Facial Night:
Gon:
Bicycle Watches:
And Gamjatong!!! (YUUUUUUM-yumyumyumyumyumYUM!):
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Other Highlights from Ulsan
Pizza School & Sweet Potato Pizza:
Facial Night:
Gon:
Bicycle Watches:
And Gamjatong!!! (YUUUUUUM-yumyumyumyumyumYUM!):
Facial Night:
Gon:
Bicycle Watches:
And Gamjatong!!! (YUUUUUUM-yumyumyumyumyumYUM!):
A word on Chuseok
This weekend was Chuseok, which is somewhat the equivalent to American Thanksgiving. I had heard that if you get the chance to celebrate with a Korean family, do it. So we did.
Kat's boyfriend, Gon, invited Chaz and I with them to celebrate Chuseok with his family. We were incredibly excited the days leading up to the weekend. For one: we got vacation from school. For two: we got to visit Ulsan (Kat and Kelly's stomping grounds). For three: we got to eat yummy Korean food and be with a family. The weekend proved to be as wonderful as we anticipated.
We traveled by train to Ulsan Thursday evening and stayed at Kat's apartment. Friday brought a tour of Ulsan (including jim dalk for lunch...delicious, and shopping). I also bowed to Kelly's apartment door (wish you were here!!) out of respect for her presence being there at one point in time. Friday night we meant to go to bed early, but we began watching "Rachel Getting Married" and couldn't stop. A 1:30 bedtime and a 5:45 wake-up time do not mix so well, but we made it to the bus stop on time anyway to meet Gon for the bus trip to his family's home. We met Gon's parents, and his brother, and then drove to Gon's aunt's house for the initial meal.
The family holiday began with a ceremony performed by the men. They set up a table full of food in a room and included a bowl of uncooked rice with incense burning in it. The men bowed to the table and moved the chopsticks from bowl to bowl denoting that the ancestor had eaten the food. They leave the apartment door open to allow the ancestors' spirits to come into the room and eat. In doing this, they give thanks to their family members who have passed for protecting them that year and giving them a good year. When the ceremony was completed, we began the initial meal.
When I say initial meal, I mean that Chuseok, along with family and ceremonies, brings with it many many meals. We began the first meal at 8:00 AM which included soup, fish, beef, rice, kimchi, fried shrimp, potatoes, etc. etc. etc. It was a HUGE array of delicious food piled on our low table. We chatted with the other young, English-speaking members of Gon's family and compared Chuseok with Thanksgiving.
After the meal, Kat, Chaz, Gon, Yungseon (Gon's brother), and I headed to Gon's parents' house to take a nap so we were fresh for the rest of the day. At 11, we headed to the graves of the family ancestors to partake in another ceremony. Families travel to the graves in the weeks prior to Chuseok in order to cut the grass and prepare the graves for the holiday. Once at the grave site, the men poured cups of really nice soju (Korean alcohol) and then everyone bowed to the graves. Then, the men sprinkled the soju over the graves for the ancestors.
With Gon's Family:
Gon enjoying Chuseok:
The Grave site:
This ceremony was performed for all of the family graves, and then we had a picnic (meal 2) at the grave site. There was a ton of fresh fruit, soju, and leftover potatoes to eat. I was full after the picnic (thinking this was lunch), but I was wrong. We left the grave site to go back to Gon's family's house for lunch (meal 3 within four hours). At lunch, we had bibimbap and soup (again...delicious!). The ceremony part was all complete, but the day was far from over. Gon's family was then to travel to Busan to visit Gon's mother's family. It's nice that Korean families see all of their family on Chuseok, but it is also crazy as traffic is a nightmare with everyone traveling to different places all day. Chaz, Kat, and I skipped on the rest of the day as we were tired, and we were assured that we were only missing meals and not ceremony (we were pretty full as it was, and couldn't hold a couple of more meals....think Thanksgiving times about 5). So we left giving huge thanks to Gon's family for welcoming us to celebrate the holiday.
My thoughts: it felt absolutely wonderful to join a family for a holiday this special to Koreans. It felt almost like being home for Thanksgiving (minus everyone speaking Korean and a drastic change in food). I felt blessed to be part of the ceremonies and the feeling of thanks for bounty given over the year. As I've said, it was much like Thanksgiving in America, but I feel that Koreans focus much more on the "thanks" part than we do. While we enjoy being with family and eating and watching football and napping, we don't do a lot of the thanking for the year. In Korea, they focus more on the ceremonies and thanking than on being with family (they get little time with family since they are traveling all day from family to family and ceremony to ceremony). A strange dichotomy, but it was wonderful to experience. Don't get me wrong, family is the entire reason and focus of the holiday, but it was much unlike the hours upon hours we spend with our family over the holiday. I missed the comfort of booming laughter as Uncle Bill makes a joke, and my dad rolling his eyes as my mom squeals a cute story, and Grandma Landers's dirty jokes.
On this Chuseok, I'm thankful for all the experiences I've had in my life: from family in Iowa to family in Korea. Life really is grand.
Gon's Family:
Kat's boyfriend, Gon, invited Chaz and I with them to celebrate Chuseok with his family. We were incredibly excited the days leading up to the weekend. For one: we got vacation from school. For two: we got to visit Ulsan (Kat and Kelly's stomping grounds). For three: we got to eat yummy Korean food and be with a family. The weekend proved to be as wonderful as we anticipated.
We traveled by train to Ulsan Thursday evening and stayed at Kat's apartment. Friday brought a tour of Ulsan (including jim dalk for lunch...delicious, and shopping). I also bowed to Kelly's apartment door (wish you were here!!) out of respect for her presence being there at one point in time. Friday night we meant to go to bed early, but we began watching "Rachel Getting Married" and couldn't stop. A 1:30 bedtime and a 5:45 wake-up time do not mix so well, but we made it to the bus stop on time anyway to meet Gon for the bus trip to his family's home. We met Gon's parents, and his brother, and then drove to Gon's aunt's house for the initial meal.
The family holiday began with a ceremony performed by the men. They set up a table full of food in a room and included a bowl of uncooked rice with incense burning in it. The men bowed to the table and moved the chopsticks from bowl to bowl denoting that the ancestor had eaten the food. They leave the apartment door open to allow the ancestors' spirits to come into the room and eat. In doing this, they give thanks to their family members who have passed for protecting them that year and giving them a good year. When the ceremony was completed, we began the initial meal.
When I say initial meal, I mean that Chuseok, along with family and ceremonies, brings with it many many meals. We began the first meal at 8:00 AM which included soup, fish, beef, rice, kimchi, fried shrimp, potatoes, etc. etc. etc. It was a HUGE array of delicious food piled on our low table. We chatted with the other young, English-speaking members of Gon's family and compared Chuseok with Thanksgiving.
After the meal, Kat, Chaz, Gon, Yungseon (Gon's brother), and I headed to Gon's parents' house to take a nap so we were fresh for the rest of the day. At 11, we headed to the graves of the family ancestors to partake in another ceremony. Families travel to the graves in the weeks prior to Chuseok in order to cut the grass and prepare the graves for the holiday. Once at the grave site, the men poured cups of really nice soju (Korean alcohol) and then everyone bowed to the graves. Then, the men sprinkled the soju over the graves for the ancestors.
With Gon's Family:
Gon enjoying Chuseok:
The Grave site:
This ceremony was performed for all of the family graves, and then we had a picnic (meal 2) at the grave site. There was a ton of fresh fruit, soju, and leftover potatoes to eat. I was full after the picnic (thinking this was lunch), but I was wrong. We left the grave site to go back to Gon's family's house for lunch (meal 3 within four hours). At lunch, we had bibimbap and soup (again...delicious!). The ceremony part was all complete, but the day was far from over. Gon's family was then to travel to Busan to visit Gon's mother's family. It's nice that Korean families see all of their family on Chuseok, but it is also crazy as traffic is a nightmare with everyone traveling to different places all day. Chaz, Kat, and I skipped on the rest of the day as we were tired, and we were assured that we were only missing meals and not ceremony (we were pretty full as it was, and couldn't hold a couple of more meals....think Thanksgiving times about 5). So we left giving huge thanks to Gon's family for welcoming us to celebrate the holiday.
My thoughts: it felt absolutely wonderful to join a family for a holiday this special to Koreans. It felt almost like being home for Thanksgiving (minus everyone speaking Korean and a drastic change in food). I felt blessed to be part of the ceremonies and the feeling of thanks for bounty given over the year. As I've said, it was much like Thanksgiving in America, but I feel that Koreans focus much more on the "thanks" part than we do. While we enjoy being with family and eating and watching football and napping, we don't do a lot of the thanking for the year. In Korea, they focus more on the ceremonies and thanking than on being with family (they get little time with family since they are traveling all day from family to family and ceremony to ceremony). A strange dichotomy, but it was wonderful to experience. Don't get me wrong, family is the entire reason and focus of the holiday, but it was much unlike the hours upon hours we spend with our family over the holiday. I missed the comfort of booming laughter as Uncle Bill makes a joke, and my dad rolling his eyes as my mom squeals a cute story, and Grandma Landers's dirty jokes.
On this Chuseok, I'm thankful for all the experiences I've had in my life: from family in Iowa to family in Korea. Life really is grand.
Gon's Family:
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Success!
Today has been absolutely excellent. First of all, last night Chaz got his first paycheck.
WE'RE MILLIONAIRES! (in won, at least)
So that felt absolutely incredibly, especially since we were down to our last 20,000 won. Eeks! I still need to get paid, but I just got my bank account today, so on Monday I should get my first paycheck. Also, last night I got to hang out with Eun-Ah quite a bit and saw O-Ma (her mom) and Hong-Sil (found out Hong-Shi is actually Hong-Sil, but it's pronounced the same), and I also met Eun-Ah's aunt. Girl time was incredible.
Then, we met some new people living in Busan who we met at orientation. We took them out to eat, showed them a bit of the city, and tried to make them feel comfortable. We are so indebted to the people who did that for us, so we were happy we could pass it on to other people who are feeling apprehensive. It also makes us feel like we really have learned a lot about the city and really are making it our home. Excellent!
So today, as a thank you to my fellow teachers, and as a pre-celebration of Chuseok, I brought a cake and some candy to school for all of the staff (Chaz brought some to his school as well). The response was INCREDIBLE! I was an immediate hit, and it felt great to have people say hello to me who I hadn't yet met. I also had some excellent break-throughs with co-teachers. Soooo good. Kids were excited because they just finished Mid-terms (incredibly stressful for them so they can get into a good high school), and tomorrow is holiday. I knew there was no getting anything out of them, so I planned some games I learned at orientation this past weekend (more on that later).
Anyway...it was just a fantastic day, and I'm really starting to feel at home here. It's a great feeling, and Busan is a great city! Come and join us! I still need to blog about our trip to Seoul for orientation (where a lot of my breakthrough with Korea and teaching happened), but that's for later. Right now, we are headed to Ulsan to meet Kat, Gon, Ji, and various other friends Kelly knows. Saturday we are spending Chuseok with Gon and his family, and I'm very excited to experience a Korean Chuseok! Of course I will document.
Assa, Korea!
WE'RE MILLIONAIRES! (in won, at least)
So that felt absolutely incredibly, especially since we were down to our last 20,000 won. Eeks! I still need to get paid, but I just got my bank account today, so on Monday I should get my first paycheck. Also, last night I got to hang out with Eun-Ah quite a bit and saw O-Ma (her mom) and Hong-Sil (found out Hong-Shi is actually Hong-Sil, but it's pronounced the same), and I also met Eun-Ah's aunt. Girl time was incredible.
Then, we met some new people living in Busan who we met at orientation. We took them out to eat, showed them a bit of the city, and tried to make them feel comfortable. We are so indebted to the people who did that for us, so we were happy we could pass it on to other people who are feeling apprehensive. It also makes us feel like we really have learned a lot about the city and really are making it our home. Excellent!
So today, as a thank you to my fellow teachers, and as a pre-celebration of Chuseok, I brought a cake and some candy to school for all of the staff (Chaz brought some to his school as well). The response was INCREDIBLE! I was an immediate hit, and it felt great to have people say hello to me who I hadn't yet met. I also had some excellent break-throughs with co-teachers. Soooo good. Kids were excited because they just finished Mid-terms (incredibly stressful for them so they can get into a good high school), and tomorrow is holiday. I knew there was no getting anything out of them, so I planned some games I learned at orientation this past weekend (more on that later).
Anyway...it was just a fantastic day, and I'm really starting to feel at home here. It's a great feeling, and Busan is a great city! Come and join us! I still need to blog about our trip to Seoul for orientation (where a lot of my breakthrough with Korea and teaching happened), but that's for later. Right now, we are headed to Ulsan to meet Kat, Gon, Ji, and various other friends Kelly knows. Saturday we are spending Chuseok with Gon and his family, and I'm very excited to experience a Korean Chuseok! Of course I will document.
Assa, Korea!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Oh, Korea
This week has been a crazy week. I'm thinking I'm ahead of the game since I planned lessons for Wednesday through Tuesday. What? I'm prepared? Heck yes! Then Wednesday I find out Chaz and I are supposed to go to Seoul for our program's orientation. Huh, wha? Yes...we miss Friday, Monday, and Tuesday of school for orientation. Then I find out students have midterms Mon-Wed anyway, so there are no classes. Would have been nice to know BEFORE I PLANNED! Ah, well. I'll have to plan all new lessons for the week after next as the lessons I planned for will be completed by the other teachers.
So Chaz and I packed a bag yesterday and headed Seoul via the train (KTX), only a three hour trip from Busa. I was dreading the trip, but orientation is actually exciting. I usually hate things like this, but they've done a really good job of providing interesting activities plus helpful lectures. Today we had opening ceremonies which included a performance by Tarang, a traditional Korean drum group. It was amazingly sweet, and I'm upset I didn't bring my camera to the ceremony. Others will post pictures on Facebook, so I'll just steal them. :) Today we're having a lecture about Korean history and adjusting to Korean culture, and then we're getting Korean language lessons this evening, which I'm really excited about. I feel there's a lot I'll be able to take from this, and it's great because I'm experiencing my first "teaching conference" and it's in Korea.
I'll update on the weekend as we continue orientation because it promises to be great.
So Chaz and I packed a bag yesterday and headed Seoul via the train (KTX), only a three hour trip from Busa. I was dreading the trip, but orientation is actually exciting. I usually hate things like this, but they've done a really good job of providing interesting activities plus helpful lectures. Today we had opening ceremonies which included a performance by Tarang, a traditional Korean drum group. It was amazingly sweet, and I'm upset I didn't bring my camera to the ceremony. Others will post pictures on Facebook, so I'll just steal them. :) Today we're having a lecture about Korean history and adjusting to Korean culture, and then we're getting Korean language lessons this evening, which I'm really excited about. I feel there's a lot I'll be able to take from this, and it's great because I'm experiencing my first "teaching conference" and it's in Korea.
I'll update on the weekend as we continue orientation because it promises to be great.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
one in which i post pictures i have not posted yet
At Jagalchi Fish Market & Nampo-dong
Chaz found a friend:
Our first Dokkoki (street food...rice cake with chili sauce):
Sunrise at the Beach:
Sand castle time:
Korean hearts!:
Model Ji:
Chaz's classroom:
Chaz's failed haircut (the clippers blew up):
And Chaz's awesome $6 haircut:
And amazing Gim-Bap:
Chaz found a friend:
Our first Dokkoki (street food...rice cake with chili sauce):
Sunrise at the Beach:
Sand castle time:
Korean hearts!:
Model Ji:
Chaz's classroom:
Chaz's failed haircut (the clippers blew up):
And Chaz's awesome $6 haircut:
And amazing Gim-Bap:
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
There really are good times while teaching in Korea
(Be sure to check out pics I just posted to my previous blog...all courtesy of Gon)
So most of you have heard my frustrations with my teaching experiences in Korea (thus far). Kat suggested I blog about the positives because there really are many. Also, those are the times where I can laugh and shake off the bad behavior. These are the times when I realize that I just might be able to survive teaching in Korea. :)
First of all, let me tell you the names. Oh the names these kids come up with. I wanted to give them English names to use in class, mostly to help me be able to keep kids straight. Now, I feel a bit bad about having them "change their names" for me, but most of the kids seem to enjoy it, and they do it with their Korean teachers anyway. So, I let them choose names. Some of these came from a list I put on the board (including Brian, Ben, Sam, Steven, Kimberly, etc....where did I get those?). Others came from the kids' minds, and I have no idea where these minds have been. Some of the highlights include:
Baguette
God (I have two)
Homer
Chicken
Top
Bella
Kaze
Rarph (no, that's not a typo)
Bank
Gun J
Magic Force
Dumbledore
Voldemort (Dumbledore and Voldemort sit next to each other)
Baby Bear
Turtle
Superman
LaBron James
Whap
Gangsta
Johnny Depp
Dino
Big Joe
Gucci
Messy
Ostrich
Beyoncé
Fiona
Wow
Pringles (and a Potato Chip too)
Buggy
Heart Breaker
Homeple (?)
No Pain No Gain
Wind Breaker (this made me laugh)
Crocodile
Sexy Boy
There are many other hilarious and just plain strange names, but I'll leave you with this list. I hope it brought you laughter.
Next good story: yesterday after school my English Conversation class (I teach an after school class everyday) came in. There were some boys talking in the back of the room, and then one said, "Teacher, teacher. Make up?" And I said, "No, I don't wear makeup. Just on my eyes." He responds, "Ohh...eyeliner?" And I said, "Yes, eyeliner." "Ohhh. Very good. Beautiful. Teacher, you sexy girl." So I responded, "You better watch out! My husband will come and fight you, and he is very big." They all said, "Ohhhh....don't!" Pretty cute/comical.
Then today, I had my last (pretty much, except for Friday) day of introductions. In one of my classes, I was introducing my family:
"Iowa has a lot of land. If there is a lot of land, what would a good job be?"
"Farmer!"
"Yes, you're right! A farmer is a good job to have in Iowa. This is my father, Brian."
"Ooooooh, very handsome! Big guy!"
"Yes, he is very strong. What do you think my father's job is?"
"Farmer!"
"Good! Yes, my father is a farmer. This is my mother, Jane."
"Ooooooh, very pretty. I love Jane!"
"Haha, yes. What do you think her job is?"
"Farmer!"
"No, not a farmer."
"House-uh Wife-uh!"
"No, not a housewife."
"Model!"
"No, but my mother will love you."
That dialogue is for my mom. Hope you enjoyed it and want to come teach in Korea soon! :)
One more highlight: a student walked into the room this morning wearing a yellow t-shirt (they're supposed to wear uniforms) that said, "Everythings good! Everyone's singing black music," on the back, and on the front was a black guy with a fro. No joke. My response: laughter, and "WHHHAAAA??"
So there really are many bright spots during the day. It's sad that the frustrating ones are the ones you remember. I also wanted to say that I love my Level 1 students. I recently realized that Level 1=6th grade, Level 2=7th grade, and Level 3=8th grade. The Level 1 students are soooo sweet and just about the cutest little bugs you've ever seen. They also seem to have better English than the older grades, so I find that interesting. The class I saw this morning was especially sweet, so that was an excellent start to the day. I look forward to many more hilarious and fun moments.
So most of you have heard my frustrations with my teaching experiences in Korea (thus far). Kat suggested I blog about the positives because there really are many. Also, those are the times where I can laugh and shake off the bad behavior. These are the times when I realize that I just might be able to survive teaching in Korea. :)
First of all, let me tell you the names. Oh the names these kids come up with. I wanted to give them English names to use in class, mostly to help me be able to keep kids straight. Now, I feel a bit bad about having them "change their names" for me, but most of the kids seem to enjoy it, and they do it with their Korean teachers anyway. So, I let them choose names. Some of these came from a list I put on the board (including Brian, Ben, Sam, Steven, Kimberly, etc....where did I get those?). Others came from the kids' minds, and I have no idea where these minds have been. Some of the highlights include:
Baguette
God (I have two)
Homer
Chicken
Top
Bella
Kaze
Rarph (no, that's not a typo)
Bank
Gun J
Magic Force
Dumbledore
Voldemort (Dumbledore and Voldemort sit next to each other)
Baby Bear
Turtle
Superman
LaBron James
Whap
Gangsta
Johnny Depp
Dino
Big Joe
Gucci
Messy
Ostrich
Beyoncé
Fiona
Wow
Pringles (and a Potato Chip too)
Buggy
Heart Breaker
Homeple (?)
No Pain No Gain
Wind Breaker (this made me laugh)
Crocodile
Sexy Boy
There are many other hilarious and just plain strange names, but I'll leave you with this list. I hope it brought you laughter.
Next good story: yesterday after school my English Conversation class (I teach an after school class everyday) came in. There were some boys talking in the back of the room, and then one said, "Teacher, teacher. Make up?" And I said, "No, I don't wear makeup. Just on my eyes." He responds, "Ohh...eyeliner?" And I said, "Yes, eyeliner." "Ohhh. Very good. Beautiful. Teacher, you sexy girl." So I responded, "You better watch out! My husband will come and fight you, and he is very big." They all said, "Ohhhh....don't!" Pretty cute/comical.
Then today, I had my last (pretty much, except for Friday) day of introductions. In one of my classes, I was introducing my family:
"Iowa has a lot of land. If there is a lot of land, what would a good job be?"
"Farmer!"
"Yes, you're right! A farmer is a good job to have in Iowa. This is my father, Brian."
"Ooooooh, very handsome! Big guy!"
"Yes, he is very strong. What do you think my father's job is?"
"Farmer!"
"Good! Yes, my father is a farmer. This is my mother, Jane."
"Ooooooh, very pretty. I love Jane!"
"Haha, yes. What do you think her job is?"
"Farmer!"
"No, not a farmer."
"House-uh Wife-uh!"
"No, not a housewife."
"Model!"
"No, but my mother will love you."
That dialogue is for my mom. Hope you enjoyed it and want to come teach in Korea soon! :)
One more highlight: a student walked into the room this morning wearing a yellow t-shirt (they're supposed to wear uniforms) that said, "Everythings good! Everyone's singing black music," on the back, and on the front was a black guy with a fro. No joke. My response: laughter, and "WHHHAAAA??"
So there really are many bright spots during the day. It's sad that the frustrating ones are the ones you remember. I also wanted to say that I love my Level 1 students. I recently realized that Level 1=6th grade, Level 2=7th grade, and Level 3=8th grade. The Level 1 students are soooo sweet and just about the cutest little bugs you've ever seen. They also seem to have better English than the older grades, so I find that interesting. The class I saw this morning was especially sweet, so that was an excellent start to the day. I look forward to many more hilarious and fun moments.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Our First Korean Adventure!
Kat wanted Chaz and I to take a break from the depressing-ness of school and learn why Korea is so great. So she took us on our FIRST KOREAN ROADTRIP!
I'd heard so much about Korean Adventures from Kelly and Kat, so I was super excited about the getaway. As promised, Kat delivered a good time. We pushed back the roadtrip to Sunday because not everyone was available, so Kat came and visited us Saturday and took us to Nampo-dong, this great area with Jagalchi Seafood Market and a huge outdoor clothing/street food market. Ah, it was delightful.
Then "to bed to bed" because we had to be up and ready to go by 3:30 to meet our crew at 4 a.m. Our crew consisted of Gon and Ji. Yipee! We had heard so much about these two, so I felt like I already knew them. It was incredibly exciting to actually get to meet them. Gon had borrowed his parents' car, so he was our chauffeur for the day. First, we began the day with ramyun (ramen for you Americans) on the beach watching the sunrise.
We made a sand castle!
And then an old man walking backward along the shore (who does that?) not looking where he was going falls RIGHT OVER our sand castle. Granted, he was a bit distracted by Ji who was doing an impersonation of the man, but he also did not look behind him the ENTIRE TIME. Probably at this moment was when the ice broke, and we became fast friends with the Korean boys.
Well, the day wasn't over yet. We jumped back in the car and drove for three hours (it would have been two but traffic was bad) to GOEJE ISLAND! Assa! Good surprise. So we met a friend of Ji and Gon who lived on the island, and began that leg of the trip with a visit to the Korean POW camp on the center of the island. It was an interesting walk through the Korean War and also revealed great views of the city.
Awkward picture at the POW camp:
Fixing a jeep?
A very strange Korean tradition: Butt gun *shakes fist at Gon!*:
Then it was finally LUNCH! We went to this restaurant near the POW camp and had a DELICIOUS meal of bo-ssam, boiled meat with a bunch of vegetables wrapped in lettuce leaves (you pick and choose what you want). yum! Also, Gon and Ji's incredibly nice friend paid for the meal. So nice, especially because we just met him and couldn't talk to him very much because of language.
After full tummies, we drove to the south of the island to see the sea. We stopped at this great look-out point and got an incredible view of the island cliffs and the sea. Gorgeous! We hiked down the cliff a bit, and Chaz and Ji went all the way down to the edge. They became best friends after that because they did manly things together. Men are strange.
Also on the docket: we went to Windy Hill and checked out the view there. Not as impressive, but still incredibly gorgeous. Where else do you see this? Then, at a fishing village, we caught crabs with our hands and smelled the salty air.
It was a looong day, and we were incredibly tired afterward (especially during the FOUR hour trip it took home....tons of traffic going back to the city, ugh), but it was also very worth it. Memories and friends were made, and felt like they'd been around forever. Dancing, singing, eating, laughing, hiking, beautiful sites, pictures, and hugs: all the necessary components of a fantastic roadtrip. Korea, plus 100 points for being beautiful.
The crew (Ji, Sang Moon, Kat, Gon, me, Chaz):
I'd heard so much about Korean Adventures from Kelly and Kat, so I was super excited about the getaway. As promised, Kat delivered a good time. We pushed back the roadtrip to Sunday because not everyone was available, so Kat came and visited us Saturday and took us to Nampo-dong, this great area with Jagalchi Seafood Market and a huge outdoor clothing/street food market. Ah, it was delightful.
Then "to bed to bed" because we had to be up and ready to go by 3:30 to meet our crew at 4 a.m. Our crew consisted of Gon and Ji. Yipee! We had heard so much about these two, so I felt like I already knew them. It was incredibly exciting to actually get to meet them. Gon had borrowed his parents' car, so he was our chauffeur for the day. First, we began the day with ramyun (ramen for you Americans) on the beach watching the sunrise.
We made a sand castle!
And then an old man walking backward along the shore (who does that?) not looking where he was going falls RIGHT OVER our sand castle. Granted, he was a bit distracted by Ji who was doing an impersonation of the man, but he also did not look behind him the ENTIRE TIME. Probably at this moment was when the ice broke, and we became fast friends with the Korean boys.
Well, the day wasn't over yet. We jumped back in the car and drove for three hours (it would have been two but traffic was bad) to GOEJE ISLAND! Assa! Good surprise. So we met a friend of Ji and Gon who lived on the island, and began that leg of the trip with a visit to the Korean POW camp on the center of the island. It was an interesting walk through the Korean War and also revealed great views of the city.
Awkward picture at the POW camp:
Fixing a jeep?
A very strange Korean tradition: Butt gun *shakes fist at Gon!*:
Then it was finally LUNCH! We went to this restaurant near the POW camp and had a DELICIOUS meal of bo-ssam, boiled meat with a bunch of vegetables wrapped in lettuce leaves (you pick and choose what you want). yum! Also, Gon and Ji's incredibly nice friend paid for the meal. So nice, especially because we just met him and couldn't talk to him very much because of language.
After full tummies, we drove to the south of the island to see the sea. We stopped at this great look-out point and got an incredible view of the island cliffs and the sea. Gorgeous! We hiked down the cliff a bit, and Chaz and Ji went all the way down to the edge. They became best friends after that because they did manly things together. Men are strange.
Also on the docket: we went to Windy Hill and checked out the view there. Not as impressive, but still incredibly gorgeous. Where else do you see this? Then, at a fishing village, we caught crabs with our hands and smelled the salty air.
It was a looong day, and we were incredibly tired afterward (especially during the FOUR hour trip it took home....tons of traffic going back to the city, ugh), but it was also very worth it. Memories and friends were made, and felt like they'd been around forever. Dancing, singing, eating, laughing, hiking, beautiful sites, pictures, and hugs: all the necessary components of a fantastic roadtrip. Korea, plus 100 points for being beautiful.
The crew (Ji, Sang Moon, Kat, Gon, me, Chaz):
Friday, September 11, 2009
New Friends
Yesterday was a NO SCHOOL DAY! For me, at least. My school had a special day where the boys all took a field trip of some sort into the city. Eun-Ah, the teacher at my school who has been helping us, got it okayed for both of us not to go to school, and instead, to get some errands done.
So at 2:30, I met Eun-Ah and Chaz (he got out of school for the afternoon) in front of a hospital in Busan. We got check-ups needed for our arrival, and that included blood work. EEK! For those of you who don't know, I frequently pass out when confronted with a needle. I was prepared for the blood work, but that made me no less nervous. Fortunately, I made it through okay, but that didn't stop the nurses from laughing at my fear.
After the check up, Eun-Ah took us around Seomyeon, the center of the city. We had our first experience with Korean photography as we had to get more passport photos taken. Apparently, in Korea, they get photos taken, and then they alter them. Yes, even passport photos. Chaz and I were apprehensive to do this, but Eun-Ah insisted that all Koreans do it, so we should. They whitened our faces (no more freckles for me!), made our eyes bigger and brighter, and slimmed my neck and bulked up Chaz's shoulders. Crazy, I know.
Then Eun-Ah asked if we wanted to see Hong-Shi's house.
Meet Hong-Shi:
Hong-Shi is her maltese dog who is basically her sister. I said a definite yes, so we went to visit Hong-Shi. While there, we also met Eun-Ah's mother. She is an incredibly sweet woman, and she made me miss my mom. Especially when she brought out snacks for us to eat as we played with Hong-Shi.
Hong-Shi and Eun-Ah:
After playing with Hong-Shi, we went with Eun-Ah and her mom to Migliore, a big department store where Eun-Ah's mother works out. She wanted to show us her fitness center. Outside of Migliore, there was a dart game where you could win tickets to the movie Fame. Chaz, Eun-Ah, and her mom all tried their hand.
Eun-Ah's mother:
Chaz flirting with the beautiful dart woman:
Then, Eun-Ah took us for ice cream......at COLDSTONE!
Proof that everyone should come and live with us. :)
So at 2:30, I met Eun-Ah and Chaz (he got out of school for the afternoon) in front of a hospital in Busan. We got check-ups needed for our arrival, and that included blood work. EEK! For those of you who don't know, I frequently pass out when confronted with a needle. I was prepared for the blood work, but that made me no less nervous. Fortunately, I made it through okay, but that didn't stop the nurses from laughing at my fear.
After the check up, Eun-Ah took us around Seomyeon, the center of the city. We had our first experience with Korean photography as we had to get more passport photos taken. Apparently, in Korea, they get photos taken, and then they alter them. Yes, even passport photos. Chaz and I were apprehensive to do this, but Eun-Ah insisted that all Koreans do it, so we should. They whitened our faces (no more freckles for me!), made our eyes bigger and brighter, and slimmed my neck and bulked up Chaz's shoulders. Crazy, I know.
Then Eun-Ah asked if we wanted to see Hong-Shi's house.
Meet Hong-Shi:
Hong-Shi is her maltese dog who is basically her sister. I said a definite yes, so we went to visit Hong-Shi. While there, we also met Eun-Ah's mother. She is an incredibly sweet woman, and she made me miss my mom. Especially when she brought out snacks for us to eat as we played with Hong-Shi.
Hong-Shi and Eun-Ah:
After playing with Hong-Shi, we went with Eun-Ah and her mom to Migliore, a big department store where Eun-Ah's mother works out. She wanted to show us her fitness center. Outside of Migliore, there was a dart game where you could win tickets to the movie Fame. Chaz, Eun-Ah, and her mom all tried their hand.
Eun-Ah's mother:
Chaz flirting with the beautiful dart woman:
Then, Eun-Ah took us for ice cream......at COLDSTONE!
Proof that everyone should come and live with us. :)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
No worries...I'm not dead yet.
So Day 2....everyone has been anticipating this it seems. Yes, as predicted it was better than Day 1. There is still a lot of work to be done on my part, but today was much better than yesterday.
My main problem is that really for the first time the language barrier is a huuuuge problem. The students are able to hide behind it, and I am also clueless. They are free to say what they want, or ignore me, and it's okay (at least to them). So it's just frustrating. But we're working on it. It isn't just with the students, though. The dreaded language barrier also exists with the teachers. I long to have community with them, but mostly it can't exist because of, you guessed it, the language barrier. Friendships are slowly forming, but it's difficult and will be slow-going.
Always my wish has been to be able to speak every language. Always. When people play those silly "getting to know you" games asking you, "If you could have one wish, what would it be?" I say without a doubt I would want to be able to speak and understand all languages. That wish would really come in handy right now. Instead, I'll just have to work on learning the language (sllooooowww going).
In other happenings...Chaz and I went out to a movie with a big group of people from Canada and the US. Apparently, these people all met and every Thursday they go to a movie. Ellen, this great girl who lives down the hall from us, knocked on our door yesterday and said hello, helped us with some problems, and then invited us to movie night. She's also going to take us walking around our area and show us the places to go and things to do in our neighborhood. Sweet!
So tonight was great to get together with people we could talk to about our jobs, etc, and then just unwind to a movie. We saw 9, the new film produced by Tim Burton, and it was pretty good. Mostly, I was just entertained and happy to be there. I'm looking forward to more good times with those people...it's nice to be a little less lonely here.
(this post seems "bleh." mostly, i am exhausted and have no brain capacity for emphatic writing right now. sorry it's not more interesting! i'm really okay, i promise.)
My main problem is that really for the first time the language barrier is a huuuuge problem. The students are able to hide behind it, and I am also clueless. They are free to say what they want, or ignore me, and it's okay (at least to them). So it's just frustrating. But we're working on it. It isn't just with the students, though. The dreaded language barrier also exists with the teachers. I long to have community with them, but mostly it can't exist because of, you guessed it, the language barrier. Friendships are slowly forming, but it's difficult and will be slow-going.
Always my wish has been to be able to speak every language. Always. When people play those silly "getting to know you" games asking you, "If you could have one wish, what would it be?" I say without a doubt I would want to be able to speak and understand all languages. That wish would really come in handy right now. Instead, I'll just have to work on learning the language (sllooooowww going).
In other happenings...Chaz and I went out to a movie with a big group of people from Canada and the US. Apparently, these people all met and every Thursday they go to a movie. Ellen, this great girl who lives down the hall from us, knocked on our door yesterday and said hello, helped us with some problems, and then invited us to movie night. She's also going to take us walking around our area and show us the places to go and things to do in our neighborhood. Sweet!
So tonight was great to get together with people we could talk to about our jobs, etc, and then just unwind to a movie. We saw 9, the new film produced by Tim Burton, and it was pretty good. Mostly, I was just entertained and happy to be there. I'm looking forward to more good times with those people...it's nice to be a little less lonely here.
(this post seems "bleh." mostly, i am exhausted and have no brain capacity for emphatic writing right now. sorry it's not more interesting! i'm really okay, i promise.)
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
The Day One Teaching Saga
I really didn't want to write this blog, but I know I should so I can look back on it and laugh (hopefully). Plus, my mom insisted I document my beginnings.
Today was my first day teaching in the Korean schools. Well, I guess it was also my first day teaching as an actual teacher as well. I was pretty nervous, but mostly excited to get to the middle school. I had been assured I just needed to introduce myself and that I didn't need to bring anything or plan for anything else. So I hiked the 20 minutes from our apartment to the girls' middle school where I was to teach. And everything is good, right?
Wrong.
I was at the wrong school. Um, excuse me? Apparently, I needed to be next door.
At the boys' middle school.
Um, excuse me?
Me?
Boys' Middle School?
Teaching God knows how many MIDDLE SCHOOL, ADOLESCENT BOYS?
And ONLY boys?
Yes. That's exactly the case. So I march over to the BOYS' middle school to much staring and talking and, "Hello!" from said adolescent boys. As I'm going upstairs to the teachers' offices, a boy stops me and says, "Hello, teacher! Oooohhhhh!!! You beautiful! You beautiful!" I say, "I am married. I have husband. I am wi-fuh." He responds, "I love you!"
Great.
So I get to the teachers' offices, and what do I find out? I was supposed to bring slippers to wear while in the school. Whoops! So I get handed the frumpy, flowery, six sizes too big for me, grandma slippers (how big do they think my feet are?). Goodbye being stylish on the first day. There, I see the teacher I have been in contact with who picked us up from the airport. *relief* Someone who is familiar. I meet the principal and the vice-principal, get introduced to the other teachers, and then get taken upstairs to my office.
Wait, so all the other teachers are on the second floor, but I am ostracized on the fifth? Yes, lonely me, in my lonely English classroom on the lonely fifth floor. *sigh* okay. First period is free, that's a relief. Then second period comes. Apparently, I am in charge of the entire class period. Another thing that would have been helpful to know. So I introduce myself as long as I can, ask students questions about themselves, what they want to do in class, etc., and then they have free time. While talking, I get a paper wad thrown at me.
My first class period of my first day.
"This is my first day, and already you do this? I am very disappointed!"
After class, the student who had thrown the paper and another student who saw and felt bad came up and apologized telling me it was an accident that it had hit me. Ah, well, all is forgiven.
It's at this point I realize that I have different levels of students. Today was all Level 2 learners (meaning their English is so-so), but I did have one Level 1 class.
Ah, blessed, holy Level 1 learners come down from the heavens to bless my day with an angelic kiss! (You have no idea how excited I was to have these students). They sat down. They were quiet. They were respectful. They asked questions. All things I lacked (heavily) the rest of the day. Also, the co-teacher for that class told me it was a wonderful class and I was, "born to teach there." One bright, shining spot...
The period before lunch was much like the first. Now, you must be thinking, "This doesn't sound all that bad. Why were the Level 1's so different?"
Oh, ho, my friends. I have completely left out the facts that in BOTH Level 2 classes I have had thus far in the day I have had incessant talking, no listening, and the students touch each other, Lord, how they touch each other! Give them some time to stand up, and they're putting each other in headlocks, or slapping each other, or kicking each other. Enough to make me want to scream, "NO TOUCHING!" (I hope some of you get that reference...) Anyway, so I realize that this is going to be challenging.
Lunch was excellent (way better than school food in the US), and it was good to talk to the other teachers. I even met one teacher who had been to Iowa. So crazy! As I'm back in my classroom after lunch, I see boys' heads peeking through the windows and staring through the doors. Hmm....great. Also, a boy keeps coming in and saying, "Hello, teacher!" Yes, it's my friend who professed his love for me at the beginning of the day. Wonderful.
Then came the black hole of my day. The period which sucked all life and love and happiness and pretty things from me. After lunch, the students come in all hyped up because they've been running around and playing soccer. Good sign. These students did not stop talking. You think I exaggerate, but I don't. I yelled into a microphone SEVEN TIMES to get their attention. I repeated my number one rule (no talking when I'm talking) SEVEN TIMES. No-thing-sank-in. Finally, exacerbated, I let them read and chat amongst themselves (not like I had anything planned anyway). A group of students decided to mock me in the corner. One in the group came up behind me and gestured something (most likely crude). It's at this point I wrote in my journal, "WHY, GOD, WHY?"
After that horrendous class, my co-teacher told me that class is always like that. Um, no, we're going to do something about that. So I was done teaching class periods for the day, but then it turns out that I also teach an after school English Conversation program. Once again, I was told I was supposed to come up with something for it (20 minutes before it started). Hmm....right. Fortunately, my friend teacher came up with something and helped me implement it. Who should happen to be in my after school program? You guessed it. My obsessed friend. Every time he came to the front to tell us something in English, he would end with, "You're beautiful!" or "I love you!" Needless to say, way too exhausted, depressed, and dejected, I left as soon as I could to crash at home.
Kel had told me I just needed to say, "Oh, Korea," and roll with the punches. Today, however, I felt much more like saying, "WTF, Korea?"
So that's day one. Yes, it's angsty and angry and all that, but I'm not giving up. Oh, I also left out a lot that makes the day so much worse than it seems (it all adds up, you know). I talked to my mom (the queen of Middle School teaching), and she helped out a lot. I know that I will grow so much from this, and I know things will get so much better. The good/bad news is that I only see the same students once per week (meaning I have a TON of students). I already have some ideas on how I can improve the classroom behavior, and I also have ideas for activities that will hopefully garner their interest. I just needed to record my day, and I hope you got some enjoyment along the way. I'm looking forward to looking back on this and laughing. Someday.
Today was my first day teaching in the Korean schools. Well, I guess it was also my first day teaching as an actual teacher as well. I was pretty nervous, but mostly excited to get to the middle school. I had been assured I just needed to introduce myself and that I didn't need to bring anything or plan for anything else. So I hiked the 20 minutes from our apartment to the girls' middle school where I was to teach. And everything is good, right?
Wrong.
I was at the wrong school. Um, excuse me? Apparently, I needed to be next door.
At the boys' middle school.
Um, excuse me?
Me?
Boys' Middle School?
Teaching God knows how many MIDDLE SCHOOL, ADOLESCENT BOYS?
And ONLY boys?
Yes. That's exactly the case. So I march over to the BOYS' middle school to much staring and talking and, "Hello!" from said adolescent boys. As I'm going upstairs to the teachers' offices, a boy stops me and says, "Hello, teacher! Oooohhhhh!!! You beautiful! You beautiful!" I say, "I am married. I have husband. I am wi-fuh." He responds, "I love you!"
Great.
So I get to the teachers' offices, and what do I find out? I was supposed to bring slippers to wear while in the school. Whoops! So I get handed the frumpy, flowery, six sizes too big for me, grandma slippers (how big do they think my feet are?). Goodbye being stylish on the first day. There, I see the teacher I have been in contact with who picked us up from the airport. *relief* Someone who is familiar. I meet the principal and the vice-principal, get introduced to the other teachers, and then get taken upstairs to my office.
Wait, so all the other teachers are on the second floor, but I am ostracized on the fifth? Yes, lonely me, in my lonely English classroom on the lonely fifth floor. *sigh* okay. First period is free, that's a relief. Then second period comes. Apparently, I am in charge of the entire class period. Another thing that would have been helpful to know. So I introduce myself as long as I can, ask students questions about themselves, what they want to do in class, etc., and then they have free time. While talking, I get a paper wad thrown at me.
My first class period of my first day.
"This is my first day, and already you do this? I am very disappointed!"
After class, the student who had thrown the paper and another student who saw and felt bad came up and apologized telling me it was an accident that it had hit me. Ah, well, all is forgiven.
It's at this point I realize that I have different levels of students. Today was all Level 2 learners (meaning their English is so-so), but I did have one Level 1 class.
Ah, blessed, holy Level 1 learners come down from the heavens to bless my day with an angelic kiss! (You have no idea how excited I was to have these students). They sat down. They were quiet. They were respectful. They asked questions. All things I lacked (heavily) the rest of the day. Also, the co-teacher for that class told me it was a wonderful class and I was, "born to teach there." One bright, shining spot...
The period before lunch was much like the first. Now, you must be thinking, "This doesn't sound all that bad. Why were the Level 1's so different?"
Oh, ho, my friends. I have completely left out the facts that in BOTH Level 2 classes I have had thus far in the day I have had incessant talking, no listening, and the students touch each other, Lord, how they touch each other! Give them some time to stand up, and they're putting each other in headlocks, or slapping each other, or kicking each other. Enough to make me want to scream, "NO TOUCHING!" (I hope some of you get that reference...) Anyway, so I realize that this is going to be challenging.
Lunch was excellent (way better than school food in the US), and it was good to talk to the other teachers. I even met one teacher who had been to Iowa. So crazy! As I'm back in my classroom after lunch, I see boys' heads peeking through the windows and staring through the doors. Hmm....great. Also, a boy keeps coming in and saying, "Hello, teacher!" Yes, it's my friend who professed his love for me at the beginning of the day. Wonderful.
Then came the black hole of my day. The period which sucked all life and love and happiness and pretty things from me. After lunch, the students come in all hyped up because they've been running around and playing soccer. Good sign. These students did not stop talking. You think I exaggerate, but I don't. I yelled into a microphone SEVEN TIMES to get their attention. I repeated my number one rule (no talking when I'm talking) SEVEN TIMES. No-thing-sank-in. Finally, exacerbated, I let them read and chat amongst themselves (not like I had anything planned anyway). A group of students decided to mock me in the corner. One in the group came up behind me and gestured something (most likely crude). It's at this point I wrote in my journal, "WHY, GOD, WHY?"
After that horrendous class, my co-teacher told me that class is always like that. Um, no, we're going to do something about that. So I was done teaching class periods for the day, but then it turns out that I also teach an after school English Conversation program. Once again, I was told I was supposed to come up with something for it (20 minutes before it started). Hmm....right. Fortunately, my friend teacher came up with something and helped me implement it. Who should happen to be in my after school program? You guessed it. My obsessed friend. Every time he came to the front to tell us something in English, he would end with, "You're beautiful!" or "I love you!" Needless to say, way too exhausted, depressed, and dejected, I left as soon as I could to crash at home.
Kel had told me I just needed to say, "Oh, Korea," and roll with the punches. Today, however, I felt much more like saying, "WTF, Korea?"
So that's day one. Yes, it's angsty and angry and all that, but I'm not giving up. Oh, I also left out a lot that makes the day so much worse than it seems (it all adds up, you know). I talked to my mom (the queen of Middle School teaching), and she helped out a lot. I know that I will grow so much from this, and I know things will get so much better. The good/bad news is that I only see the same students once per week (meaning I have a TON of students). I already have some ideas on how I can improve the classroom behavior, and I also have ideas for activities that will hopefully garner their interest. I just needed to record my day, and I hope you got some enjoyment along the way. I'm looking forward to looking back on this and laughing. Someday.
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