Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday: Teaching On My Own
Yesterday was my first day teaching on my own and I crashed and burned for most of my classes. I had a tough time getting the elementary level classes to focus and get work done. My elementary students really tried to test me; they wanted to see how much Korean they could get away with and how much talking in general. I eventually got them to calm down but I did have to threaten to make them stay after school.
I think I was also really nervous about being on my own, I felt overwhelmed about the whole situation and wasn’t on the ball. I think today will be better. I teach more manageable (smaller!) elementary classes today and some awesome middle school classes that I enjoyed teaching last week. I am still nervous, but after yesterday, I don’t think it can get much worse. I just have to go and kick ass today (and everyday after today). Wish me luck.
ps. Tomorrow is the start of a 5 day vacation and a bunch of us are going to Jeju Island. WOOT!
I think I was also really nervous about being on my own, I felt overwhelmed about the whole situation and wasn’t on the ball. I think today will be better. I teach more manageable (smaller!) elementary classes today and some awesome middle school classes that I enjoyed teaching last week. I am still nervous, but after yesterday, I don’t think it can get much worse. I just have to go and kick ass today (and everyday after today). Wish me luck.
ps. Tomorrow is the start of a 5 day vacation and a bunch of us are going to Jeju Island. WOOT!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
From My School
This is from the bathroom at the English immersion school I work for. I feel like we have some work to do.Monday, July 20, 2009
Snails
These are little snails (or some other molluscan) that have been pickled or marinated in a spicy sauce. You just suck the little snail right out of the shell and leave the shell untouched. They have a little heat and a very mild flavor. They were surprisingly tender and not chewy at all. Delicious!Saturday, July 18, 2009
Mud Fest
Today we went to the annual Boryeong Mud Festival. Every year both Koreans and Westerners alike travel to Boryeong to play in a whole lot of mud and in the ocean. It is essentially a big party, there are tons of street vendors, booths and restaurants selling food, crafts, or mud related products. One of the booths you could visit was a Swine Flu booth, in case you thought you had swine flu. It was a little unnerving because there was definitely a Western woman there getting help with something. There was also a big stage that had live music all day. Families and friends go for one of the days of the whole weekend, typically camping out near the beach. Additionally, it is customary to cover yourself in mud. Luckily there are large pits of mud you can climb into or troughs with paintbrushes to paint yourself with. There are also many mud related obstacle courses and the like to play on; I did not take part in this part of the festival. I was extremely excited about this festival for two reasons. First, I had heard from a lot of people that it was a really good time and worth the trip. Second, the festival is held right on the Daecheon Beach and I had never set foot in an ocean before.
Our crew gathered early this morning and headed to the Jeonju train station. It took us two trains and a few hours to get to Boryeong, but we were all very excited to get into some mud. We arrived at the festival and put our bags into lockers that were specifically for foreigners. The lockers were free and the keys had arm bands attached to them so you could be sure not to loose your key. AWESOME! The icing on the cake was that the people running that booth were incredibly helpful and nice. We put on our swimsuits and headed down to the beach.
It was a cloudy and very windy day but still very warm. As soon as we set foot on the beach Bobby asked who was going in the ocean, he and I immediately ran to the water. It was surprisingly warm and as soon as a large wave hit me I got the taste of salt in my mouth. This surprised me, but then I reminded myself that this was not a lake in Minnesota, it was in fact an ocean. We started swimming out but after about 40 feet two men with whistles came over and escorted us out of the water. Bobby and I were both outraged at first, trying to figure out why we couldn’t swim there, everyone else seemed to be enjoying the water. We were later told that apparently a shark had been spotted in the water and that seemed like a valid reason to get us out of the water. There were troughs of mud right on the beach we started painting each other with it and soon realized there was not much mud and certainly not enough to go around. We went back up to the street to look around. We found enormous pools of mud that you could climb into. We all jumped in and got good and muddy. It was delightful. We walked up and down the street, covered in mud of course, looking around trying to decide what to do. We decided to get some beer and go down to the beach. At one point a mud-covered British woman jumped on Bobby from behind and yelled “Hello!” Bobby turned around with the most confused look on his face and the woman, completely embarrassed, said, “Oh you’re someone else.” We could not help but laugh at Bobby and at the whole situation.
We drank horrid beer and walked around the beach occasionally going into the ocean. We would rinse off, then go jump back into the mud and then rinse off in the ocean again, and so on. Needless to say, when we were covered in mud we all painted on some sweet facial hair. I myself sported a mustache that was somewhere between Salvador Dali and V from V for Vendetta.
While we were swimming we were frustrated that the life guards would only let us go about thigh deep so several of us decided that since we could not swim we would run. We ran quite a ways down the beach and I pointed out that there were no lifeguards down where we were, so Alex, Bobby and I jumped into the water. The wind was intense and it created enormous waves. We swam and played around for a while, eventually Alex ran back down the beach to get everyone else. We all swam and played in the water, jumping into waves, letting the tide carry us into shore. There was a lot of frolicking. There may have also been a wrestling match or two (solved the old fashioned Navy way, first guy to die looses. No one lost). Playing in the ocean was amazing and so much fun.
Eventually we all decided that we were tired and needed some food. We gathered our shoes and headed back up to the lockers. On our way off of the beach the wind kicked up the sand and it pelted and stung our salted bodies. Jared said that this was probably part of the exfoliating process, and therefore worth the pain. We got some food, bulgogi burgers, and sat around just talking. We decided that we were ready to head home. We dried off and caught some cabs back to the train station. Bobby, Alex and I had some trouble with this; the cabbie would not take us because we were too wet (we were dry but still in swimsuits). He then got out of his cab and told all the other cabbies lined up along the curb to not take us. Ass. We crossed the street and got another cab. We caught the train back to Iksan and then another one back to Jeonju. A combination of mud and ocean water made for a very sticky couple of the train rides. We decided against bringing our cameras because we were planning on being muddy and jumping around in the ocean all day. And believe me, it was a good choice that we did not subject our cameras to a day at Mud Fest. So I am sorry that we have no pictures of this amazing event.
Over all it was an amazing day, really one of the best I have had in a long time.
Our crew gathered early this morning and headed to the Jeonju train station. It took us two trains and a few hours to get to Boryeong, but we were all very excited to get into some mud. We arrived at the festival and put our bags into lockers that were specifically for foreigners. The lockers were free and the keys had arm bands attached to them so you could be sure not to loose your key. AWESOME! The icing on the cake was that the people running that booth were incredibly helpful and nice. We put on our swimsuits and headed down to the beach.
It was a cloudy and very windy day but still very warm. As soon as we set foot on the beach Bobby asked who was going in the ocean, he and I immediately ran to the water. It was surprisingly warm and as soon as a large wave hit me I got the taste of salt in my mouth. This surprised me, but then I reminded myself that this was not a lake in Minnesota, it was in fact an ocean. We started swimming out but after about 40 feet two men with whistles came over and escorted us out of the water. Bobby and I were both outraged at first, trying to figure out why we couldn’t swim there, everyone else seemed to be enjoying the water. We were later told that apparently a shark had been spotted in the water and that seemed like a valid reason to get us out of the water. There were troughs of mud right on the beach we started painting each other with it and soon realized there was not much mud and certainly not enough to go around. We went back up to the street to look around. We found enormous pools of mud that you could climb into. We all jumped in and got good and muddy. It was delightful. We walked up and down the street, covered in mud of course, looking around trying to decide what to do. We decided to get some beer and go down to the beach. At one point a mud-covered British woman jumped on Bobby from behind and yelled “Hello!” Bobby turned around with the most confused look on his face and the woman, completely embarrassed, said, “Oh you’re someone else.” We could not help but laugh at Bobby and at the whole situation.
We drank horrid beer and walked around the beach occasionally going into the ocean. We would rinse off, then go jump back into the mud and then rinse off in the ocean again, and so on. Needless to say, when we were covered in mud we all painted on some sweet facial hair. I myself sported a mustache that was somewhere between Salvador Dali and V from V for Vendetta.
While we were swimming we were frustrated that the life guards would only let us go about thigh deep so several of us decided that since we could not swim we would run. We ran quite a ways down the beach and I pointed out that there were no lifeguards down where we were, so Alex, Bobby and I jumped into the water. The wind was intense and it created enormous waves. We swam and played around for a while, eventually Alex ran back down the beach to get everyone else. We all swam and played in the water, jumping into waves, letting the tide carry us into shore. There was a lot of frolicking. There may have also been a wrestling match or two (solved the old fashioned Navy way, first guy to die looses. No one lost). Playing in the ocean was amazing and so much fun.
Eventually we all decided that we were tired and needed some food. We gathered our shoes and headed back up to the lockers. On our way off of the beach the wind kicked up the sand and it pelted and stung our salted bodies. Jared said that this was probably part of the exfoliating process, and therefore worth the pain. We got some food, bulgogi burgers, and sat around just talking. We decided that we were ready to head home. We dried off and caught some cabs back to the train station. Bobby, Alex and I had some trouble with this; the cabbie would not take us because we were too wet (we were dry but still in swimsuits). He then got out of his cab and told all the other cabbies lined up along the curb to not take us. Ass. We crossed the street and got another cab. We caught the train back to Iksan and then another one back to Jeonju. A combination of mud and ocean water made for a very sticky couple of the train rides. We decided against bringing our cameras because we were planning on being muddy and jumping around in the ocean all day. And believe me, it was a good choice that we did not subject our cameras to a day at Mud Fest. So I am sorry that we have no pictures of this amazing event.
Over all it was an amazing day, really one of the best I have had in a long time.
"The Escapist" - The Streets
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Cooler
The storm last night was impressive. There was a lot of heavy rain and plenty of lightning. I loved it! Also, because of that delightful storm Jeonju is cool and not nearly as humid as it has been.
Rain
Right now, it is raining so hard in Jeonju that I am glad I live on the fourth floor. I knew I should have brought an Ark with me.
Monday, July 13, 2009
First Day of Work
Yesterday I was finally cleared to go into school and start working, my boss was finally convinced that I did not have H1N1. At work I started to learn the operations of the job. What paperwork I had to fill out, how you prepare for classes, where materials are, etc…Additionally, I started observing the classes I would be teaching. I think my observation was probably an unrealistic representation of what I would be teaching because many of the younger classes were totally distracted by the fact that I was there.
At one point Alex, one of my Canadian co-workers, came upstairs and asked me to come down to one of his classes. He had told his students that there was a new teacher with “yellow hair” and was met with disbelief. His students insisted that it was not possible. I went down to the class and all of the students stared at me for a few moments and then went back to running around the classroom. Alex was told later by one of his older students, Wolfgang (who is obsessed with Lady Gaga), that I was a very handsome man. Another students chimed in and said that my “face should be registered as a lethal weapon.” When Alex asked him why the student simply replied: “Very sharp.”
Overall the day went very well and I am getting excited to start doing real work. I also very nervous about teaching my own classes, I have not really been a teacher in this kind of classroom. I have performed training at my former job, and I of course taught classes at the summer camp I worked at, but neither of those were as long term as this. I feel like I have a lot more to live up to, which makes me want to go in and kick ass everyday. But, I have to figure out what kicking ass in this situation looks like.
All that aside, the students seem very bright and motivated, I also have previewed some of the material I will be teaching and I am excited to present it. I’m stoked.
At one point Alex, one of my Canadian co-workers, came upstairs and asked me to come down to one of his classes. He had told his students that there was a new teacher with “yellow hair” and was met with disbelief. His students insisted that it was not possible. I went down to the class and all of the students stared at me for a few moments and then went back to running around the classroom. Alex was told later by one of his older students, Wolfgang (who is obsessed with Lady Gaga), that I was a very handsome man. Another students chimed in and said that my “face should be registered as a lethal weapon.” When Alex asked him why the student simply replied: “Very sharp.”
Overall the day went very well and I am getting excited to start doing real work. I also very nervous about teaching my own classes, I have not really been a teacher in this kind of classroom. I have performed training at my former job, and I of course taught classes at the summer camp I worked at, but neither of those were as long term as this. I feel like I have a lot more to live up to, which makes me want to go in and kick ass everyday. But, I have to figure out what kicking ass in this situation looks like.
All that aside, the students seem very bright and motivated, I also have previewed some of the material I will be teaching and I am excited to present it. I’m stoked.
Friday, July 10, 2009
The Boxer
This evening I met up with several of my co-workers to go out for some food after they were done with work. After some Korean pizza and beer several of us decided that we were not ready to go to bed and stopped at a grocery store around the corner from my flat. We bought some beer and other Korean beverages and headed to a park near there. We sat around and talked about all kinds of nothing, just enjoying the night. At about 1:30 am it was down to Ben, Ian and myself sitting around getting ready to head home. All of a sudden a Korean man walks up to us and starts talking, in a Korean-English lingo, to Ben as if they are friends. Ben realizes who the man is and starts talking back. Ben explains to us that he knows this Korean man from the market around the corner. The man introduces himself to all of us and insists on giving us a kiss on the cheek. Another man approaches, who we found out is the brother of the first, and starts talking to us as well. Luckily I have Ben and Ian there to help translate because the second of the two men insisted on talking to me only in Korean, occasionally he would mumble the word “Obmama.” Ben thought he was talking the United States’ president, but I am not entirely sure. Needless to say there was a lot of smiling and nodding on my part. After a few minutes the second man tells us that he is a boxer and could take on Muhammad Ali. He showed us some of his shadow boxing moves, which we all applauded him on because he really put on quite a show. The boxer also showed us some of his dance moves.
After a show of push-ups, shadow boxing and dancing Ben decides that we should probably do something as well. This included: Ben hanging upside down and then crossing his legs and lifting himself up off the ground, Ian doing something similar, and a series of pull ups from myself. I also tried to juggle several glass bottles with little success. The Boxer decided to drop his pants as a finally to the series of stupid human tricks. Eventually, Ian, Ben and I excuse ourselves and head back to our flats. What a night.
After a show of push-ups, shadow boxing and dancing Ben decides that we should probably do something as well. This included: Ben hanging upside down and then crossing his legs and lifting himself up off the ground, Ian doing something similar, and a series of pull ups from myself. I also tried to juggle several glass bottles with little success. The Boxer decided to drop his pants as a finally to the series of stupid human tricks. Eventually, Ian, Ben and I excuse ourselves and head back to our flats. What a night.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Korea!
The flight from Chicago to Seoul was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. The flight was only about 60% full, which meant that there were plenty of open seats. I myself had an open seat on my right and it was delightful. Additionally, the flight was scheduled to leave Chicago at 1 am. By then I was extremely tired and fell asleep almost as soon as I got on the plane. I slept quite a bit during the trip, which was surprising because I often cannot sleep on planes. Overall it was a pleasant flight.
I arrived in Seoul at 5am. After making my way through a medical screening, immigration and customs I found my way to the bus that would take me Jeonju. There were five people on the 6:30 am express bus to Jeonju and that included the driver. I arrived in Jeonju and met Chris, the manager of the school that I would be working for. We chatted in the car, he asked me how my trip was, if I knew any of the other new teachers that would be arriving that same day, and so on. He informed me that I would not have to start teaching right away and that I was supposed to not really go over to the school because of the whole H1N1 flu scare. The Korean government asked schools and companies to not have international employees start working immediately. This way the school or business could make sure the new employee did not have H1N1. Chris then took me to a supermarket near my apartment and bought me some water cereal and orange juice. We then headed up the block to my apartment. I was really excited to see what my new place would be like. Unfortunately, when I walked in I was a little taken aback. I am not entirely sure what I expected but I felt like the place was a little dirtier that I prefer. Chris opened the fridge and let out a yelp; there were all kinds of stains and maybe a few things growing inside. (I did eventually learn from some of my coworkers that the person who lived in this flat prior to me was not anywhere close to clean or even tidy). There were no chairs in the flat and Chris said he would get me some by tomorrow. Eventually he left me to my own devices, telling me to rest because I must be tired. I was not at all tired and decided to go out and buy all kinds of cleaning supplies and set to work cleaning my new home.
After about an hour Chris called my apartment and asked me if I wanted to go to lunch. I said yes and met with Chris, Sun and Hong, all of which are my bosses, and a few other Korean women who work for my school. I was invited to go to a staff meeting with my future coworkers later that afternoon. After lunch Chris and I went to a few more stores and I picked up some more essential items, towels! I went back to cleaning and arranging and walked over to school for my staff meeting. I started to feel right at home, everyone I met was incredibly nice and relaxed. I was able to get all kinds of advice and insight into the coming months. I then went home and continued to unpack and clean.
About 5 pm a man showed up to install my internet. He spoke no English whatsoever so after about 30 minutes of charades we had the internet up and running. I then went out and found some dinner. I decided that in honor of my first night in Jeonju I would have Bibim-bap, which supposedly originated in Jeonju. I am now sitting on a nightstand at my table pretending I have a chair. I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings.
I arrived in Seoul at 5am. After making my way through a medical screening, immigration and customs I found my way to the bus that would take me Jeonju. There were five people on the 6:30 am express bus to Jeonju and that included the driver. I arrived in Jeonju and met Chris, the manager of the school that I would be working for. We chatted in the car, he asked me how my trip was, if I knew any of the other new teachers that would be arriving that same day, and so on. He informed me that I would not have to start teaching right away and that I was supposed to not really go over to the school because of the whole H1N1 flu scare. The Korean government asked schools and companies to not have international employees start working immediately. This way the school or business could make sure the new employee did not have H1N1. Chris then took me to a supermarket near my apartment and bought me some water cereal and orange juice. We then headed up the block to my apartment. I was really excited to see what my new place would be like. Unfortunately, when I walked in I was a little taken aback. I am not entirely sure what I expected but I felt like the place was a little dirtier that I prefer. Chris opened the fridge and let out a yelp; there were all kinds of stains and maybe a few things growing inside. (I did eventually learn from some of my coworkers that the person who lived in this flat prior to me was not anywhere close to clean or even tidy). There were no chairs in the flat and Chris said he would get me some by tomorrow. Eventually he left me to my own devices, telling me to rest because I must be tired. I was not at all tired and decided to go out and buy all kinds of cleaning supplies and set to work cleaning my new home.
After about an hour Chris called my apartment and asked me if I wanted to go to lunch. I said yes and met with Chris, Sun and Hong, all of which are my bosses, and a few other Korean women who work for my school. I was invited to go to a staff meeting with my future coworkers later that afternoon. After lunch Chris and I went to a few more stores and I picked up some more essential items, towels! I went back to cleaning and arranging and walked over to school for my staff meeting. I started to feel right at home, everyone I met was incredibly nice and relaxed. I was able to get all kinds of advice and insight into the coming months. I then went home and continued to unpack and clean.
About 5 pm a man showed up to install my internet. He spoke no English whatsoever so after about 30 minutes of charades we had the internet up and running. I then went out and found some dinner. I decided that in honor of my first night in Jeonju I would have Bibim-bap, which supposedly originated in Jeonju. I am now sitting on a nightstand at my table pretending I have a chair. I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings.
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