A Good Day.

Yes I took a hiatus. And yes I've had a lot going on. And maybe I'll update on it. ^o^ I blame it on Chaz....because he's my husband, and I can.

But for now...I'm going to write a happy post about my happy day because most of my posts about school are depressing and angsty. So basically, if you're into teaching, you may find this interesting. If not....sorry, could be boring! After Spring Break, I came back to school to teach a new school year of English Speaking.

Scratch that.

I came back to school to wait for a week and a half to teach as my schedule wasn't ready. At the beginning of the school year. No schedule. Ah, well, such is teaching in Korea. Now, I've been teaching for the past three weeks with new Level 1 students, and my previous Level 1s and 2s moved up a notch on the hierarchy of the school system. It's been great to come back and see my old students. See how they've changed, matured (or continued in their immature patterns) with their newfound responsibilities as older students. This semester I'm teaching 20 hours (meaning 20 different classes) throughout the week, and I have two different after school classes: one meeting on Mondays and Wednesdays, the other Thursdays and Fridays. 24 teaching hours total. Two less than last semester, which isn't bad at all. I have three new co-teachers, one previous co-teacher, and one Eunah (who I'm actually co-teaching with this semester). I've had much more success with co-teachers this time around already, and I'm looking forward to continually working with and succeeding with them.

Now that logistics are over....to my good day.

Today I had two Level 2 classes, and two classes of Level 1. My Level 2 classes this year (previously Level 1s) I'm convinced are a wonderful class. The class as a whole seems full of smart, nice boys who are good students and possess relatively good English speaking skills (compared to other classes). I began today with the students who stand at the front gate and bow to the teachers, actually bowing to me and greeting me.

~In my school, a group of class leaders must stand at the entrance gate and welcome the teachers each morning. It's hit or miss whether I get a greeting (meaning I'm not seen as an "actual" teacher). I count it a good day when I'm greeted.~

This day I was greeted. Good sign. First period brought me my joy for the day. The class was full of smart, personable Level 2 boys, so I was already gearing up for a good time. Their first lesson in my book is "I Hope I Will Fly Someday." Basically, it's discussing future goals/dreams, and also works on discussing events and feelings. I began class with having students finish the sentence, "When I was a child, I dreamed I would be a ________________." Students then had to draw themselves in that role. They had to think about a silly dream they had as a child and complete the activity. I prefaced it with my childhood dream: to play in the NBA and be the next Michael Jordan. This got many laughs as, clearly, I'm no Michael Jordan. It also helped students get a bit creative with their answers. In Korea, creativity is squelched (not purposely) because they're much more focused on becoming good test-takers than creative, problem-solvers. It's difficult to get students to think outside the box because they'd much rather take notes and memorize as that's what they're used to. My students threw themselves into this activity with a fervor I've not yet seen. When finished, I had some chefs, a world dominator, some scientists, a Superman, and a Power Ranger (to name a few). We definitely had a great range of childhood dreams in the class, and students loved sharing and hearing their classmates dreams. After some book speaking activities, we returned to the beginning activity to bring it to today. Students had to fill in the blank, "When I grow up, I hope I will be a _______________." Being the feel-goody teacher I am, we ended class with discussing how we can work now to achieve our dreams, and, sappily, I wished them success in all they dream to do.

Go ahead, laugh at me. Make fun of me. But this day was one of those rare moments when activities translated and everyone had fun. Success. Little by little.

My name's not Alexander, but....

...this is a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.

Is it sad that I'm already this depressed and disillusioned after I've already had a month of Winter Break?

Vacation...

...is awesome.

Thailand is amazing: food, fun, beach, weather, friends, motorbikes, etc. etc.

A detailed account of our trip is coming soon (you know me and my wordiness). Our last day here will be spent on the beach, reading. We'll be back to Busan February 3rd, and we can't wait to reconnect with everyone.

Pumping hearts for Thailand!

we're either crazy......or crazy

Sunday: Kelly and I searched frantically for plane tickets. Three hours later, we successfully booked two seats (on separate flights).

Today: I'm frantically packing, preparing, and gathering everything for a two week trip.

Tomorrow: We will leave for Seoul at 6:30 am to get to Incheon for our departing flights. Tomorrow night, Kelly and I will be in Thailand.

That's right...in two days, Kelly and I have planned a two week trip to Thailand complete with a skeleton itinerary. We have our tickets, we have a place to stay tomorrow night, and we have a destination for the day after. Chaz will join us (hopefully) next Saturday. This trip promises mountains, temples, ziplines, elephant rides, snorkeling, and major beach time. Hopefully. As Kelly said, "If we pull this off, it will be the most amazing thing ever!"

Please keep us in thoughts and prayers as we attempt to do the near-impossible. We'll keep updating as possible. Happy January, everyone!

The grand holiday update

Christmas in Busan has come and gone, and so has the New Year. While it was definitely an irregular Christmas being away from home and family and traditions we have followed every year, it was an excellent one nonetheless with new traditions made and new experiences had. We've also had a wonderful past few weeks full of adventures and new loves. So hold on to your seats, this one's going to be a novel:

The Christmas excitement really began when we got a package from my parents. We were SO excited to see Christmas cookies!!! EEK!



As I said in the last post, Chaz and I worked to get into the Christmas spirit in the week leading up to Christmas. This included classic movies such as Elf, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. We had visits with friends (Kelly, Andrew, and Eunah) including hot chocolate, Christmas cookies sent from home, and cheese balls. Our friends Callie and Aaron (from Illinois/Minnesota) also had a Christmas party the weekend before Christmas, so it was fun to gather with foreigners, laugh, spread Christmas cheer, and exchange white elephant presents. One of those gifts included "official" Adjumah (older woman) wear complete with big hat, sleeve protectors, a straining bowl, and ankle weights. A-like so:



Christmas Eve brought the last day of school before winter break. It was a half day (thankfully) and included all of the teachers going out to eat. It was nice to celebrate with the entire staff. That night we went to the local Jimjilbang with some neighbors. The Jimjilbang was an experience I was greatly looking forward to but hadn't had before Christmas Eve. Jimjilbangs are public bath houses. So basically, you go, get naked with Koreans (guys and gals are separated), soak in tubs, scrub off dead skin, hang out in steam rooms, and just relax and get squeaky clean. After bathing, you put on scrubs and hang out in the common room (guys and gals welcome here) where you can relax on mats, buy snacks and drinks, etc. It's a great place to visit or to spend the night as it's only 7,000 won (less than $7) to get in and stay as long as you want. It was an awesome experience and a great way to spend Christmas Eve relaxing with neighbors. We brought our own potluck food in and Christmas music and sat around eating hummus, gim-bap, nachos, talking, and listening to music.

The night ended early, however, as all of us were going to Sung Ae Won orphanage the next day. At 7 AM Christmas Day, Chaz and I headed on the subway dressed as elves and carrying presents to join 43 other wayguks (foreigners) to spend the morning with 75 orphans under the age of 7. It was an excellent morning filled with teaching kids a song and dance, playing games, and then having them go through stations (face painting, balloon animals, coloring, Santa hat decorating, and story-time).


Santa even showed up and took his picture with all of the kids. Just when they thought there could be no more excitement, Santa "disappeared" only to reappear with a couple of his helpers (a girl dressed as Rudolph, and Chaz and I) to hand out a present to each of the kids. They were floored. All of the presents will be shared amongst them, but it was so special that each of them got to open a present on Christmas Day.

There was one girl who so reminded me of Mikawea and brought me back to Rwanda. She sat in the front row, and every time we said a kid's name who was sick (the sick ones were upstairs), she would scream, "Opsaio!!!!" meaning, "Not here!" She was just waiting for us to say her name. Then, when she got her present and opened it, a Hello Kitty stationary set, Her mouth dropped and her eyes grew huge. She just couldn't believe how wonderful it was. That is a sight I will carry with me. Chaz and I also got to join Santa and a few other foreigners to hand out presents to the sick kids upstairs. These were our favs as they were so excited to see us and immediately ran to us and gave us the biggest hugs. One girl jumped on Chaz's lap to ask for help putting her present together and colored on his hand. Just might have to take that one home. ;)


Christmas night brought even more wonderful events as Chaz and I opened gifts (he got me Apple couple's sweatshirts...perrfect). In case I haven't posted this, couples in Korea wear the same clothes. I'm not just talking about shirts....they get couple pants, couple shoes, couple coats, and yes, even couple underwear. So to fit in, Chaz got us the perfect, most nerdy couple shirts in the history of couple shirts. After our Christmas together, we joined my co-worker, Gyu-Seok, for a Christmas party. Because of language difficulties, we didn't know what to expect at all. All we knew was it was a Christmas party at a wine bar. We almost didn't go because we thought it might be too expensive, but Gyu-Seok talked us into attending. Come to find out, it was a Christmas party for an adult English club. It was a group of around 10 Koreans who meet every Sunday to practice English. They decided to have a Christmas party for the first time, and make it a wine party, so they rented a small room in a building, had Christmas music playing, set up a beautiful table with appetizers, and drank wine together. Chaz and I were guests of honor as we were the only two foreigners joining them. It was an absolute BLAST! We drank wine, chatted, and then played three games which had us all cracking up and breaking down comfort barriers. During one of the games, we all had to take turns singing or dancing (with one girl doing a "Sheckshy Dance"). Another game had people commanded to do embarrassing things (give a piggy-back ride, sing a love song to someone, kiss someone on the neck, etc). It was absolutely the perfect way to spend Christmas, and we thanked Gyu-seok over and over for talking us into coming. We hope to meet with the group again.


The day after Christmas brought us another Christmas party (it felt like home.....10,000 Christmas parties to attend) at our friends', Randy and Charlei's, house. They were the same couple who hosted Thanksgiving. Charlei's family had gotten into town the day before, so we had actual family for the gathering which made it so special. We ate tremendous food complete with turkey and ham. Glorious.

With the end of Christmas gatherings brought the end of my long weekend without teaching. I went back to work that Monday to do my four days of Winter Camp. During Winter Break, the school still holds optional classes for students to attend. These classes are usually fun, however, as teachers play more games since it is break. Also, they are only half-days, so most English teachers are let out by 12 to go home. I LOVED my Winter Camp. I had 18 students for three periods a day for four days. My theme was "Discover Yourself," so each day had a specific theme (myself, my family, my country, my world). We did vocabulary every day, projects (life maps, a newsletter article), and some games. Each day I posted their work in the room.

One of the best days was the "My Country" day. I had students do an Amazing Race (thanks to the idea from Charlei) where they had ten questions to answer about Korea that were scattered around the school grounds along with clues to where the questions were hidden. Students had to race around the school finding the questions (hidden at the soccer goal, front gate, library, cafeteria, etc.), and then answer the questions correctly. Then, we checked the answers, and whatever team had the most correct got candy. Students had a blast, and one of them even said, "Teacher, good adventure!"


I had an amazing time the entire four days and was sad to see it end. It was awesome to be able to spend some actual time with students where I could build on what we were learning (it's so difficult only seeing students once a week). It was the first time since coming where I genuinely enjoyed what I was doing and was a great reminder that yes, I actually LOVE to teach. I felt even better when I heard from the teachers that the students said they didn't want camp to end—something NO Korean student ever says...especially at my school. I hope the students visit me when the school year begins again.

New Years was great, but pretty chill. Chaz and I hung out with friends Gon and Matt (who visited from Seoul....he went to Iowa State and was friends with Kat in Ames, then met Kel last year), and then Kelly joined us after midnight (she was at a concert). We tried to stay up to see the first sunrise of the year (a tradition in Busan), but once it hit 4:30, I was ready for home.




To end the holiday season, we attended a Christmas Light Festival at Kosin University in Busan. It was great to look at the insane amount of lights and think of festivals back home. Although the holidays were quite different this year, they were great in a new way.



Now, I am relaxing at home as I am done with school for winter break. We have the last week of the school year beginning of February, and then the new school year beings the beginning of March. Chaz and I hope to take a trip the last week of January, but haven't made plans as of yet. I'm really looking forward to this new year and new decade as I know it will continue to bring excitement, love, old friendships, new friendships, reunions, and many adventures (known and unknown). Just as last year, one year from now I don't know where I'll be, but I'm not worried about the future, I just know wherever it is, whatever we're doing, Chaz and I will make it an adventure.

Preparing for the Holidays

Christmas is almost here, and Chaz and I have been trying to get in the Christmas spirit. It's simply not the same away from beloved family and friends. Also, Christmas isn't a very big holiday in Korea. While there are Christmas displays and lights and children asking for toys, there's not the excitement of gathering with family and sharing the season. Christmas is more of a children and couple holiday.

So in preparation for the holiday, Chaz and I have had a week countdown to 크리스마스 (Christmas). Yes, only a week...haha. We have done other things throughout the month (decorate our apartment, Sunday Advent wreath, etc.), but starting Saturday, we are trying to do something every night to prepare for Christmas. This includes reading Advent scriptures, Christmas cooking, eating goodies, drinking hot chocolate & mulled wine, Christmas movies, crafts, parties, and gatherings with friends. I am looking forward to (what I see) as our culmination: the activity we have planned for Christmas Day. I feel that it will be a great way to spend Christmas away from home, as well as spend Christmas conveying the meaning of the season.

Tonight, we made Christmas cards, so I wanted to share those with you. We look forward to more activities throughout the next couple of days.

Shout out to our friendly neighborhood produce seller

I just had to share this really quickly....we LOVE the fresh produce in Korea. It's been mandarin orange season for awhile, and you wouldn't believe how delicious and convenient these tiny oranges are. EVERYONE eats them and loves them like crazy while they're in season. You can buy HUGE boxes of them for $5 US, and you definitely have a stockpile for awhile. Produce can be purchased from supermarkets, convenience stores, and from trucks on the side of the road located just about everywhere. Cheap and convenient and most definitely delicious.

Today we bought our first strawberries. We've seen more and more trucks of strawberries appear, so we can only guess it's strawberry season? No idea. Anyway, we decided to buy some strawberries because we were going to dinner and dessert with some friends and thought these might be a good treat to bring. I'm not usually a huge strawberry fan because it seems difficult to find a good strawberry. There are tough strawberries, tart strawberries, hairy strawberries....it's too much of a gamble. But there was a man in a blue bongo truck selling a truckbed full of strawberries by our place, so we thought, "Why not?"

Here is our purchase:


Now, I know they don't look like much, but oh man, the friendly strawberry-man gave us strawberries to try, and they were THE MOST delicious strawberries I've ever put in my mouth. Even better than going to the strawberry patch back home and picking our own. They were sweet and soft and absolutely DELICIOUS. I keep sneaking berries when Chaz isn't looking, and I have yet to get a bum berry. I'm quickly becoming a huge strawberry fan.

Poetry & Korean Middle School Boys

I’ve been working on a project the past month or so with my after school class. In case I haven’t mentioned, I teach an after school class of 13 Level 2 (8th grade) boys everyday for 45 minutes. Needless to say, 13 Korean middle school boys with one lone GET (Guest English Teacher) can spell a bit of a problem. Most of the time they like to play the, “Teeeaaachaaaaa! Don’t understaaaaand,” card. Anyway, they are quite fun, and they are the kids I’ve gotten to know the most over the past three months because I see them with the most frequency.

Aren’t they cute?



My class with them began with just playing speaking English games. The only issues there were they often decided not to play and instead just talked (because they didn’t understand instructions), and there really was no measurable growth happening. Nowhere the class was leading to. Being a teacher who likes to make way more work for herself than necessary, I set out to create some sort of curriculum for the class.

I tried following a book: BORING! The book I was given was all about grammar and parts of speech, and in Korea, they HAMMER grammar. ^^ Unfortunately, a lot of times students prefer this (studying grammar, taking notes, listening to lecture, memorizing) to more project based, critical thinking, and synthesizing information because it is what is familiar to them. Ask them to take notes on a 45-minute lecture, memorize, and write a report for tomorrow: done. Ask them to create an invention to save the Earth, draw it, name it, write two sentences about how it works, and present it at an “Invention Convention”: you want us to do WHAT??

Quite a difference from American schools.

I tried teaching about American culture: pop songs, advertising, holidays, etc. They weren’t having it.

Games, culture, music, book work, activities….I cycled through everything they suggested. So I decided I was going to do what I was interested in instead: poetry.

That’s right…I began teaching my middle school Korean boys poetry. They actually caught on to rhyming better than I thought they would, and they seemed to enjoy the fact they were doing something challenging (and creative). Then I got the idea to modify the Poetry Out Loud competition they have in the states. Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation contest started about three years ago. It is held in an effort to get students exposed to more poetry to enrich their lives. It’s also part of a school’s curriculum, so teachers can have all students participate instead of just a few like with extra-curricular speaking contests. Students memorize a poem and compete at their schools. I thought that it would be great to hold a modified version with my after school kids because A) it gave them a goal to strive toward (these students needed some sort of incentive) B) speaking poetry will help their rhythm and fluency and C) it’d be a great way for me to have some consistency in curriculum in my after school class (plus I knew I’d enjoy helping the students do a speaking contest). Students chose and practiced poems everyday for a month in a variety of ways in order to prepare for the competition. We discussed emotion, and how to display that when reading, physical presence, and practiced difficult words.

Today was competition day. Students at first were really reluctant to do the contest, but as soon as I pulled out the prizes, they were all serious and ready to go. I tried to recruit an audience and guest judges, but to no avail (teachers are busy, and I totally understand that), but I tried to make it as close to a serious competition as possible. I judged the students (based on volume, speed, emotion, and physical presence) as they read their poems using an evaluation sheet. All other students were quiet and served as audience members. Then, at the end I presented the top three with prizes and handed out evaluation sheets.

Here is one student reading his poem. He figured out his poem was more sad and self-reflecting, so he tried to implement that into his reading (I think he did a pretty good job):


I was pretty pleased with how this contest worked. Students took it somewhat serious, and I noticed them putting forth effort (some days more than others), so that excited me. I also noticed an improvement in their fluency, and especially an improvement when reading difficult words. Since I’ve watched these students for a month, I can see improvement whereas it’d be difficult for others. Will they be able to compete in a speech competition in the States? No. But I was proud of their accomplishments and the effort (the most I’ve seen from these students the entire semester) they put in today at the contest. For a first-time competition, I’m happy with how things turned out.

해피 땡스 기빙 (spelling courtesy of Gon)

Happy Thanksgiving from Korea!

As I'm about to lay down my head after this Thanksgiving Day in Korea, the sun is beginning to shine in Iowa. Today was bittersweet as I was thankful to be able to celebrate this, one of my favorite, of holidays in Korea, but I was missing my family a lot. It's difficult to believe I won't be at Grandma Landers's house in a few hours to eat and eat and eat and then relax with the cousins drinking Dad's rootbeer, and stuffing our faces some more with Grandma's veggie-beef soup and dumplings. However, Chaz and I are SO thankful we have great friends, Randy and Charlei, who prepared an absolutely fantastic Thanksgiving feast for us. Turkey (prepared to perfection), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, mixed veggies, homemade biscuits, apple pie, pumpkin pie....it was fabulous! Best meal in Busan, fo sho! The company was also wonderful as we relaxed and watched television and chatted. Now I am properly stuffed and exhausted, the way it should be at Thanksgiving. We are also looking forward to celebrating the holiday with Kelly and some Korean friends this weekend, as well as with our new church family.

On this thankfulness-est of days, I am thankful for many things:
Living in Busan and fulfilling a dream of teaching overseas.
Being surrounded by mountains and ocean and so many other sights so unfamiliar to these midwestern girl's eyes.
Obnoxious middle school boys who fill my life with joy (and pain).
Great co-workers who do try to help me, even through a language barrier.
Excellent foreign friends who provide a precious link to sanity on those crazy days.
Understanding public transportation in a different language.
Friends back home. We miss you but are so thankful we get to talk to you!!
The support and love from our family back home. (Mom & Pops Schmidt, Papa Chuck, Mama Penny and Black Daddy, Ben, Sam, Apro, Bobert, Jon, Sounthone, Great Grandma, Grandma Irene, Grandma Landers, Grandma Betty, Grandpa Wilbur, and all them aunts and uncles and cousins)
The internet for making it possible to get said support and love.
Our nieces who, let's face it, rock the world.
Kat's help in those crucial, tough beginning moments in Korea.
Kelly, my 베프, for ALL of the great times in the past, and the new great memories we're making.
My husband, Chazlekins, who loves me more than I can even comprehend. Jesus-type of love. Selfless love.

I could go on and on and on because I am thankful for so much in my life, but I will only bore you. Instead, I'll leave you with a smile on this day. My students made Thanksgiving cards in my classes this week. I received a few, and here are two of my favs:

"Kate Teacher- You good teacher."

"English teacher- I am thankful for you because you are best."

"To Mrs. Kate- I am thankful for you because you taught me about interesting American cultures and traditional things. For example, Thanksgiving Day and Macy's Day parade. Also, you taught me presidential pardon, Black Friday. Most of all Black Friday was very interesting and funny. From Samuel."

And the best one:
"Kate Teacher- I am thankful for you because you are the best teacher in the world." (okay, i MIGHT have coerced that one)

Enjoy this beautiful day!

The Past Month...

This past month has been a whirlwind, and I apologize to those of you wondering, “Where in the world did Kate go now?” I’m still in Busan, and I’m still alive, and I’m still going strong. So, here’s my whirlwind update of the past whirlwind month:

In October, Kat left us for the great plains of Ioway. It was sad to see her go, but we spent one last excellent weekend before she flew away. Her last adventure? Climb Mt. Sinbul in Ulsan. It was an epic climb as we, unknowingly, took the steep, and sometimes perilous, trek up the mountain. Three hours later, however, we were at the peak to get an incredible view of the Korean landscape around us. Absolutely breathtaking, especially as leaves were changing colors. It was just what Chaz and I needed to even more fully appreciate the beauty of Korea, and just what Kat needed to remind her about why she loves Korea so much and wants to come back in January.











The week that Kat left, although sad, was also one for celebration as KELLY made her return to the Land of the Morning Calm. It was a joyous reunion after thirteen months of being apart as Chaz and I met her (a surprise to her) at the airport to welcome her back with Korean signs, hugs, hearts, and treats. It’s been absolutely wonderful living in the same city as her for the first time in five years. Although she lives a good trek across the city away from us, we still find many times a week we can get together, usually meeting halfway. I love having my best friend back (!), as well as a tie to home.



Halloween was also a blast, as we celebrated our first American holiday since coming to Korea. We met some friends for dinner, and all of us were decked out in costumes. Chaz and I went as Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, and Korean children we met on the street laughed and ran away from us as we pointed our wands at them shouting spells. Yes, we are nerds. And we love it.





Besides major events, life continues to bring newness, but also comfort as we continue to become “pros” at living in Busan. We have started going to a church in the past couple of weeks. It has been great to fellowship with other foreigners, and even Koreans that attend the church. We also have enjoyed hanging out with some of Kelly & Kat's friends (and now ours too!) from Ulsan: Ji and Ots. We even got to attend one of Ji's Sk8ing competitions. Korean class has kept us busy, but we are also enjoying showing off our knowledge to our students. Every time I say something in Korean, my students all are shocked and say, “Whooooooooooooa, teacher!” Then they give me a “power clap” (our class symbol of a job well done). Okay, I might like to show off just a bit. It gives me a little confidence boost during an especially tough day or week. ^_^





Now we are looking towards the holidays with excitement, but also a bit of trepidation. We are excited to celebrate in Korea, but we are also sure that they will bring homesickness and a desire to see family. This will be the first Thanksgiving I haven’t spent with the Landers family, and I will definitely miss the food, the conversation, the laughter, the movies, and grandma’s vegetable beef soup and DUMPLINGS. sigh. I guess I’ll make it. We are also looking to winter break. We will begin winter break Christmas Eve, and the semester begins again the second week of February. However, during winter break, we will teach one week of Winter Camp, and then I will have two weeks of After School class. The plus side: both of these will be done with by noon everyday, AND we still get at least two weeks of actual break after they are over. Once the semester begins, we will have one or two weeks of classes, a week off for “Spring Break,” and then a new school year will start which also means I WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO THIS TIME AROUND. Really looking forward to that “new beginning.”

Rest assured, dear family and friends, we are still alive and well, just incredibly busy. I dream of simplicity and rest, but I know in a fast-paced culture, I will get less and less of this. I’m making it, though, and still enjoying life in Korea.

I know I've been slacking...

I know I have so much to update. On the list:
—Mountain Climbing
—Kat's departure
—Kel's arrival
—Halloween

I promise to cover all of those topics in an incredibly large post very soon. However, time is short right now due to it being 11:09 and having to get up early for school, so I decided to write a quick update on current happenings. Life seems to be incredibly busy lately.

Among the list of current happenings includes Korean class. Chaz and I started taking a Korean language class midway through October. I can't believe it's slipped my mind to blog about it until now. We've enjoyed meeting Tuesday and Thursday nights with a group of 20 other foreigners to learn basics of Korean. It's already helped out tremendously as we've learned the Hangeul alphabet and can successfully read (slowly) Korean. Most of the time we don't know what the words mean, but there are many instances in which English words are "Koreanized," so as I'm reading, I suddenly realize I'm reading an English word.

For example:
피자=Pi-ja (pizza)
커피=keo-pi (coffee)

There are many more Konglish words, but those are two prominent ones that are noticeable. That's today's Korean lesson! Hope you enjoyed these little Korean tidbits.

Konglish Quote of the Day

"English—A flavor everyone can enjoy!" —Seen on one of my students' notebooks

Konglish Quote of the Day

"The time for trying for bright future! Though it is sick and tiring for you to listen to studying everyday, How about trying a bit more? The hardship you are facing now will reward you as a precious present. Why don't you enjoy the moment now?" —from my planner

First Year Teaching Roadblocks

I miss my mom. She always knows how to listen to my rants and raves and respond appropriately. Not that I don’t continue to rant and rave to her via Skype, but it’s just not the same. We could sit at the kitchen table and I could rant about my students who I just can't handle, or the times I am sometimes lonely at school; my frustration with failed lessons, my feeling like I’m not a valuable member of these students' education, the lack of respect shown me at school… She’d swap with stories about her horrid 7th graders and the insanely amazing consequences she’d given them as a result of something they’d said or done in class. Then we could eat ice cream or homemade cookies and talk about the nice things about teaching. The students who smile sweetly and answer when you’re desperate for volunteers. The times when students are attentive because they know you’ve got a gem to share with them. The times when students are rowdy and running around the room but it’s a productive rowdy; the hum of ideas flowing from their lips because you’ve inspired them to creativity and their own learning. The times when students say, “Aha!” or “So THAT’S how you do it,” when you’ve explained something to them the 27th time and they finally understand.

Even though we could rant and rave about the awful things we’ve come in contact with, we’d always end with the positives. Because those are the reasons both of us teach. And if we don’t focus on those particulars, we’d completely lose faith. Those are what I need to focus on now. Even when those times are few and far between in my first year of teaching, that’s what I need to continue to strive for. Continue to try for. Continue to plan, plan, plan for. Continue to fail, brush myself off, and try it another way for. So that when all is said and done after this experience, these students will have made me a better teacher, and I will have made these students better learners and people.

Konglish Quote of the Day

"Everything's alright. Everyone's shouting black music." —On a t-shirt worn by a student. T-shirt depicted a black man with an afro.

Konglish Quote of the Day

"It was a time of happy, shiny people...the shiniest were in the uranium mines." —On a postcard I purchased in a stationary store

Konglish Quote of the Day

I'm starting a new segment on my blog entitled: Konglish Quote of the Day. I'm hoping to post one everyday during the weekdays (or at least once a week), so that I'm more often providing interesting tidbits from Korea while I could be too busy to write a lengthy blog. I'll post a quote I see in stores, on t-shirts, in my planner, etc. for your entertainment and laughing purposes. Without further adieu: today's Konglish Quote of the Day:

"Even we can not fly now, it doesn't mean we can't never fly. A dream that we have, we already to starting flying to the sky. Now let us fly to the sky." (from my planner)

Fireworks and Flesh Eating Fish

This weekend was proof that there's always something to do in Busan. Kat came and visited from Ulsan (her last visit to Busan before she leaves!).

Friday: Busan Fireworks Festival at Gwanganli Beach. We got there at 4:30 to get good seats on the beach to watch the spectacle that began at 8. 1.3 million people joined us in the area for the fireworks/laser show set to music. Here's a sneak peak of the awesome show.



It really was impressive. If only I hadn't had to use the bathroom more in my entire life, we would have been able to see the entire thing from our sweet spots on the beach. Unfortunately, my bladder failed me for the second time in my life (anyone remember the Pep Band bus incident?) and Chaz and I had to leave the beach 15 minutes into the 45 minute show to find a restroom. We then watched the rest of the show from behind a huge group of people on a side street. The good news was that we met three really sweet Koreans. We exchanged numbers and hope to meet with them soon.

Saturday: Dr. Fish. I had heard a lot about Dr. Fish from some fellow EPIK teachers who had visited the café, so I was anxious to check it out. Being Kat's last weekend in Busan, we decided we had to have "an experience" before she left. Dr. Fish it was. I'll let Chaz explain Dr. Fish to you.



It was the perfect weird experience we were looking for. Dr. Fish is amazing. We enjoyed café drinks, free waffles, free coffee, and the Dr. Fish treatment (which was only 2,000 won; that's less than $2 US). We're definitely going again. And if you come to Busan, you can bet we'll go in for a treatment. My feet are soft and delicious after the experience.

My most recent embarrassing Korean encounter

So with drama unfolding before me, and the stress of preparing lessons for a class who is less-than-thrilled to be at my disposal, I thought I'd lighten the mood by blogging my most embarrassing Korean moment of late. This occurred, oh, 10 minutes ago or so.

You have all seen the pictures and heard of the crying that ensued as a result of mold in our apartment. Many of you are probably wondering what ever happened with that issue. Well, I'll tell you.

Nothing.

Nothing happened.

One day some cleaning ladies from school showed up to "take care of the mold." They came, sprayed some insect spray, took one look at the mold, and left. That was all. Never to return.

Apparently, that is what the administration considered, "Doing something about the problem." (some things are so similar to American schools...^_^)

A week ago, Chaz and I decided we would then do something about the problem and cleaned the area with bleach. This seemed to eliminate the smell, and we thought we had at least killed the mold. Not satisfied with the ugly, nasty mold stains on our walls, we decided that we would replace the wallpaper. Most likely not completely okay to do, but we figured it would be taken care of, and then the school would be glad they didn't have to take care of it. So yesterday, I began to tear the wallpaper off of the wall starting at a spot that was already bubbled up and torn. I tore a tiny bit off to reveal moldy, spore-infested drywall underneath.

This job is going to be more of a big deal than we anticipated.

I tore off another small area, to reveal WET, green moldy drywall.

Hmm...the problem continues.

So I took pictures of the moldy drywall (hoping this would give the school immediacy) and told my co-teacher about the mold problem. I explained how this was a health hazard, and that Chaz had an allergy. She totally understood and said, "I think this is an emergency." I agreed. So we marched right down to the administration office, and Eun-ah explained the dire situation. The admin said they would send someone with me at 3:00 to look at the mold. Looking isn't doing, but at least then my message would get across, right? No one could look at that and NOT see urgency, right?

Fortunately, the administration pulled through and they called our apartment complex who said their staff would take care of the problem. And they did get right to it. When I got home from school (an hour ago), someone had clearly been in to check out the problem.

—You're most likely wondering, "Wait, I thought this was an embarrassing story." Well, I'm getting to that.—

So I get home from school, satisfied that something is getting done. Being just home from school I have to, um, use the bathroom. So I do. I turn on the fan and shut the door behind me. Not one minute later, I have a knock on the door.

Yes. It is two men there to look at the mold problem.

"Dear God, please don't let them go in the bathroom."

Yes. They go in the bathroom.

So I'm sitting in the living area feeling my face getting redder and redder as two men are in my bathroom looking at pipes and dealing with what came out of my pipes.

Then, then as if I can't get any more embarrassed. THEY FLUSH THE TOILET!

Oh my gosh. I can't even explain how embarrassed I was. I can't even imagine the conversation they were having to each other about the incredibly smelly white girl. Shortly after, they left trying to explain that they would work on the apartment upstairs. I'm sure what occurred in my bathroom had nothing to do with it.

At least my mold is getting taken care of...

Good for the Seoul

Finally....my post about Seoul. I've been excited to write about my weekend trip because major breakthrough occurred over those five days that changed my outlook on Korea.

First, I in no way hated South Korea before orientation. I was just okay with South Korea. I enjoyed the beauty of the mountains and the ocean, I enjoyed the food, and I enjoyed the people. But I wasn't in love with South Korea. It didn't feel like home to me. And for me to be here for a year and not constantly think of home-home, that had to change.

Enter: EPIK orientation.

I get told a couple of weeks ago on a Wednesday that Chaz and I needed to travel to Seoul that Friday (yes, two days prior...this is how we do in Korea) and stay until Tuesday for EPIK orientation. Huh? You tell me two days before that I will be gone for FIVE DAYS? After I've already planned my lessons?? And I'm going to an orientation? And I LOATHE orientations?

So, Chaz and I packed our bags Friday morning to take KTX (the train) to Seoul for the dreaded orientation...a three hour tour (I know you're all singing "Gilligan's Island" right now). We begin the trip by missing our train the school paid for. Good start. I'm bawling in the train station as we hand over our credit card to pay for new train tickets. After getting new tickets, we hopped on the train to Seoul. KTX was really comfortable, and the time went by quickly as we traveled through mountains and small villages. It was awesome to get to see the Korean landscape.

Despite my trepidations about "orientations," I was pleasantly surprised by the trip.

The orientation was held on a college campus in Seoul (which required a 1 a.m. curfew...no problem for me! or chaz, haha). Throughout the orientation, we had speakers who talked about Korean culture, culture shock, Korean teaching, FAQs about teaching in Korea...etc. etc. Monday was reserved for six hours of workshops giving us ideas on how to teach in Korea, as well as material (games, lessons, etc.) we could use when we went back to our classrooms.

By far everyone's favorite day was Sunday. On Sunday, we had a "field trip" which began with a visit to Gyungbokgong Palace (largest palace in Korea). The palace grounds were huge, stretched out into 13 different palaces. Chaz and I made it our goal to see (and read about) every one of them. We made it, of course, and were able to share fun facts we learned when we got back on the bus for the next area (such as: one palace was where the Korean alphabet was invented).


Then we went to this great market area for lunch and a bit of shopping, and after lunch, we traveled to the Korean National History Museum. Once again, we tried to see as much as we could (how can you see a museum in 1 1/2 hours??). Then, we ended the night with a performance: NANTA!

(I made a lamp! Arts and crafts at Insadong)


(It's at the Korean National History Museum. I used it. It was okay.)


If you asked everyone at orientation, I pretty much can guarantee their favorite part was Nanta. Nanta is Korea's longest-running broadway-like performance and performs all over the world. It combines the styles of samulnori (traditional Korean drumming) with a modern-day story. Three chefs are under the care of a mean head waiter. He forces them to make a huge wedding feast in one hour, and then he sticks them with his annoying nephew. The show is all about their antics as they try to rush and prepare the feast. The performance is amazing, and everyone enjoys it because it's a non-speaking performance. The characters drum, use slapstick comedy, and act out the story line instead of speaking. It is absolutely amazing and hilarious. I'm pretty sure I never stopped laughing. At one point, Chaz got taken onto the stage to help with a scene. He was hilarious up front, and everyone said they picked the perfect guy from the crowd. If you ever get the opportunity to see Nanta: DO IT! You won't regret it.



The Summary: I had an excellent time at orientation. Can I stress once again that I HATE orientations? But this one was different. I went away with new friends, lots of ideas, and a renewed idea on teaching. What more could you ask for? (I have stories of negativity at the conference, but this blog is already very long, and I'm pretty sure I don't have enough space on my computer to rant about ungrateful, embarrassing Americans and how they have NO TACT or ABILITY to discern appropriate talk, behavior, respect, etc. etc. etc.)

The "Big Change":
So I said earlier that I underwent a major change in the course of this orientation. First, my view on teaching in South Korea changed. I came here with the understanding that I wouldn't be able to teach what I want, or how I want, so when I began teaching, I started with trepidation and uncertainty as to what I could and could not do. This caused much anxiety and frustration while teaching because I felt I had no teaching identity as I had given up who I wanted to be as a teacher. At orientation, however, I found out that I could, actually SHOULD, be the teacher I want to be. I was encouraged to take my interests and my passions and infuse them in the classroom. I could even start clubs at my school for drama, writing, poetry, environmentalism, etc. etc. This was a huge relief, and all of my "teacher training" from college came back to me. So when I returned to work, I did so with vigor and excitement (the way it should be...and what I missed). I'm sure my co-teachers thought, "Who is this new girl?" I'm still continuing to stumble my way through this first teaching experience, but I'm more successful (and happy) now that I've regained a sense of who I am as a teacher.

Second, I came away with so many wonderful ideas, tips, and tricks for the classroom. Everything from games to classroom management tips. They have been working beautifully. One tip a teacher gave us was to put a timer on the projector screen counting down from 45 minutes (the length of class). I begin class by starting the timer, and class is over when the timer is at zero. If they are loud when I want their attention (i don't make them be quite always because sometimes loud=learning), I count down from 5. If I get to zero and they're still loud, I pause the timer and wait for them to be quiet and then start it again when they are. I cannot believe how beautifully this has worked. Time between class is the students' paradise. They live for those 10 minutes between each class period, so when I take that away, they are not happy. Even my classes that were IMPOSSIBLE to get quiet have caught on right away and behave. Every time I count down and get to zero and there is dead silence, I want to giggle because I'm so amazed and happy that it worked (of course I don't because I need to use my stern "teacher look").

Third, I met amazing friends. I already had wonderful friends in Busan (and Ulsan!), but it was great to meet more foreigners. Chaz and I have also been showing some new people the "ropes" which is wonderful because it makes us realize just how much we've learned about Busan.

Lastly, I came away from orientation with a desire to go home. Not home-home, Korea-home. Riding on a bus through Baekyang tunnel, and seeing Busan, I thought, "Yay! I'm home!" This is the first instance in which I have felt Busan and Korea are my home. It was an amazing feeling, and I think it's amazing and silly that it took going to Seoul for an orientation and coming back for everything to feel right. The streets seem a little more friendly, the sky seems a little more blue, and I am in love with Korea!