I've recently come to the conclusion that I complain a lot. Especially recently.
So, if you're one of the people who has gotten a complaint-ridden text message, e-mail, or phone call, then I'm sorry.
Instead, in this post, I want to focus on the positive aspects of my new job, amongst other things. Because, you know, the positive things TOTALLY outweigh the negative aspects. Promise. :) Sometimes I just like to complain.
So, I'm going to take some of the things that I complain about (whether it's to other people, or just in my head) and turn them into positive things. :)
In no particular order :::
Negative Thinking: I live in in a dormitory instead of an apartment.
Positive Thinking: I don't have to worry about drunk people banging on my door in the middle of the night.
Explanation: Occassionally, people back in Hogyedong would complain about being woken up in the middle of the night by a drunk man (or woman) thinking they lived there. There's security in my dormitory. I don't have to worry about a thing. :)
Negative Thinking: I don't have my own washing machine.
Positive Thinking: There are combination washer-dryers on my floor.
Explanation: Do I even have to remind you all how wonderful it is to have your towels or sheets freshly out of the dryer? Didn't think so. And the whole sharing thing? It's totally okay because the students aren't allowed in the dormitory during the day - so they're pretty much open.
Negative Thinking: I don't have a kitchen (or anything resembling a kitchen).
Positive Thinking: I have a microwave and a fridge (and soon I'll bring my oven up), AND there's a cafeteria.
Explanation: I didn't really cook much anyways. So, really, I didn't lose anything. :) Once I bring my oven up, it'll be EVEN better.
Negative Thinking: Most of the other teachers don't really talk to me.
Positive Thinking: It'll help me become more outgoing again.
Explanation: If I have to go out of my way to talk to other people, it'll force me to become a more social person, right? Or, at least, maybe I'll be more inspired to learn Korean. Or spend my new-found free time learning SOMEthing.
Negative Thinking: I'm not provided with a curriculum.
Positive Thinking: I'm become more of a teacher.
Explanation: I have no formal training in this. None. I've never taken an ED class in my life. So it's kind of gratifying to find that I'm not COMPLETELY drowning here. I'm learning when works on my own, and luckily, my students are, for the most part, very understanding of that.
Negative Thinking: I have to teach 2-1.
Positive Thinking: I get to teach 2-2, 2-3, and 2-4.
Explanation: 2-1 is a black hole of unmotivation. In general, they just don't care. There are a few exceptions. But after talking with other teachers (Korean and foreign), I've learned that it's NOT me - it's just the way they are. That makes me feel both better, and worse. Better because I realize it doesn't have much to do with my teaching style. Worse because it makes me lose hope about getting them to care. BUT I get to teach my other classes, and they are AMAZING. I won't bore you right now with exactly WHY they're amazing ... instead, just let me say that Tuesdays and Wednesdays (and Thursday afternoons) are my favorites because I get to be in a classroom with those classes. Oh, and if I could, I would adopt like ... 15 of them.
So, actually, I have it really good here. Besides the exceptionally motivated students in 2-2, 2-3, and 2-4 ... I have my own classroom ... my own room is much larger than my apartment in Hogyedong ... I have a lot of freedom to do what I want with my students ... I only teach 16 classes a week ... and I get to work with high school students, sometimes in a sort-of pseudo-advising capacity which was my original intent when I went to University. I used to want to be a high school guidance counselor, and recently I've had a few students come to me who want to talk about preparing for university in the States. I've even had students confide to me things about their personal lives, which is pretty cool that they are so open and they trust me.
So ... I think I'll stay here for a while. :)
Wednesday, September 29
Sunday, September 26
A Good Read
Just finished reading my newest acquisition, "The Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs.
Really, it was funny. There were times when I literally laughed out loud. I also learned things ... a lot things. The premise of the book is this guy, A.J. Jacobs, spends an entire year following as many of the laws of the Bible as he can. Of course, that's pretty much impossible in today's day and age ... so he has to sort of pick and choose. He also amasses quite a large panel of "spiritual advisors" to teach him. They ranged from all walks of life and all different religious backgrounds, so it wasn't like he just focused on one tradition.
It was a good read. I was skeptical at first - I had scanned a few pages before and decided against purchasing the book. But it caught my eye again this past week, and I went for it. I recommend it, if you get the chance and if you're looking for something to occupy your time.
Now, it's off to bed. It's back to early mornings and teaching. :) :) :)
We'll talk more about church and Chuseok later.
Really, it was funny. There were times when I literally laughed out loud. I also learned things ... a lot things. The premise of the book is this guy, A.J. Jacobs, spends an entire year following as many of the laws of the Bible as he can. Of course, that's pretty much impossible in today's day and age ... so he has to sort of pick and choose. He also amasses quite a large panel of "spiritual advisors" to teach him. They ranged from all walks of life and all different religious backgrounds, so it wasn't like he just focused on one tradition.
It was a good read. I was skeptical at first - I had scanned a few pages before and decided against purchasing the book. But it caught my eye again this past week, and I went for it. I recommend it, if you get the chance and if you're looking for something to occupy your time.
Now, it's off to bed. It's back to early mornings and teaching. :) :) :)
We'll talk more about church and Chuseok later.
Thursday, September 23
Wasting Time ... your's and mine :)
Now I remember what it feels like to be in school.
About a month ago (yikes, has it been THAT long?), I enrolled in an online TEFL certification course. My particular course is composed of like, 12 or 13 different modules (units), plus endorsements in Grammar, Business English, and Young Learners. So far? I've completed one unit. It's not that it's difficult - quite the opposite in fact. It's pretty much common sense stuff. For each unit, I have to read a bunch of material (not a lot, though), then there's a quiz worth 30 points, and then 2 short essays worth 70 points. Why haven't I finished this yet? One word - procrastination.
Which is why I am now sitting at "Coffine Gurunaru", taking advantage of their wireless internet ... well, okay, I'll be honest - I ended up here because Starbucks was CRAZY busy. (However, that didn't stop me from getting a chai latte for the road - hey, I walked all that way ... I needed SOME kind of reward). Why am I currently blogging? Hey, hey, I finished one of the "papers" ... and I needed a break. So sue me.
Plus, I like people watching. Since I've been here, maybe half of the patrons in here have left, and new ones have taken their place. Directly across from me is a girl who has been studying quite hard since before I sat down - on one of her books is the word "PHARMACY" written carefully in blue Sharpie. Definitely don't envy her - pharmaceutical-related subjects are HARD. There's a family sitting diagonally and to the right - mother, father, and two sons. The younger of the two is watching TV on his cell phone. Earlier, there was a guy sitting to my left, plugged into his laptop and iPod and whatever other gadgets he had with him (much like myself - laptop+iPod+cell phone). Directly in front of me is the counter, where the same three employees have been working for at least the past two hours. Wonder if they'll have a shift change, or if they're stuck here 'til closing. That would be hard - I think they close at 2 AM? Oh, three employees (2 guys and a girl) plus the owner. He's really nice.
What else has been going on? Well, it's Chuseok this week. Chuseok is the Korean thanksgiving holiday. It's celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar every year - that means that it changes yearly. This year, Chuseok Day was a Wednesday. That meant that Tuesday and Thursday were also "red days" (no work) on the calendar, since Chuseok is a 3-day holiday. Many academies ALSO gave their employees Friday off, which made for a six day weekend. I only had to work Monday morning - I was done by 1.
What do people do for Chuseok? Well, it's a huge family holiday. So, you go and brave the overly congested roads, and spend time with your family. What do foreigners in Korea do for Chuseok? Well, for the most part, we travel. Unless you're me ... and then you merely go and stay in other people's apartments while they're traveling. :) Promise I'll go somewhere during the winter holiday.
Last week was good - really good. I spent a few hours picking topics and typing short background blurbs for each one. Then I broke my classes into groups, and they each picked a piece of paper. Each group then had to talk about the topic, answer some questions, and then present at the end of class. They did really well - I was quite impressed. I think I was more impressed by the questions students asked each other AFTERWARDS, specifically my 2-2 class. Really great stuff ... I can't wait to do it again with them. Next week, I am putting them through my first round of testing - but it's nothing to break a sweat over. I'm simply going to have them talk to me. Easy, right?
There's really nothing else going on. Yes, I just wrote all of this to tell you all that there's really nothing happening. Sorry. Oh, there's been some torrential downpours in Korea lately ... wicked crazy thunderstorm on Tuesday. ALL day on Tuesday. I couldn't believe it. The sky was ORANGE. ORANGE! It was a little unsettling, to be honest with you. Then, it just turned black. It was kinda crazy.
And that's my breaktime. Guess I'll go write that other paper now. :) Enjoy the rest of your week!
Oh, and new song of the moment. I think it's kinda dumb ... but it's Se7en's newest dingle - "Digital Bounce"
About a month ago (yikes, has it been THAT long?), I enrolled in an online TEFL certification course. My particular course is composed of like, 12 or 13 different modules (units), plus endorsements in Grammar, Business English, and Young Learners. So far? I've completed one unit. It's not that it's difficult - quite the opposite in fact. It's pretty much common sense stuff. For each unit, I have to read a bunch of material (not a lot, though), then there's a quiz worth 30 points, and then 2 short essays worth 70 points. Why haven't I finished this yet? One word - procrastination.
Which is why I am now sitting at "Coffine Gurunaru", taking advantage of their wireless internet ... well, okay, I'll be honest - I ended up here because Starbucks was CRAZY busy. (However, that didn't stop me from getting a chai latte for the road - hey, I walked all that way ... I needed SOME kind of reward). Why am I currently blogging? Hey, hey, I finished one of the "papers" ... and I needed a break. So sue me.
Plus, I like people watching. Since I've been here, maybe half of the patrons in here have left, and new ones have taken their place. Directly across from me is a girl who has been studying quite hard since before I sat down - on one of her books is the word "PHARMACY" written carefully in blue Sharpie. Definitely don't envy her - pharmaceutical-related subjects are HARD. There's a family sitting diagonally and to the right - mother, father, and two sons. The younger of the two is watching TV on his cell phone. Earlier, there was a guy sitting to my left, plugged into his laptop and iPod and whatever other gadgets he had with him (much like myself - laptop+iPod+cell phone). Directly in front of me is the counter, where the same three employees have been working for at least the past two hours. Wonder if they'll have a shift change, or if they're stuck here 'til closing. That would be hard - I think they close at 2 AM? Oh, three employees (2 guys and a girl) plus the owner. He's really nice.
What else has been going on? Well, it's Chuseok this week. Chuseok is the Korean thanksgiving holiday. It's celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar every year - that means that it changes yearly. This year, Chuseok Day was a Wednesday. That meant that Tuesday and Thursday were also "red days" (no work) on the calendar, since Chuseok is a 3-day holiday. Many academies ALSO gave their employees Friday off, which made for a six day weekend. I only had to work Monday morning - I was done by 1.
What do people do for Chuseok? Well, it's a huge family holiday. So, you go and brave the overly congested roads, and spend time with your family. What do foreigners in Korea do for Chuseok? Well, for the most part, we travel. Unless you're me ... and then you merely go and stay in other people's apartments while they're traveling. :) Promise I'll go somewhere during the winter holiday.
Last week was good - really good. I spent a few hours picking topics and typing short background blurbs for each one. Then I broke my classes into groups, and they each picked a piece of paper. Each group then had to talk about the topic, answer some questions, and then present at the end of class. They did really well - I was quite impressed. I think I was more impressed by the questions students asked each other AFTERWARDS, specifically my 2-2 class. Really great stuff ... I can't wait to do it again with them. Next week, I am putting them through my first round of testing - but it's nothing to break a sweat over. I'm simply going to have them talk to me. Easy, right?
There's really nothing else going on. Yes, I just wrote all of this to tell you all that there's really nothing happening. Sorry. Oh, there's been some torrential downpours in Korea lately ... wicked crazy thunderstorm on Tuesday. ALL day on Tuesday. I couldn't believe it. The sky was ORANGE. ORANGE! It was a little unsettling, to be honest with you. Then, it just turned black. It was kinda crazy.
And that's my breaktime. Guess I'll go write that other paper now. :) Enjoy the rest of your week!
Oh, and new song of the moment. I think it's kinda dumb ... but it's Se7en's newest dingle - "Digital Bounce"
Tuesday, September 14
Tuesdays
I have decided that Tuesday is my favorite day.
On Tuesdays, I teach 2 different groups of students - 2-2 and 2-4. My first class is at 9:30, and it's my first batch of 2-4 students. 2-4 majors in Chinese, and they are some super, super bright kids. They are super funny, motivated, and all-in-all, just a great group. Both groups from 2-4 simply amaze me every class - even the ones I get after 50 minutes of Chinese class. They bounce right back after the ten minute break time.
I get to teach 2-2 after lunch, and they are equally impressive. They are majoring in Japanese. They are so well-mannered and they try hard, too. I really, really enjoy these two classes.
I already have favorite students in each class. But I also just like these two classes in general. They've got some spunk, but they haven't been rude and they come to class ready to have a good time. The students are exceptionally well spoken and articulate ... I really have a lot of fun with them.
Yes, Tuesdays are my favorite.
Today we talked about the 10 most important things in life. I broke them into groups, and made them come up with a group list. So they had to talk with each other to decide what they thought would be the ten most important things, and then share their lists and their reasons with the rest of the class.
Here are some of the responses they gave me -
* Spirituality - it brings peace to our minds (2-2)
* Beauty - it can be a great weapon to use (2-2)
* Love - it makes our lives meaningful (2-4)
* Wisdom - to make the right decisions throughout our lives (2-4)
These are high school kids who have to be at school from 7:30 in the morning until 11:30 at night. I pretty much adore them.
Plus, one of them wants to be called "Muse". How could you NOT love classes like that?
On Tuesdays, I teach 2 different groups of students - 2-2 and 2-4. My first class is at 9:30, and it's my first batch of 2-4 students. 2-4 majors in Chinese, and they are some super, super bright kids. They are super funny, motivated, and all-in-all, just a great group. Both groups from 2-4 simply amaze me every class - even the ones I get after 50 minutes of Chinese class. They bounce right back after the ten minute break time.
I get to teach 2-2 after lunch, and they are equally impressive. They are majoring in Japanese. They are so well-mannered and they try hard, too. I really, really enjoy these two classes.
I already have favorite students in each class. But I also just like these two classes in general. They've got some spunk, but they haven't been rude and they come to class ready to have a good time. The students are exceptionally well spoken and articulate ... I really have a lot of fun with them.
Yes, Tuesdays are my favorite.
Today we talked about the 10 most important things in life. I broke them into groups, and made them come up with a group list. So they had to talk with each other to decide what they thought would be the ten most important things, and then share their lists and their reasons with the rest of the class.
Here are some of the responses they gave me -
* Spirituality - it brings peace to our minds (2-2)
* Beauty - it can be a great weapon to use (2-2)
* Love - it makes our lives meaningful (2-4)
* Wisdom - to make the right decisions throughout our lives (2-4)
These are high school kids who have to be at school from 7:30 in the morning until 11:30 at night. I pretty much adore them.
Plus, one of them wants to be called "Muse". How could you NOT love classes like that?
Sunday, September 12
It's a Brand New Week ...
... and I'm going to make a concerted effort to post something on this thing at least once a week.
We'll see how that goes.
It's Sunday night, and I'm back in Gimpo. I headed down to Anyang on Friday morning, and got there in time to have lunch with everyone - well, after I made a detour to Gimpo City Hall to change my residence information. Met up again with everyone for dinner - Costco pizza in honor of Trev's birthday ... holy crap, Costco pizza is good. :) I crashed at Judy's place this weekend - many, many, MANY thanks to her. After dinner at Trev's, I may or may not have met up with a bunch of people at Atlanta ...
The main event on Saturday was Jenny teacher's wedding - it was really nice! 성돈 (Seong-Don), Judy's friend, offered to drive some of us - so Dan, Lee, Stuart, Judy, and I all packed into his car. We're THAT amazing. After the wedding, it was naptime at Judy's for like, an hour ... before we met up with 성돈 again to watch him and his buddies play basketball. I guess they play EVERY-SINGLE-SATURDAY, and they're pretty good! Although there was this one guy on a different team that they just couldn't shut down ... the boy had mad skills ... but anyways, it was a lot of fun to watch.
Went down to Suwon for church today - last week, 찬주 (Chan-Joo [혜중's sister]) was my translator ... this week, it was 은수 (Eun-Soo). He's super, SUPER smart - goes to Seoul National University (studying architecture), lived in the States for a long time, plays the drums, and on top of that he's just a nice guy. Anyways, they're BOTH really great translators, so I'm pretty lucky. Oh, and he said it was an honor for him to be my translator. F'reals? Did I mention that I'm pretty lucky?
New groups at church, too ... 승범 (Seung-Beom) is my new leader ... there's eight of us - I can't remember the two girls' names ... and then there's 승범 (Seung-Beom), 완수 (Wan-Soo), 희중 (Hee-Joong), 철호 (Cheol-Ho), and ... I can't remember his name ... but he studied in India, and he's pretty nice. It's a good group. I feel bad though, because Seung-Beom told everyone to study English for my sake. We'll see how it works out. I think it'll be okay.
Afterwards, I wanted to leave right away, since I knew it would take a while to get home. Actually, though, 지선 (Ji-Sun) looked up some bus information for me. However, it was really confusing and I was getting overwhelmed, so 상권 (Sang-Kwon) packed me up into his car, took me to 수원버스터미널 (Suwon Bus Terminal - behind the E-Mart), helped me figure out the bus situation, and then waited with me for the bus! SOOO NICE! There's express buses to Gimpo at 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM. By the way, the express bus drops me off at Gimpo City Hall. I was lucky enough to catch the 3000 bus right away. All in all, from Suwon Bus Terminal to the high school, it took 1 hour and 45 minutes!!! A HUGE IMPROVEMENT over last week. So, maybe I'll stick around in Suwon to take the 9:00 PM bus some nights.
And that's all. I have my first lesson of this week planned out - haven't decided about the second one yet. Speaking of which, I guess the Korean teachers were really worried about me in the second floor office since I went in on Thursday and was venting to one of the other English teachers about the student I had to yell at in class. So, I supposed from now on, no more venting in the office ... lest I want the other teachers to freak out and take it out on their students ... aigoo.
Anyways. I'm out for the night. :)
We'll see how that goes.
It's Sunday night, and I'm back in Gimpo. I headed down to Anyang on Friday morning, and got there in time to have lunch with everyone - well, after I made a detour to Gimpo City Hall to change my residence information. Met up again with everyone for dinner - Costco pizza in honor of Trev's birthday ... holy crap, Costco pizza is good. :) I crashed at Judy's place this weekend - many, many, MANY thanks to her. After dinner at Trev's, I may or may not have met up with a bunch of people at Atlanta ...
The main event on Saturday was Jenny teacher's wedding - it was really nice! 성돈 (Seong-Don), Judy's friend, offered to drive some of us - so Dan, Lee, Stuart, Judy, and I all packed into his car. We're THAT amazing. After the wedding, it was naptime at Judy's for like, an hour ... before we met up with 성돈 again to watch him and his buddies play basketball. I guess they play EVERY-SINGLE-SATURDAY, and they're pretty good! Although there was this one guy on a different team that they just couldn't shut down ... the boy had mad skills ... but anyways, it was a lot of fun to watch.
Went down to Suwon for church today - last week, 찬주 (Chan-Joo [혜중's sister]) was my translator ... this week, it was 은수 (Eun-Soo). He's super, SUPER smart - goes to Seoul National University (studying architecture), lived in the States for a long time, plays the drums, and on top of that he's just a nice guy. Anyways, they're BOTH really great translators, so I'm pretty lucky. Oh, and he said it was an honor for him to be my translator. F'reals? Did I mention that I'm pretty lucky?
New groups at church, too ... 승범 (Seung-Beom) is my new leader ... there's eight of us - I can't remember the two girls' names ... and then there's 승범 (Seung-Beom), 완수 (Wan-Soo), 희중 (Hee-Joong), 철호 (Cheol-Ho), and ... I can't remember his name ... but he studied in India, and he's pretty nice. It's a good group. I feel bad though, because Seung-Beom told everyone to study English for my sake. We'll see how it works out. I think it'll be okay.
Afterwards, I wanted to leave right away, since I knew it would take a while to get home. Actually, though, 지선 (Ji-Sun) looked up some bus information for me. However, it was really confusing and I was getting overwhelmed, so 상권 (Sang-Kwon) packed me up into his car, took me to 수원버스터미널 (Suwon Bus Terminal - behind the E-Mart), helped me figure out the bus situation, and then waited with me for the bus! SOOO NICE! There's express buses to Gimpo at 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM. By the way, the express bus drops me off at Gimpo City Hall. I was lucky enough to catch the 3000 bus right away. All in all, from Suwon Bus Terminal to the high school, it took 1 hour and 45 minutes!!! A HUGE IMPROVEMENT over last week. So, maybe I'll stick around in Suwon to take the 9:00 PM bus some nights.
And that's all. I have my first lesson of this week planned out - haven't decided about the second one yet. Speaking of which, I guess the Korean teachers were really worried about me in the second floor office since I went in on Thursday and was venting to one of the other English teachers about the student I had to yell at in class. So, I supposed from now on, no more venting in the office ... lest I want the other teachers to freak out and take it out on their students ... aigoo.
Anyways. I'm out for the night. :)
Thursday, September 9
Ch-ch-ch-changes ...
It's 7:30 PM on Thursday, and my weekend officially began 3 hours ago. Can you say "four day work week"?
Jealous? :)
My first week is now finished, and I must say, it's not a bad gig. I mean, sure, I have to get up super early (compared to what I'm used to), and I'm pretty far off the beaten path. However, the work is hardly taxing (just wait 'til I have to put them through their first round of tests, though) and the students are pretty sharp. It's not bad at all.
Well, let me fill you in. Remember how last week I was unemployed and freaking out? Didn't last for long. Well, the unemployment didn't. The freaking out ... well, that still hasn't completely run it's course. Anyways. To make a long story short, last Monday I received an offer for an interview with a high school in Gimpo. I automatically said no. I had a change of heart on Wednesday, and we set up an interview for the next day. I trekked all the way out to Gimpo (with really no intent of taking the job ... I just wanted to have the experience of the interview), did my interview, was offered the job, thought about it for a few hours, and accepted. Bada-bing, bada-boom, you are now looking at the newest addition to the staff at Gimpo Foreign Language High School.
Funny how these things work out, right?
I moved the majority of my belongings up on Saturday. PS, in a taxi, it takes over an hour and a half to get from Hogyedong to this school. Last Thursday, it took just over two hours via a combination of the subway and the bus. Oh, and for future reference, it takes 3 hours and 40 minutes from Yeongtong using a combination of the 900 bus and the 380 bus - but I'm sure there's a better way to do that.
My first day was Monday - I teach only second year high school students (they're juniors). There are six junior classes of around 36 students each, and I teach four of them. These students are pretty incredible - since it's a foreign language high school, they are here to study (major in) other languages. Now, as I teach English, you would think that my students would be English majors, right? WRONG. Two of my classes are majoring in Japanese, and two of them are majoring in Chinese. They are simply required to take English, no matter what.
Also, schools such as these have pretty rigorous entrance examinations. These students are, for the most part, serious about their studies. They are woken up at 6 AM every morning. For the seniors, their homeroom class is at 7 AM. The other students begin at 7:30. They have classes throughout the day, including study hall sessions ... and they are finally allowed back into their rooms at like, 11:00 PM. Oh, and they can only go home like, one weekend a month. 'Tis a hard life these kids lead.
Anyways. I teach 2-1 and 2-2, and they major in Japanese. 2-3 and 2-4 are majoring in Chinese - they're also mine. Another English teacher teaches 2-5 and 2-6 - guess what they major in? BOTH Japanese AND Chinese. Each class is split in half for their language lessons, to make it more manageable - so think of it as being like, 2-1A and 2-1B and so on and so forth ... and I see each group of students twice a week. So I teach 16 classes a week, at 50 minutes a piece. Oh, and I only teach Conversation. :)
There's a few other foreign teachers - two teachers who teach English and some Chinese and Japanese teachers. The other English teachers are quite a bit older than I am - and neither are from the States. One, a man, is from Canada, and the other, a woman, is from New Zealand (though she's spent the past 20-some years in Fiji). I don't know how old Randall is, but Daphne is 65. So yes, I am the youngest. Surprise, surprise. :)
The first few days, students have been unable to figure out if I'm a teacher or a student in the hallways. Often, they get stuck in a sort of half-bow ... which is quite comical. The other day I was doing laundry (we have combination washer and dryers) and I was waiting for my clothes when a student came in - I was wearing sweats and a t-shirt, so I guess I looked like a student ... and when I said "hello" to her, she just about jumped a mile. There's been a few times like that. :)
The hardest part ... I guess it's the feeling of being isolated. Especially at like, meal-times, because I don't have anyone to eat with. I'm too shy, and I can't speak Korean. But, it'll pass. And if it doesn't, I have 3-day weekends and hella awesome vacation time.
My first week of classes went well - well, as well as could be expected. I already can tell who's going to work hard and who doesn't really give. I've already had to discipline one student for being disrespectful in class, and I'm already planning out what tests I will give them. But, for the most part, they are super kids. There's one student in my 2-2 class who lived in England for quite some time and has a British accent. There's several students who have studied in foreign countries. There are some insanely motivated students who I am lucky enough to have in my classes. My 2-4 kids are INCREDIBLY intelligent. They're all super bright.
So, I'm doing well. Right now, I'm waiting "Tristan and Isolde," packing up a backpack for the weekend, and listening to the AMAZING rainstorm that's going on outside, complete with lightning and thunder.
Soon, I'll be off to bed ... and then in the morning, I have to run by city hall to change my residence information ... and then, to Anyang!!! This weekend, Jenny teacher is getting married - I'm SUPER excited for her. And then, church. Hopefully I can find a better bus route. :)
___
PS - I don't notice the moon anymore.
Jealous? :)
My first week is now finished, and I must say, it's not a bad gig. I mean, sure, I have to get up super early (compared to what I'm used to), and I'm pretty far off the beaten path. However, the work is hardly taxing (just wait 'til I have to put them through their first round of tests, though) and the students are pretty sharp. It's not bad at all.
Well, let me fill you in. Remember how last week I was unemployed and freaking out? Didn't last for long. Well, the unemployment didn't. The freaking out ... well, that still hasn't completely run it's course. Anyways. To make a long story short, last Monday I received an offer for an interview with a high school in Gimpo. I automatically said no. I had a change of heart on Wednesday, and we set up an interview for the next day. I trekked all the way out to Gimpo (with really no intent of taking the job ... I just wanted to have the experience of the interview), did my interview, was offered the job, thought about it for a few hours, and accepted. Bada-bing, bada-boom, you are now looking at the newest addition to the staff at Gimpo Foreign Language High School.
Funny how these things work out, right?
I moved the majority of my belongings up on Saturday. PS, in a taxi, it takes over an hour and a half to get from Hogyedong to this school. Last Thursday, it took just over two hours via a combination of the subway and the bus. Oh, and for future reference, it takes 3 hours and 40 minutes from Yeongtong using a combination of the 900 bus and the 380 bus - but I'm sure there's a better way to do that.
My first day was Monday - I teach only second year high school students (they're juniors). There are six junior classes of around 36 students each, and I teach four of them. These students are pretty incredible - since it's a foreign language high school, they are here to study (major in) other languages. Now, as I teach English, you would think that my students would be English majors, right? WRONG. Two of my classes are majoring in Japanese, and two of them are majoring in Chinese. They are simply required to take English, no matter what.
Also, schools such as these have pretty rigorous entrance examinations. These students are, for the most part, serious about their studies. They are woken up at 6 AM every morning. For the seniors, their homeroom class is at 7 AM. The other students begin at 7:30. They have classes throughout the day, including study hall sessions ... and they are finally allowed back into their rooms at like, 11:00 PM. Oh, and they can only go home like, one weekend a month. 'Tis a hard life these kids lead.
Anyways. I teach 2-1 and 2-2, and they major in Japanese. 2-3 and 2-4 are majoring in Chinese - they're also mine. Another English teacher teaches 2-5 and 2-6 - guess what they major in? BOTH Japanese AND Chinese. Each class is split in half for their language lessons, to make it more manageable - so think of it as being like, 2-1A and 2-1B and so on and so forth ... and I see each group of students twice a week. So I teach 16 classes a week, at 50 minutes a piece. Oh, and I only teach Conversation. :)
There's a few other foreign teachers - two teachers who teach English and some Chinese and Japanese teachers. The other English teachers are quite a bit older than I am - and neither are from the States. One, a man, is from Canada, and the other, a woman, is from New Zealand (though she's spent the past 20-some years in Fiji). I don't know how old Randall is, but Daphne is 65. So yes, I am the youngest. Surprise, surprise. :)
The first few days, students have been unable to figure out if I'm a teacher or a student in the hallways. Often, they get stuck in a sort of half-bow ... which is quite comical. The other day I was doing laundry (we have combination washer and dryers) and I was waiting for my clothes when a student came in - I was wearing sweats and a t-shirt, so I guess I looked like a student ... and when I said "hello" to her, she just about jumped a mile. There's been a few times like that. :)
The hardest part ... I guess it's the feeling of being isolated. Especially at like, meal-times, because I don't have anyone to eat with. I'm too shy, and I can't speak Korean. But, it'll pass. And if it doesn't, I have 3-day weekends and hella awesome vacation time.
My first week of classes went well - well, as well as could be expected. I already can tell who's going to work hard and who doesn't really give. I've already had to discipline one student for being disrespectful in class, and I'm already planning out what tests I will give them. But, for the most part, they are super kids. There's one student in my 2-2 class who lived in England for quite some time and has a British accent. There's several students who have studied in foreign countries. There are some insanely motivated students who I am lucky enough to have in my classes. My 2-4 kids are INCREDIBLY intelligent. They're all super bright.
So, I'm doing well. Right now, I'm waiting "Tristan and Isolde," packing up a backpack for the weekend, and listening to the AMAZING rainstorm that's going on outside, complete with lightning and thunder.
Soon, I'll be off to bed ... and then in the morning, I have to run by city hall to change my residence information ... and then, to Anyang!!! This weekend, Jenny teacher is getting married - I'm SUPER excited for her. And then, church. Hopefully I can find a better bus route. :)
___
PS - I don't notice the moon anymore.
Monday, August 16
Revelation
No, not the one in the Bible.
I've recently had a revelation - writing things down makes it easier for me to sleep at night. And since I'm MUCH too lazy to write things down on paper ... I'll write them down here. For the most part.
Right now, it's 11:05 PM. I'm currently MSN-chatting with Nick (who is eating 보영만두 ... and I kind of hate him for it) and watching "Ironman" while reading "The Verdant Passage" - which is something Dean brought back form the States. Now, I'm not really a HUGE fan of the Science-Fiction/Fantasy genres. I mean, I like a little David Eddings now and then, and by a little, I mean I only like the ones with Sparhawk in them (so that means I like only two trilogies - "The Elenium" and "The Tamuli"). I like those books, probably because they're simple, easy to follow, and they're not over the top fantasy (as in, the characters still ride horses or stuff like that). So far, I'm 76 pages in and I'm totally lost. It's frustrating. And even more frustrating is the fact that I'm probably going to want to finish the series too, regardless of whether or not I understand it or remember it all. And that's a bother.
Oh well.
"Ironman" is one of my favorite "recent" movies. It's just so entertaining. Plus, I love Tony Stark. He's so arrogant ... for some reason, I like that about him. Speaking of movies ... I saw "The Experiment" on Friday with Evan and Kyoung. It's being released directly to DVD in the States in like, September ... but it's in theatres here. PS, I am now in love with Adrien Brody. I was stoked to see it because it was loosely based off of Phillip Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment, which was fascinating ... regardless of the ethical lines it crossed. You can't deny that the obedience experiments were interesting ...
Anyways. It was short - just like, 90 minutes. Pretty well done, too. I am also a huge "Inception" fan. I'd be down for seeing it again.
I'm going on a church retreat this weekend. The majority of the people are leaving on Thursday, but there's like, ten of us who will be joining them Friday night. It'll be fun, but I'm kind of nervous ... I'm not sure why. I'm excited, though ... ever since I made the decision to go. It'll be good.
What else? Oh, I have a new student - her name is Kate and she's a first grader. She seems like a good addition to the class. Now, there's 8 kids there, 5 boys and 3 girls. I like that it's evening up a little.
And that's all I've really got. Maybe next time I'll have something witty to say instead of just a review of my day, haha. :) We can only hope.
I've recently had a revelation - writing things down makes it easier for me to sleep at night. And since I'm MUCH too lazy to write things down on paper ... I'll write them down here. For the most part.
Right now, it's 11:05 PM. I'm currently MSN-chatting with Nick (who is eating 보영만두 ... and I kind of hate him for it) and watching "Ironman" while reading "The Verdant Passage" - which is something Dean brought back form the States. Now, I'm not really a HUGE fan of the Science-Fiction/Fantasy genres. I mean, I like a little David Eddings now and then, and by a little, I mean I only like the ones with Sparhawk in them (so that means I like only two trilogies - "The Elenium" and "The Tamuli"). I like those books, probably because they're simple, easy to follow, and they're not over the top fantasy (as in, the characters still ride horses or stuff like that). So far, I'm 76 pages in and I'm totally lost. It's frustrating. And even more frustrating is the fact that I'm probably going to want to finish the series too, regardless of whether or not I understand it or remember it all. And that's a bother.
Oh well.
"Ironman" is one of my favorite "recent" movies. It's just so entertaining. Plus, I love Tony Stark. He's so arrogant ... for some reason, I like that about him. Speaking of movies ... I saw "The Experiment" on Friday with Evan and Kyoung. It's being released directly to DVD in the States in like, September ... but it's in theatres here. PS, I am now in love with Adrien Brody. I was stoked to see it because it was loosely based off of Phillip Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment, which was fascinating ... regardless of the ethical lines it crossed. You can't deny that the obedience experiments were interesting ...
Anyways. It was short - just like, 90 minutes. Pretty well done, too. I am also a huge "Inception" fan. I'd be down for seeing it again.
I'm going on a church retreat this weekend. The majority of the people are leaving on Thursday, but there's like, ten of us who will be joining them Friday night. It'll be fun, but I'm kind of nervous ... I'm not sure why. I'm excited, though ... ever since I made the decision to go. It'll be good.
What else? Oh, I have a new student - her name is Kate and she's a first grader. She seems like a good addition to the class. Now, there's 8 kids there, 5 boys and 3 girls. I like that it's evening up a little.
And that's all I've really got. Maybe next time I'll have something witty to say instead of just a review of my day, haha. :) We can only hope.
More to come ...
It's 12:02 AM, so I'ma keep this shooooooort. Read and think about ... some dicussion to follow later.
1.) Had my 23rd birthday party on Saturday, August 14th ... thanks to EVERYONE (especially TREVOR) for making it great! (Yeah, I know my birthday isn't until Wednesday ... but ... I'm going on a retreat the weekend after. So, really, this was the best time to do it). Check Facebook for some pics.
2.) I have two new musical obsessions.
"サヨナラから始めよう" by GReeeeN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cORCEmBLKJ8
and
"너의 마음속엔 강이 흐른다" (River Flows In You) composed by Yiruma, sung by Ruvin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8-jf_3qTPc
3.) Two weeks until my contract is done!
4.) Got into a mini-debate today about infallibility versus inspiration in regards to the Bible. You know, infallibity meaning that the entire Book is God's Word and that it's completely true and correct whereas inspiration is the idea that God (erh, the Holy Spirit) inspired men to write the ideas, but that they were able to put their own twist on things thus leaving room for error (while getting the overall message right). Read up about it. Think about it. Discuss.
5.) Went to Kim's Club to pick up groceries for the first time in FOREVER ... I don't spend a lot of time at home. Anyways, I bought this certain kind of milk today because it is called "Vitamin Milk" and it says that it's "An Excellent Source of Vitamin." Not vitaminS, but just vitamin. I wonder which vitamin? :)
1.) Had my 23rd birthday party on Saturday, August 14th ... thanks to EVERYONE (especially TREVOR) for making it great! (Yeah, I know my birthday isn't until Wednesday ... but ... I'm going on a retreat the weekend after. So, really, this was the best time to do it). Check Facebook for some pics.
2.) I have two new musical obsessions.
"サヨナラから始めよう" by GReeeeN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cORCEmBLKJ8
and
"너의 마음속엔 강이 흐른다" (River Flows In You) composed by Yiruma, sung by Ruvin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8-jf_3qTPc
3.) Two weeks until my contract is done!
4.) Got into a mini-debate today about infallibility versus inspiration in regards to the Bible. You know, infallibity meaning that the entire Book is God's Word and that it's completely true and correct whereas inspiration is the idea that God (erh, the Holy Spirit) inspired men to write the ideas, but that they were able to put their own twist on things thus leaving room for error (while getting the overall message right). Read up about it. Think about it. Discuss.
5.) Went to Kim's Club to pick up groceries for the first time in FOREVER ... I don't spend a lot of time at home. Anyways, I bought this certain kind of milk today because it is called "Vitamin Milk" and it says that it's "An Excellent Source of Vitamin." Not vitaminS, but just vitamin. I wonder which vitamin? :)
Saturday, July 31
Writer's Block
I have writer's block.
Now, seeing as how I haven't been a student for over two years, many of you might not find this to be a problem. After all, I'm a teacher now - why would I find a need to write anything of substance? I mean, obviously, aside from scribbling comments in practice books or on report cards, I have had very few reasons to write anything since my commencement. Why is this causing me so much anxiety now?
Two weeks ago, I enrolled in an online TEFL certification course. Now, I am well aware of the fact that I probably could have just paid my money, taken the test, and been done with it all. However, since I am not a trained teacher, I decided that this would be the opportune time actually sit down and learn some of the basics, the fundamentals, the theories ... you know. Well ...
... said TEFL course requires me to write essays after finishing each module. There's like ... fourteen modules. Maybe more. Maybe less. And I'm required to write two essays after each module. Each essay must be around 700 words. The last thing I wrote for a class was my senior research paper, in April of 2008. The closest I've come to academic writing since then has been my blog posts, which lately have been few and far between. Not to mention that I find the first paper always the most difficult one, based on the fact that you have no idea what the instructor is looking for. Granted, this is simply an online certification course, but a course is a course, and hence ... the writer's block.
Couple that with the fact that I've never been exceptionally confident of my writing abilities, and I'm sure you can see my dilemma. Which is why I am currently seated in the corner of Indigo Blue, sipping a mango soda and chatting with Hyun, while resolutely ignoring the Word document that is open with my half finished essay typed up - most of which will probably be deleted and rewritten within the next two days. Oh, and I'm going to see a movie later on tonight with Steve, Mi-Hee, and Amanda ... and that means I will continue ignoring said Word doc.
It's a good thing I have six months to finish this course at my own pace, or else I'd be screwed. And I kind of feel that this "at your own pace" is going to be my downfall anyways, as I have always been a procrastinator. Time to set myself some deadlines.
***
Okay, well moving on from the TEFL course - what else can I update you wonderful people on? You know, it just dawned on me that the only people who really read what I write here are reading it via Facebook ... and if you're on Facebook and reading this, then chances are you are someone who I keep in semi-regular contact with, which means you probably already know everything that is going on in my life in the first place.
Oh well. Read and be bored then. :)
I have less than a month before my contract is finished, and I will be moving. I would already have a job lined up if I wasn't so damn picky, but hey - c'est la vie. I'm not worried. There's some promising offers out there, and I know that the perfect one is going to turn up - knowing how the system works here, probably not until the week before my contract is up, but hey it's all good because at least I'm already in the country, right? :)
This past week has been my vacation, and it's been lovely. Well, okay, I've been a little bored, but that's my own fault because I've never really understood how to enjoy an entirely free day before. Let's see - I can't remember what I did on Monday. That's probably not a good sign. On Tuesday, I went to Suwon and met Eun-Young and her conversation students and we had class together. That was a lot of fun - she teaches older students so I met with two women in their mid-30's. Then I had dinner with the infamous Nicholas Kucharik at Suwon Station. On Wednesday, a group of us made the trek down on the 900 bus and explored Hwaseong Fortress for a few hours ... oh, that was AFTER lunch at Bo-Young Man-doo. :) On Thursday, Wan-Soo came up and helped me buy a new cell phone - yay for new toys! Oh, and I met with Matt (who I hadn't seen in over a year), before going to study group with Evan and In-Chae. Yesterday, Friday, I went to dinner with Evan and Kyoung-Hwa.
That's pretty much been my vacation. Oh, you know, I've cleaned a little, packed some boxes, and gone to the gym ... it's a lot nicer going in the middle of the day than it is going hella early in the morning or late at night. I've also drank copious amounts of coffee and completely skewed my sleeping schedule. Tomorrow morning will be interesting, to say the least.
Now, I am finishing up at Indigo, and getting ready to head home to post this. Yes, I will be posting it. Yes, I will be writing more soon. No, it probably won't be THAT soon. :)
Much love to you all ... especially those of you who are getting married, have recently gotten married, are engaged, or have recently gotten engaged (and by this, of course, I'm taking about Andy and Jess) ...
<3
Now, seeing as how I haven't been a student for over two years, many of you might not find this to be a problem. After all, I'm a teacher now - why would I find a need to write anything of substance? I mean, obviously, aside from scribbling comments in practice books or on report cards, I have had very few reasons to write anything since my commencement. Why is this causing me so much anxiety now?
Two weeks ago, I enrolled in an online TEFL certification course. Now, I am well aware of the fact that I probably could have just paid my money, taken the test, and been done with it all. However, since I am not a trained teacher, I decided that this would be the opportune time actually sit down and learn some of the basics, the fundamentals, the theories ... you know. Well ...
... said TEFL course requires me to write essays after finishing each module. There's like ... fourteen modules. Maybe more. Maybe less. And I'm required to write two essays after each module. Each essay must be around 700 words. The last thing I wrote for a class was my senior research paper, in April of 2008. The closest I've come to academic writing since then has been my blog posts, which lately have been few and far between. Not to mention that I find the first paper always the most difficult one, based on the fact that you have no idea what the instructor is looking for. Granted, this is simply an online certification course, but a course is a course, and hence ... the writer's block.
Couple that with the fact that I've never been exceptionally confident of my writing abilities, and I'm sure you can see my dilemma. Which is why I am currently seated in the corner of Indigo Blue, sipping a mango soda and chatting with Hyun, while resolutely ignoring the Word document that is open with my half finished essay typed up - most of which will probably be deleted and rewritten within the next two days. Oh, and I'm going to see a movie later on tonight with Steve, Mi-Hee, and Amanda ... and that means I will continue ignoring said Word doc.
It's a good thing I have six months to finish this course at my own pace, or else I'd be screwed. And I kind of feel that this "at your own pace" is going to be my downfall anyways, as I have always been a procrastinator. Time to set myself some deadlines.
***
Okay, well moving on from the TEFL course - what else can I update you wonderful people on? You know, it just dawned on me that the only people who really read what I write here are reading it via Facebook ... and if you're on Facebook and reading this, then chances are you are someone who I keep in semi-regular contact with, which means you probably already know everything that is going on in my life in the first place.
Oh well. Read and be bored then. :)
I have less than a month before my contract is finished, and I will be moving. I would already have a job lined up if I wasn't so damn picky, but hey - c'est la vie. I'm not worried. There's some promising offers out there, and I know that the perfect one is going to turn up - knowing how the system works here, probably not until the week before my contract is up, but hey it's all good because at least I'm already in the country, right? :)
This past week has been my vacation, and it's been lovely. Well, okay, I've been a little bored, but that's my own fault because I've never really understood how to enjoy an entirely free day before. Let's see - I can't remember what I did on Monday. That's probably not a good sign. On Tuesday, I went to Suwon and met Eun-Young and her conversation students and we had class together. That was a lot of fun - she teaches older students so I met with two women in their mid-30's. Then I had dinner with the infamous Nicholas Kucharik at Suwon Station. On Wednesday, a group of us made the trek down on the 900 bus and explored Hwaseong Fortress for a few hours ... oh, that was AFTER lunch at Bo-Young Man-doo. :) On Thursday, Wan-Soo came up and helped me buy a new cell phone - yay for new toys! Oh, and I met with Matt (who I hadn't seen in over a year), before going to study group with Evan and In-Chae. Yesterday, Friday, I went to dinner with Evan and Kyoung-Hwa.
That's pretty much been my vacation. Oh, you know, I've cleaned a little, packed some boxes, and gone to the gym ... it's a lot nicer going in the middle of the day than it is going hella early in the morning or late at night. I've also drank copious amounts of coffee and completely skewed my sleeping schedule. Tomorrow morning will be interesting, to say the least.
Now, I am finishing up at Indigo, and getting ready to head home to post this. Yes, I will be posting it. Yes, I will be writing more soon. No, it probably won't be THAT soon. :)
Much love to you all ... especially those of you who are getting married, have recently gotten married, are engaged, or have recently gotten engaged (and by this, of course, I'm taking about Andy and Jess) ...
<3
Wednesday, July 7
:)
Why am I smiling?
Well, it could be because I just spent the evening with my friend studying Korean and English. Or, maybe it's because the week is over halfway over. Or perhaps it's because in the past three days, I've eaten Bo-Young Man-doo TWICE. Or maybe it's ALL of those reasons ... AND the fact that ...
NICHOLAS DONG-JIN KUCHARIK HAS ARRIVED IN KOREA!!!
Yeah, maybe that's it. :) :) :)
It's late. I'll write later. Instead, click-y on this link-y and enjoy TOP's music video for "Turn It Up." I like TOP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdPnMoxKOWY&feature=player_embedded
Well, it could be because I just spent the evening with my friend studying Korean and English. Or, maybe it's because the week is over halfway over. Or perhaps it's because in the past three days, I've eaten Bo-Young Man-doo TWICE. Or maybe it's ALL of those reasons ... AND the fact that ...
NICHOLAS DONG-JIN KUCHARIK HAS ARRIVED IN KOREA!!!
Yeah, maybe that's it. :) :) :)
It's late. I'll write later. Instead, click-y on this link-y and enjoy TOP's music video for "Turn It Up." I like TOP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdPnMoxKOWY&feature=player_embedded
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