participate in and feel awkwardly stupid about. Classes have started and apparently I am not teaching this week. Which is GREAT because I could use the rest of this week to recover from my aching illness before I jump into a classroom of 25-30 rowdy 3rd to 6th graders.
There are suprisingly a lot of male teachers...maybe even half. They're all older but really cute. i.e. The principal is wearing a baby pink tie with hot pink bubbly circles all over it. The kids are very cute, especially when they are speaking in English.
Apparently, my curriculum is very easy. All elementary schools in South Korea are using the same CD-Rom that has pretty much all the lessons planned out for every unit. All I have to do is one follow-up lesson. Considering the skill level of these students (VERY basic), it won't be too difficult. In fact, I don't really have to know anything about English except how to pronounce words. I'm a little relieved at this curriculum...but at the same time I don't feel like I'll get a chance to challenge myself and be creative. That kind of challenge would be more at the middle school/high school levels. Perhaps next year?
Oh yes, I also LOVE the toilet hole in the ground at school. My thighs are going to be stone hard when I come back to the States. Granted, there is a western style toilet at the school, but the stall door is broken! Just. My. Luck. This will take some getting used to.
Again, I REALLY need to learn Korean. On the up side, my coteacher bought an electronic Korean-English dictionary so we could communicate more effectively :-)
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