So over the past four months I have been in Korea I have learned a lot, seen a lot and done a lot. As the old adage goes, all (good) things must come to an end. I have had ups and downs here, and I have decided it is time for me to move on and pursue my Masters in Teaching. There were several reasons for this decision, but it mostly comes down to the fact that school better suits my needs at the moment. Alas, I am headed to Australia to go to Teacher's college. The best part of this is I get to go home for a month over Christmas! My mom sent me a Chocolate Advent Calendar in the mail so I have a sweet accompaniment to go with my countdown. When the package arrived, it was all bent and some of the chocolates broken, but it is doing the job very well. I have only two more weeks of teaching left; I can't believe how quickly it has gone by- in some ways it feels like I just got here, but in other ways I feel like I have been here a year as well. When one door closes, another opens and I am really quite excited to see what life has in store for the next little while. A girl who I met years ago through an old roommate is also going to the same campus as I am- aaaannd she is also in Korea. So, naturally we got together over the weekend to discuss the upcoming year and what is in store for us. Let the new adventure commence.... Annyonghi keyseo Korea, G'day Australia. I am just full of cheesy cliches today.
My heart goes out to them, really it does. Each time I see someone with a basket full of puppies or bunnies I want to buy them. We were in Itaewon and a guy was selling bunnies; he had five in this little basket with a light on them. Not even a heat light. No blanket, no water. The poor things were freezing and I wanted so badly to adopt them all. Rich made a good point though; if we buy them then it just encourages these people to keep doing business like that. In Dongdaemun we saw someone selling puppies who were shaking and scared. I can't get over how this is okay to do here. I guess this post is simply made to urge people to think before they buy animals in this manner. It is so sad to see this happen, but buying them will perpetuate the cycle. Next time I see that man or any other with animals in the street (with temperatures at zero) I will be more tempted to run off with the basket. I am feeling sad that we didn't save the little guys last night...
I felt that the past few experiences on the bus traveling through Korea warranted their own post altogether. I have mentioned before the sheer insanity of drivers here in Korea. Well, bus drivers are the worst of all. Maybe this is because they drive by a different set of rules than all the other drivers; a set of rules that cannot be clearly articulated as they make less sense than anything. Regular drivers (as in car drivers) weave in and out of traffic at a pace that is not permitted in Canada; note: on the way home from Seoul the other weekend I was in a cab traveling up to speeds of 160 km an hour. This is normal in Korea. Buses have their own lanes and seem to take precedence over other vehicles. They do not need to stop for red lights, or wait behind cars at any time. They just drive into an open space and overtake everyone. The point to this story is while en route to Seoul Jaime and I were on a bus when we heard a loud horn followed by a distinct crashing noise. That crash was caused by us, or rather our bus driver who was impatiently trying to overtake the vehicle just in front of him slightly to the left, but not left enough. Alas, our first car accident in Korea. The best part was the driver got out and he and the guy he hit were laughing. Jaime and I decided they must have been saying "oh, you again, our third accident this week!!". Honestly it would not surprise me. Note the smile on the bus driver's face: We have witnessed a few other crashes here but that was our induction into the crash hall of fame so to speak. After a few minutes we were on our way back into the city. Last night, while on the way to Itaewon, Erin Jaime and I were talking on the bus as we normally do, nothing loud or obnoxious when we were tapped on shoulders by a Korean man yelling something in Korean. Now his tone was not friendly and we got the impression we were doing something wrong. The lady behind me leaned over angrily and said "You are talking, it is loud, do you know how many people are on this bus?? Very many people." Jaime and I just looked at her and thought, 'okay what is your point? Thanks Captain obvious, there are a lot of people on the bus'. Apparently we aren't allowed to converse on the bus. If we were being really loud and annoying I could see her point, but we weren't. It makes sense to talk with friends on a long journey to make the trip go faster. So the rest of the voyage was somewhat awkward and I tried to make sense of the "no talking on the bus" rule. But I couldn't. The only conclusion I could come up with was "In order to get by in Korea (at least on the bus) take everything you think is logical and do the opposite".
So we pulled it off, the Halloween Party was a success. As were the teacher festivities that followed on Friday night; hey, we earned it! We stayed about 11 hours (at least) each day of the week to prepare for the Halloween party for the kids. We had a haunted house (more like a haunted maze in a darkened room), a games room, a snack room with Halloween themes (spider crackers, ghost lollipops and jack o lantern tangerines, along with gummy worms), a story room and a photo room. The kids really seemed to enjoy it, so we were all pretty proud of that. It made the long nights worth it. Sort of .
Nothing too major happened the weekend of Halloween as we were all pretty well exhausted, but Jaime and I wentout to Hongdae and met up with Heather (my friend from back home) and her fellow Maple Bear teachers. It’s Heather’s birthday this weekend and we are celebrating with Thai cuisine and Pilipino music. Random is the only way to go. Anyway, back to the past week. We had a welcome dinner for our new teacher and her teaching partner; Erin and Grace respectively. Mr. Im and his wife (the school owners) took us all to this new Korean BBQ place called Gorilla. I like Korean BBQ’s - you get to cut your meat with scissors! On Thursday night, Jaime and I met up with one of Jaime’s friends from back home who just arrived a couple weeks ago. It’s always fun to meet new people, especially when they are from the area you are. It’s the stuff instant friendships are made of in Korea. So we went to pick her up at the subway; check out the pictures of the washrooms there. I don’t know about you, but does the dude look more like a girl? The men here ARE somewhat feminine, but c’mon, this is a little crazy, don’t you think? So we went to our favourite Western meets Korean cuisine establishment and indulged in some dokkboki and quesadillas, which was the perfect split. The best part is that it all came with three servings of complimentary French fries. Love it. We returned home after a night of good food and good times to get some sleep for our big field trip to the Fire Station. That field trip that will go down as the most disorganized event to date. Let me just clarify that this is NOT one of the ones I had a hand in. We were celebrating fire safety week at school and someone suggested going to the fire station, which is a great idea. We just lacked some serious organization from the higher ups. We had no idea what was going on until it was happening. Luckily, the fireman pulled it all together and told the kids (what I assume) were some very important things about fire safety. This language barrier thing is tricky sometimes. The whole presentation was in Korean so the Canadian teachers had no idea what was being said. I mean, we got the jist of it, we heard all that stuff when we were kids, too; however, the fireman threw in some jokes here and there and all the Korean teachers got a chuckle out of it and we were in the dark. Sometimes you just feel left out from a big secret. I have come to terms with this feeling though and I don’t really mind anymore...well not as much as I used to. So the kids learned some important things, and our teaching partners got a lesson too. I hope that means we are all covered in the event of a fire in the school- which hopefully never happens. Obviously. We got to play with a fire hose and take pictures by the fire truck. The kids loved it. The kids, not me, I swear.
So being stoked that it was Friday and the weekend was here (finally), I set out to teach my afternoon kids and engage in a riveting lesson of cutting snowflakes out of paper. Needless to say I forgot how many little pieces of cut triangles land on the floor. The upside is the kids created some pretty cool designs that will look nice around the classroom- which is nice because it will save me from making more than I have to in order to decorate! Let the weekend begin!
While reading over past posts, I feel I should inform you loyal blog readers about progress that has been made in my classroom. While things are not perfect, and never will be (how can they be with rowdy 5 year olds vyying for attention in any way possible?) they have greatly improved. I feel as though I have more control over my kids and they respect me more than before. I get a lot of hugs good bye and the kids always smile and say hello in the morning. As for the "little terror" of a child I referred to before, he has come around quite nicely. I feel as though progress has definitely been made. Don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of tears and temper tantrums, and I am still a little overwhelmed by the amount of work it takes to teach these kids, but I have come to love them all. Some teachers at my school are finding grey hairs. Seriously.
On another note, I am still learning Hangul. I have also made some headway in this area and I know more phrases than before, and I can count to ten! I know how to identify letters, so I can read quite a bit (if I have like a minute to process each word), but knowing what that word means is a whole other story. I am working on it. When I go to the market I say "ol ma ya yo?", which means "how much is this?" and when I get a Korean response (duh!) I kind of stare at them blankly, I am trying to identify the words that I know, and it takes me a little while. In return, I get a look back that says "Why do you speak in Korean when you clearly do not understand it?" then the vendor will reach for his or her calculator and show me on the display. At least I am trying, right? Oh and the other day in Namdaemun, I was pushed by an old lady. Literally pushed. Courtney was exchanging money and we were told that the exchange rate was 95% (she showed us on the handy calculator). So Court gives her $100 Canadian and the lady gives her 90 won. My math is not great, but I know that 95% of 100 is 95. So we asked for the other 5, and the lady pushed my purse into me and waved me away. Needless to say I was stunned and I said "did you just push me?!" but they didn't understand me and we had to just walk away. How rude. I must say that is the first blatant rude encounter I have had here. We get bumped into a lot and no one apologizes, but I guess that is normal with the huge crowds that form at all times. But to be obviously pushed, that was not cool. I guess these ladies will do anything for their livlihood.
For reals, this blog post was written today! I am back on track now :) I apologize for any confusion that may have ensued....
Everland how I love you! Courtney and I decided to head to the park when I finished work on Wednesday night. We got there around 6pm and we did a great job of covering ground as we saw pretty much everything we wanted. We were fortunate enough to be present for the Halloween Festival at Everland, and let me tell you, my love for Halloween has grown stronger! I even found part of my costume at the gift shop; cute little black cat ears! The best part is, they are attached to barettes. This is quite a momentous occasion for me, as when I wear headbands- which animal ears mostly come attached to, I get the headaches behind my ears. I know the ladies understand my pain. The cat ears I purchased are ingenious for that reason, plus they are from Everland. Obvious bonus. But the best part is they only cost me 4,000 won. Let’s face it, if these ears were to be sold at Canada’s Wonderland price would range from $15-20. ANYWAY, the rides we went on were pretty cool and the concept of the park itself was awesome. The people who work there have to wave in a funny way, we dubbed it the “Everland Wave”- it looks remarkably similar to “spirit fingers”. When the rides are in motion, they have to commentate on a microphone or dance or sing along. The attention to detail is meticulous as the workers are even wearing white gloves. It truly was just like Disney World, complete with an “It’s a Small world” ride. The dolls looked the same and we travelled through all the countires, almost. I must say I was saddened that Canada was not included in this ride. We were excited to see America, because we thought it meant Canada was approaching. Then we saw Mexico, then we realized they just left out Canada. They even had a Christmas town, but no Canada. Other than that, it was truly great. We bobbed our heads to the Korean version of it’s a small world and took in all the lovely sights. We ate Western food (just like we did all week, Courtney is not too adventurous in her eating habits- but she did try some things- in very small doses), went on pretty much all the rides (kiddy ones included) and went through a fun house and haunted house. There was an amazing fireworks display at night, comparable to one that might be had on New Year's Eve or something. We were so happy to be there, on a Wednesday night too so there were no lines whatsoever, that we decided we would hit up Caribbean Bay the next night. Caribbean Bay is the water park part of Everland that has both indoor and outdoor facilities. When we got home, however, we realized that Caribbean Bay closes at 5pm now since it is the offseason. It was probably for the best anyway, since I was totally exhausted on Thursday at work. Speaking of work, we are decorating our classrooms for Halloween right now. I am sooo super excited for this holiday. I don’t usually go all out for Halloween back home, but for some reason this year I am really pumped. I think it must be because I am working with the kids; I can say everything I am doing is for them, but really, I am enjoying it way too much myself. I am on the Halloween party planning committee and my head is abuzz with ideas for the little kiddos. On the weekend we went back into Seoul and stayed at another hotel. We did a lot of shopping and I sent some gifts home to some special people. I really wanted to wrap them, but I also really wanted them to stay intact through the flight, so I listened to Court and let her wrap them for me. I just find present wrapping so much fun! Court and I met up with Heather, our friend from Canada who just arrived last Sunday for a teaching position at another Maple Bear, and some of her new teaching friends in Itaewon (again, I know, I have to branch out- side note, we plan to go to Hongdae next weekend) at the Rocky Mountain Tavern. It was surreal, I was hanging out with my friends from Canada in a Canadian bar. It kind of made me miss home a little, but at the same time mad me miss Korea. It was a paradox for sure. Court and I left early as she had an early flight back home, ventured back to the hotel and crashed. Today we said our good byes and she headed back home. I must say, the departures section of the airport is far less joyous than the arrivals. I saw a mother crying her eyes out as her son hugged her god bye and other people alone, waiting looking anxious. Naturally, I cried a little when I hugged Courtney goodbye. Then it was flyin' solo back to Yongin. Good thing I had my iPod close by. So it is back to normal life here now, aka the grind. I am pretty tired, so I am thankful for the quiet evening I have ahead; however, I have no idea what I am going to do. Probably catch up on sleep- OH and watch the Nightmare Before Christmas because it appears it just finished downloading! Yay Halloween!
Canadian Thanksgiving! I am totally missing turkey at the moment, and stuffing, chocolate cake, mashed potatoes, even cranberry sauce! I don't even like cranberry sauce! Mostly I am missing my mom and just being with her for Thanksgiving :(. Courtney and I decided to have our own Thanksgiving feast, so naturally we got Domino's. I tried to order the sweet potato pizza the school always gets, with the corn, the bamboo, chicken and pepperoni, but I ended up getting a roasted potato one. I don't know how that happened because I even said go gu ma pizza! (Korean for sweet potato pizza). Regardless, it was yummy. As for school activities, I had the kids make their own turkeys out of shoe and hand tracings. They were adorable. I am not sure that the kids fully understand Thanksgiving, but I tried to teach them. At the end of the day, they were still calling their turkeys chickens, and I tried (unsuccessfully) to ingrain in their minds that they were not chickens! Ah well, c'est la vie, I tried. Lord did I try...
Anyway, Thanksgiving was good times, I am thankful for a lot this year. I will not bore you with the list of things that appear on my "I am thankful for" list, but I am happy to be where I am, despite missing some people dearly. I am in Korea, doing something I never thought I'd be doing and learning a lot more in the processs.
Friday night, I rushed home from work and headed to Seoul to check into the hotel. After searching for Hotel M for what seemed like a long time (but probably only 5 min- I was worrying I wouldn’t make it to the airport on time), I decided to go into Dunkin’ Donuts and ask for some assistance. On a sidenote, the workers at Dunkin’ are so friendly! Back in early days (I say that like I am a Korean expert now), Jaime and I were lost in Itaewon and it was a Dunkin’ Donuts lady who helped us out. I think these ladies deserve a raise. Regardless, I rushed from the hotel to the shuttle bus and I was off to Incheon Airport. I arrived three minutes after Courtney had come through the gate. I saw her blonde hair and red jacket and I was so happy. She was easy to pick out among the crowds of Asians- she flew in from Narita on a stopover. While I was sitting there waiting for her as she went to the bathroom, I realized how awesome airports are. Well the arrivals section anyway. Everyone is so happy and eyes are lit up all over the place. It gave me the chills.
Court and I talked about what is going on with us and caught up on the bus- which was so nice for two reasons; obviously she’s my bestest and seeing her was just awesome, and second, we didn’t notice the time it was taking to get back to the hotel. That night we went to a bar down the road and saw many a businessman stumbling on the road thanks to the Friday night soju. We were in the financial district. The next day we decided to go to 63 Building. Here there was an aquarium, an IMAX and a Sky Art Museum. Now, I know no one will believe me, but I had NO idea that the museum was a Hello Kitty museum. Honestly. I am pretty much in love with Hello Kitty and the fact that she occupied this whole museum was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and bought a souvenir on the way out. Gotta love being a tourist. We then watched an IMAX movie on the Alps, which was pretty intense. I was truly enthralled and made the discovery that I could never ever do anything like what those people who climb the Alps do. I also learned that IMAX is short form for eye maximum. A nice little piece of trivia for you. I wonder if I could take the kids to 63 Building on a field trip! The aquarium definitely has educational merit, and sea lion shows! Something to look into. After 63 Building, we went to Seoul City Hall to do the bus tour. We really shouldn’t have wasted time or money on this bus, as doing what we wanted would have been cheaper and there was little to no commentary throughout the ride. We stopped in Itaewon and got some Western food (Court is not brave enough to go Korean yet- but she has promised me a night to feed her any Korean food I want, as long as she is blindfolded. Excellent) and I showed her some highlights on the Soul map so she can get her bearings since I will be in school all week and unable to accompany her on her day trips. We ventured into Namdaemun Market at night and got some nice little trinkets and got to see the ladies frying up their grubs (most disgusting smell ever). We planned to go to Everland and Caribbean Bay today, but we decided to do Everland one night this week instead. We were both pretty tired and agreed that Everland deserves energy and full attention. I have completed all my lesson plans for the week so I can enjoy the time she has here! I am also planning the Halloween Party we are having for the kids- any suggestions would be wonderful! I can’t wait to start making decorations and planning games. Maybe I should consider a career in event planning when I am done here. We’ll see how the party goes first.
Saturday!! Seoul Day!! I think I will make it an official holiday. Jaime and I headed to Itaewon around 4pm after spending quite some time on the internet trying to figure out the best club to head to. It was a toss up between Itaewon and Hongdae. Next weekend I think we will venture into Hongdae. Itaewon was awesome. There were so many foreigners and it was nice to be able to speak English and be totally understood again! It is a good thing we decided against going to Seoul on Friday night as well; even after all our preparation for Saturday’s journey, we still got somewhat lost. Well, maybe that was the bus driver’s intenion. I don’t know if it is rude to converse on public transit in Korea, but it seems that Jaime and I were the only two carrying on a conversation. Our voices were met with some disdain in the form of nasty glares and at one stop the bus driver turned around and nodded, pointing to the door. Now, we had shown him a piece of paper with our stop written on it, but we are both sure that stop was not it. We were meant to get off at a University, and we got off in front of a gas station. Ah well, we got to see more of the area and met a wonderful lady at Dunkin Donuts, who through the help of Vickie via my cell phone, pointed us in the right direction. She even called us a cab and escorted us across the street. What service! A four minute taxi drive later we were on the main road in Itaewon. We bargained a little and both ended up buying really cute purses and I scored a sweet pair of sandals. We met Vickie and decided to grab some pre bar food and beer in this pub, Seoul Pub. It was filled with Europeans, and some rather obnoxious folk, but it was delightful all the same. The bar featured unisex washrooms, which was questionable, but we made it through just fine. After a few bevies at the pub, we headed to Helios to dance the night away. The best thing about Seoul is there are lockers in each club that cost about a dollar each. How convenient. Especially since I was toting around a large bag and my old purse. Before we made it to our final destination, we were lured into an underground club who was offering one free drink per person. Sold! We even ended up going there once more before calling it a night because the staff was so nice. Or maybe it was because we wanted a change of scenery and the music just sounded that good. Maybe a little bit of both. We ran into these guys on the street who were sporting bunny ears, so naturally we stopped for a photo op, and stole their ears for ourselves. What a great night. We got a cab home, and argued (well, Vickie negotiated in Korean) with the driver for a good price, but I am pretty sure that Jaime and I ended up paying too much in the end since Vickie had to get out first. Regardless, very awesome night. The next day I awoke and decided to just chill and read my book, Eat Pray Love. I highly recommend this read. I am about midway through and I cannot say enough good things about it. I won’t even attempt to, since it’s one of those books you should just read for yourself. Jaime, Angela and I then did our E-Mart run, and decided to never again go there on a weekend. It is packed, and what’s more it is full of crying children. We get our fill of whining through the week, and we decided that the weekend should be a no children zone. It’s a tossup though, since on the weekend E- Mart has free food samples. We might just have to suck it up for the sake of free food. On the way out, we stopped for Baskin Robbins (Chocolate mousse in a waffle cone, mmmm) and we were on our way. That night we had Pam and Rich over for dinner and what was meant to be “learn Korean” night. We pretty much did everything but review Hangul. We watched some “Part of our Heritage” commercials (we are loyal Canadians!!), a lot of Celebrty Jeopardy, discussed whether the moon landing actually happened (I maintain a firm no) and discussed politics, religion and books. Quite a great night. We plan to learn Korean someday, I swear.
October 10- I haven’t written anything in like 4 weeks, which is crazy because that has been the majority of my time here. To recap, I guess I can try to, I have been to a Doosan Bears baseball game, sang in a noraebang, taken really girly pictures in a photo booth, and eaten many a thing that I never thought I ever would. I also got my hair done at a Korean hairdresser (I was pleased with the results but devastated that my hair was “un-permable”; how I wanted to obtain those Korean waves that everyone has), went to a crazy night club (that set us back $30 for cover), joined a gym and otherwise been having a great time. Well, included in the “otherwise” category- I was sick with bronchitis for two weeks. This set me back on the blogging, and I just never got back into the swing. The best part about the past little while is my best friend from Canada just arrived on Friday! I have been planning for her arrival and counting the days ans now she is here! School work here has been consuming much of my time, and I have even been designated “official field trip seeker-outer”, well that is what I am calling myself. Basically because I am always talking about things to do around Seoul, my director asked me if I want to be in charge of finding field rip locations for the school. I wonder if these trips have to be educational, really. What about a theme park with rollercoasters? Or a waterpark? There has to be some educational merit through teaching velocity and speed. We just went to Alice Park- a park that is meant to be based (somewhat) on Alice in Wonderland. There wasn’t much of a similarity to be honest, and the park left much to be desired. It smelled funny (which says a lot being in Korea, because everything here smells a little funny), kind of like a damp old house that no one ever cleans. Yeah that is pretty accurate. The park is made of some little houses, one of them is the top hat house, another a bunny house, another a clock house and another a Cheshire Cat house. The concept is cool, the follow through is not so much. The park leaders play games with the kids that we already play with them at school and can be easily replicated anywhere. I don’t know about you, but when I am told I am going to a theme park, I prepare myself for unique experiences that require lights and stuff. Maybe I have high expectations. Regardless, the kids seemed to have fun and they got to learn things about different countries (the theme of the month is World Festival Day), so that is all that matters. Surprisingly, my kids were well behaved! And I didn’t lose any of them, which is an obvious bonus.
Mid September.... Although we were all quite eager to leave work somewhat early on Thursday , that did not happen. We ended up leaving the school just past 8:00 pm, as we had to wait for our student’s passports to arrive. The passport is a type of book that is used for progress reports and must be completed for each Friday. On top of this, we had to help laminate books for the library. The bright side was we got pizza again, and the most delicious chicken fingers I have ever tasted. Well worth it. So I arrived home at 8:30 and proceeded to write my progress reports and create lesson plans for Friday’s class. I had to make an extra detailed one for Friday afternoon since I was off to the hospital to have a medical exam done and Carla would be teaching my afternoon class. I was asleep, more like passed out, by just after midnight. On Friday I had my medical exam. I can’t get over how accommodating the people at my school have been. I was driven into Seoul by one of the Korean workers, Rai, and we chatted the whole way there. She spent a few years in Canada, so we talked a bit about that and how I am liking it here; very much so! We arrived about an hour later and she helped me through the whole process. I saw quite a few foreigners who were not escorted by anyone, so needless to say I felt very comfortable and lucky that our school is taking such good care of us. I am pretty sure that I may have failed the eye exam, though. I kept on thinking the nurse was pointing to one letter, then she would seemingly point to the same one! When I finally caught on to how she was pointing, the letters were too small for me to decipher. I told her I thought I was confused, and tried to laugh it off. When I switched eyes, I was ready for her technique, but I think she changed it to cater to me and I think the second eye was just as disastrous as the first. Ah well, I may end up with some crazy strong prescription, or a brigade of worried parents questioning how someone with such bad vision can possibly care for their children. Anyway, the exam took all of 20 min and I was on my way back to Yongin. I arrived back at the school just in time to meet everyone else and head out for a giant pitcher. We went to Special bar again, but since it was raining outside, we could not enjoy the rooftop patio. We did, however enjoy the plush light purple couches and sparkly lights of the interior. We called it a night early in preparation for our big day in Seoul on Saturday.
So, I woke up this morning with about 10 bug bites on my arms, little trails leading up both arms and around the elbows. Not cool. I love sleeping with my window open, but if these little pests can come in, then I might have to rethink that option. I just don’t want to have to pay the bills that come along with using the air conditioner. Sigh. Today at school was challenging. I personally want to go up to every kindergarten teacher in the world and give them a big hug and a pat on the back and apologize for any child who has ever not listened to them. And maybe apologize to some of my teachers, who I may have acted out to once in a while. Honestly, though I think I was a very good student, the worst I did was talk while the teacher talked, and that started later on, way past kindergarten. Maybe. I have a few rowdy children, who when they get rowdy, stir up the other kids, creating a classroom of rowdiness. Today, I found myself thinking “I honestly don’t know how much longer I can do this”. Carla came into my class after I looked at her with desperate eyes and tried to help calm certain key students down. Ironically, it appeared that a new face was just a new person to show off to. Carla’s presence was helpful, but it did not in any way modify behaviour. She told me that she will come in for an hour before lunch and an hour after lunch for a while and we’ll see where that takes us. If students like the one I am speaking of were present in classes in Canada, I am sure that some form of disciplinary action (aka suspension) would take place. I have tried time outs, talking to him, everything. When he is in trouble, he listens and I feel like I am getting through to him, but when he’s allowed back to the group, it’s like nothing has registered. Forget positive reinforcement, when that happens it’s almost like his brain thinks “haha, now I have free reign to do something bad again”. And he does. Over and over again. On a brighter note, we went shopping after school today for groceries and I now have a full refrigerator. I missed cooking, so I am glad to be well equipped now. There seems to be a lack of music here in Korea, that or the songs all sound the same. I have one in my head just now, and I’m not sure, but I think the lyrics say “look in to my eyes and say go, go, go...”. Now I realize this is no help to you since you do not have a melody to attach to those lyrics, but imagine something that might belong on a game show, mixed with something that might appear on the soundtrack for a video game. Now throw in some Korean dancers with metallic clothing, and yep, you’ve pretty much got it. Anyway, I bring that up because I either have a Korean pop tune stuck in my head, or one of my classroom songs. I admit, a Korean pop tune is better than “Head and Shoulders” or “Clean up”. Speaking of Korean music, we are planning to venture into Seoul this weekend to experience some night life, club style. Hopefully that doesn’t cost too much, but the experience will probably be worth it.
There are a few things that I have neglected to mention in my previous entries. I am still amazed at how many hello’s and hi’s I get while walking down the street. Mostly, if not only from younger children. They see my skin colour and frantically wave and say “HIIII”. Then giggle and run away. Almost celeb status. I can get used to that. Also, I am baffled at how Koreans navigate through the cities. First of all, when a light is green, the crosswalk light does not change with it. Some weird set of rules dictates that only at certain times can the little man turn green and permit me to cross, and it is never when I think it will happen. Koreans also drive like mad people. A sidewalk can be their street if they need it to be. And pedestrians, well, don’t really matter. Needless to say I have been exercising more caution here than I would back home. Also, you cannot push a button as a pedestrian here to make the light change for you, either. Then there’s street signs! Apparently do not matter here. The first few days we were here, we had to find the school on a map provided to us. What seemed logical, to try and match up the signs on the map to the signs on the road, proved futile. Nothing was the same. We later found out that those signs really don’t mean anything, that Koreans find things based on landmarks and things like that. At least that is what I got from the conversation. Nonsensical! Why would street signs even exist then? What if you had never been somewhere before? How do you find an apartment? A store? Anything? I plan to get to the bottom of this mystery somehow. One thing that is so lovely how many Parisienne bakeries exist in our little city, and all the way through Seoul even. They are even decorated to look like something one might find in France. Cobblestone exterior, names like “Tous Les Jours” and the store owner wearing a chef hat and coat. At pretty well every corner you can find a shop outfitted with miniature cakes decorated so intricately that, I think if I were to receive one or buy one, I would have a tough time cutting into it. They are that pretty. So far I have managed to fight the temptation to buy one, or two, or a doughnut or cookie, but let’s face it, I am only in week one of my fifty two weeks here. I don’t know how much willpower I will have once the initial appeal of Korean food wears off.
Early September Today was an alright day. I felt I was doing nothing but disciplining in the morning class, most likely because that is all I was doing. No one was really listening, and there were a couple of fights. It wasn’t the best day ever, but I made it through. The afternoon class was amazing. So much easier to handle seven less children, for sure. I know, the kids look innocent, but don't let the looks deceive you! I am amazed that most of them are actually looking at the camera! Lunch today was alright. Soup, rice, some kimchi (which still hasn’t grown on me yet) and some small little fish. I really wanted a picture, because they were so eency weency. They were delicious, but perhaps it was just due to the sauce on them. Either way, I mixed the fish with my rice, and it was kinda creepy cuz the fish were sort of see through, and all I could see were eyes. Really little eyes. I blocked that out and focused on the taste. Today was the rainiest day ever. It was raining at 6am and it is still raining now at 9pm. It made the walk there and the walk home not so pleasant, and my hair was in a state of utter disarray. It was kind of cool walking though, because EVERYONE has an umbrella and it was somewhat like an umbrella war. Whenever I would pass someone, it was a kind of shuffle. I am sure the Koreans are used to it, as they manoeuvred around just fine. It’s like a parade of colours. While walking home, I ducked into a store and found some broccoli, which made my day since I was beginning to question if it existed in Korea after not finding it at all at E mart. Angela and Jaime were not at school today because they had to get their medical checks done, so I was walking home solo. Pleased with my broccoli discovery, I headed home to use my stove for the first time. This was a somewhat unnerving experience, as it is a gas top. Thankfully Angela was in my apartment to walk me through the lighting process. It cooks so fast! In less than about 5 min I had a homemade stir-fry that was quite delicious if I say so myself. So that takes me to today. It is 9pm and I am just about ready to go to sleep. I am going to read more of Eat, Pray Love and probably pass out shortly thereafter.
August 29- Friday- first day of teaching. I admit, it was a little nerve-racking, considering I had never taught in a classroom setting before. I have one child who is impossibly hard to control. He seems to rub off on other children in the room as well, which is never a great thing to have happen. I managed to get him to listen, and after a stressful day of trying to communicate with a bunch of 5 year olds, who do speak some English, I was ready to relax. Naturally, Jaime, Pam, Rich and I decided we had earned a pitcher of beer. We mozied on over to our nearest rooftop patio and ordered up a pitcher of Cass. We decided that we may as well take a chance on Korean beer- and it was really, really good. I don’t know if it was the fact that school was over, and I felt I earned it, or if it really is just good beer. I guess I will have to wait and see, but for that night, it was gold. We waited for the TP’s and Angela to come by, but they never did. I later found out that they tried to find us, but they were looking in the wrong places. After our beer atop a roof, we ventured out in pursuit of food. We found a western style pub down the road a few blocks where we had quesadillas, french fries and a chicken fried salad. After a week of Korean food, we were happy to find the comforts of back home. Although, I really don’t mind Korean cuisine, it was nice to stumble upon something familiar. While there, we indulged in a pineapple flavoured soju cocktail. This came in a pitcher- so think something like sangria or a pitcher or a pitcher of daiquiri. This bar was great; playing on all the TVs were the latest Korean pop hits. It was great! I took so many pictures. I have to give the OC credit. Big Korea, who Summer went to prom with, is really an accurate depiction of Korean pop as I know it so far. After a few more drinks, we decided to call it a night and retire back home. While walking out of the restaurant, we noticed billiard tables and considered stopping for a game; but we realized these tables had no pockets! I am baffled by this and I plan to understand how the game is meant to be played, someday. We walked back home and the way I was feeling, I thought for sure it was soooo late. I looked at the clock which read 11:15 and shut my eyes for the night. When I woke, I woke to the sounds of the exercise group that likes to take 6 am walks around the soccer field just outside my bedroom window. I sleep with my window open because the breeze is nice at night. What isn’t nice is the clanging f the metal rings being thrown about by the gung ho 6 am walking group and the shuffling of feet on the dirt. It’s not all bad, some mornings I like it, just watching and observing the ladies with their bright floral clothing and oversized visors. But on this day, I just really wanted to sleep in! It was my first day off! Much to my dismay, I was up and out of bed at 7. Then I realized that was not a bad thing, because back home it was 6pm! I got to chat with some friends on msn and catch up as best can be done via the internet. After I was done talking with some people, I decided to spruce up the apartment any put some photos on the wall and change my sheets. How I love vanilla dryer sheets. My bed smells like home again! I only wish it could stay like this forever! Jaime and I ventured back out to Emart, where we decided to buy big items and just cab it home. I also got cough medicine, and some (what I am assuming is) herbal medication. So far it has been somewhat helpful. The medicine cost a total of 4500 won, which is approx. $4.50, so really, I guess it can’t be that strong. I just hope this cough goes away soon, I have had it since I left Canada! Anyway, the pharmacy lady spoke great English and she even called for a cab for us. When we got on, we realized we hadn’t fully decided how to tell him where we were going! I had my phrasebook with me, but in a crunch that just doesn’t cut it. We decided the best way to go about things was to simply point. It got us home just fine, and for only $3 I really can’t complain! Hence, my desire to learn Korean was enhanced. Angela came home from teaching her first Saturday class somewhat upset. Turns out she had a large kindergarten class who were apparently little terrors themselves. I went to dinner with her at the noodle place down the street. I ordered the same soup I had the other day, complete with what looks like little animated Hello Kitty’s floating around. I am not 100% sure what those things are, but they do not taste like anything at all. Korea is great at animating things. Everything is animated, or sparkly or flashy in some way. It’s really kind of cute. After dinner, we tried to watch a movie, but we both were way too tired for that. Jaime came into my room around 9:30 and got to phone her parents on her Magic Jack (this really super awesome thing you plug into your computer and you can make calls like anywhere! ). After seeing the device work so well, I ordered one for myself and one for my mom. It only ships to Canada and the US, so Courtney can bring it along when she comes, in 40 days! I was asleep by 10:30. This was my Saturday. They had better get more eventful in the future.
Sunday morning, I woke up early again and decided to make some calls of my own. I got to talk to my mom- who has booked her flight to Korea and is coming in December!!! I am so excited! We are planning to go to Thailand over the break. I honestly cannot wait. I am so pumped! After talking with her, we all set off for the school to catch the 9001 bus to Seoul. Turns out we can catch this bus closer to home. Now we know for next time. It was a great ride, the Korea bus system is great! For 1800 won, we were brought right into Seoul on a very comfortable air conditioned bus. When we got there, Leona, her friend Janet and a new teacher Megan met us outside City Hall. We then ventured toward the subway and went to I Park mall after stopping to watch a re-enactment outside of a palace. It was pretty cool. So we went to the mall (whose slogan by the way is “I love malling”) to purchase used cell phones. This mall was unreal. Every level was something new. One level all cameras, another all computers, another all tvs, another all cell phones, etc. And they were big floors! It was somewhat dizzying. We got to the cell phone floor, but Leona was unsure about what stand to g o to for the used phones. We managed to find one place, but while the guy came over with the available phones, I was off perusing other stands (my ADHD must have kicked in with the presence of so many flashy things) that I missed out on scooping one up. It was alright, though because we found another stand with more phones. I ended up paying 45000 won for a phone, two batteries and a charger. Turns out that my phone even has minutes on it! I guess it was a blessing in disguise that I was off being irresponsible and not paying attention when everyone else was getting their phones. So my phone’s pretty cool and I am pretty sure it can do a lot of cool things, but I can’t understand all of it yet, and some things are in Korean, even though the setting is in English. Add that to my list of reasons to learn Korean. Once we were done with cell phone shopping, it was back on the subway (Which I am sure is simple, but seems ridiculously complicated to me) to Namandaung Market. Before we went to the market, we all decided to stop and eat something. Again, I just pointed and hoped for the best. I got a super spicy dish, again. I tried my best to eat it and laughed it off. It was quite good, but I just couldn’t cut it! I will make friends with spicy food yet! We arrived at the market, which was pretty cool, minus the really funky random smells that hit your nose like, well, something gross. It reminded me somewhat of the markets in Thailand. I bought 3 shirts, a cool Hello Kitty to dangle from my cell phone (which is just as big as my phone itself), and a couple of things to mail home. After the market, it was home we went. Again, I was in bed by 10:30. I wish weekends didn’t go by so quickly. It just doesn’t seem right.
This post is from late August.... The second day we were here we went to another school to have training. We were with other Maple Bear teachers from other schools, learning about curriculum planning and strategies. At the end of it, we even got a fancy certificate! Sweet. After the day was over, we went to E-mart to pick up a few things. I got a hiar dryer and was never happier. After that excursion, Jaime, Angela and I went to dinner, where I ordered pretty much the spiciest thing possible. I guess that is what happens when you point at pictures and hope for the best. It is for no other purpose than dining that I am trying to learn Korean. Well, dining and transportation. And conversing with Koreans. I am trying to find the time to try and learn at this point. On Tuesday we were at our own schools, preparing lesson plans and learning more about the curriculum and what is expected of us. It was on this day that we were told classes would start on Friday. We all thought that classes started Monday, so we realized we had a fiar bit of work ahead. We worked on our plans, and set up our classrooms, while getting to know our teaching partners. I am working with Kate, who has been so helpful. I am grateful that I have her in my class. On Wednesday we had a meeting about differences in Canadaian and Korean cultures, went to lunch (where I tried Mandu for the first time- which isn’t bad, but only in small doses for the moment), and got bank accounts set up. After all this was done, it was about 3pm and we really hadn’t done much with our classrooms; and the parents and students were coming the next day for orientation. Alas, by 9:15 I was heading home with Pam and Rich. Jaime and Angela somehow got things done quicker than we did, and I just found myself thinking of more things I could do. The bright side to this is that we got pizza! I never really thought that a pineapple, sweet potato, pepperoni and chicken pizza would ever come my way, but it did and it was delicious! The best part about pizza in Korea is that it comes with PICKLES on the side! In the containers just like you would get in Canada at Pizza Pizza filled with dipping sauce, you get pickles! I was loving every second of it. Once we ate the pizza we decided to call it a night and I slipped into a mini coma once my head hit the pillow. Thursday- the big day. We had to make a presentation to the parents, we knew that much. What we didn’t know was we would be speaking about ourselves. In front of the parents. With microphones. I brushed it off, thinking “I have done this before, heck, I have presented in front of people who understand me. This should be fine. Some of them won’t even know what I am saying”. While this was true, I wasn’t fooling anyone. The second before I went to the mic, my mouth went dry and I started to shake, just a little. I managed to speak eloquantly enough, but I think I may have repeated some things, and forgotten others. I hope Chad, the Korean translator made me look better than I think I sounded. We got another chance in the afternoon, and I think I did better that time. So, I met my children and their parents, and all seemed well!
Realizing that I have neglected to post a single thing since my arrival, I will catch up. I am going to separate the posts, but they will all appear to be published on the same day, so be forgiving of my negligence. Enjoy!
I have been here one week now, and I can’t believe that I haven’t written anything yet! I wish that I had the energy to keep up a journal each day, but life seems to have caught me off guard, completely busy and otherwise exhausted. I am sure that I can recall much of what I have done in great detail, but I worry that some nuances will escape me. Since I have this feeling of regret that I have not even documented simply my thoughts of the past week, I promise to myself that I will try to write things down each day so to better remember them.
I will start at the beginning; my plane ride out of Toronto! It was nice that I was made to go to the Korean Consulate on Friday, as I could easily recognize faces on Saturday. I went into the airport to locate my gate to make unloading my suitcases somewhat easier and I ran into Pam and Rich, who fortunately knew where they were going. After checking my bags and getting my boarding pass, I ran into Jaime. Relieved to have familiar faces around me, I went to breakfast with my mom. I had not eaten much of anything in the past 24 hours, and I didn’t feel much up to eating just then, but I managed some banana bread and some OJ. Anyway, after spending time with my mom, it was off to board the plane. I sat in the waiting area with Pam, Rich and Jaime and we exchanged stories. What stands out most to me was I was not at all uncomfortable. I was not at all worried. It didn’t feel like I knew these people well, but it did feel as though I could trust them. I felt that I was doing something right.
On the plane we had seatback tvs (yay!) where I watched an episode of Friends, 21, What happens in Vegas, Smart People and some of Horton Hears a Who. I passed out (thank you gravol) during the last movie, and I think I slept for a couple of hours. I am so glad we had a direct flight, although I did feel disoriented once we landed. So, we landed, collected our bags and we were off to meet Mr. Im. While waiting for my bags, I noticed that a guy had the same carry on as I did, so I went over to him and asked him to make sure he collected the right bag. That would have been an inconvenience. So we met Mr . Im and one of the teaching partners, Vickie who brought us to get coffee andrelax while we waited for Angela to arrive. She arrived about two hours later and we were off to Yongin. We managed to pack all of our luggage, and all of our bodies into one van; quite a feat I must admit! Once on the van, we received calling cards, a transportation card, and maps of Yongin to help us get around. I felt so comfortable and I nearly fell asleep on the way to Yongin. About an hour later, we were taken to the school, where we looked around through very sleepy eyes. The school was lovely, but I am sure we did not appreciate it fully as we were completely exhausted. Although exhaustion was prevalent, so was hunger, and we were off to have dinner. I phoned home as soon as I could and we were taken to Korean BBQ. It was delicious, and different. The workers place hot coals in the midle of the table, using steel tongs. It was somewhat concerning, considering if the coals fell at all, well, it would not be a pretty sight. Anyway, the coals were placed in the centre of the table and covered with a wire lid and we were ready to begin BBQ’ing. We had pork, and apparently at Korean BBQ’s you cut the meat with scissors. A very different way of doing things compared to back home. The food was wonderful, some things were questionable, but all in all it was a great experience. I arrived back to my apartment at about 10 and I showered and unpacked. I figured why not get it all out of the way, and by then I wasn’t really tired anymore. After I unpacked everything, I opened up a few presents that were smuggled into my luggage by my mom. I had a few cute pyjamas, a lovely journal, awesome pictures and some things for my classroom. The Hello Kitty Bandaids she put in there have already come in handy. I am not sure that is a good thing, but it made me smile nonetheless.
I have now received photos of my accommodation in South Korea. It is stunning. it is a brand new building, and we are going to be the first tenants! It is tiny, but not as tiny as some places I have seen. I have no shower, which was expected, it is just a shower head in the bathroom that comes out of the wall. The upside? I guess that makes the bathroom almost self- cleaning! I had chosen a black, white and pink decor theme, but it turns out that much of the apartment is trimmed in a brown wood. I am not sure that my motif will suffice any more. I might have to go back to the drawing board on that one... we'll see how I feel about it in a couple weeks. So, now I have pictures of my school and my apartment. In Korea, I suppose they call apartments apartuahs... the emphasis on the TUAH is key. So I've read. I am living in a villa, which is more spacious than the typical officetel that one finds in Korea. So, here I am with three whole weeks left in Canada. I worked all weekend at my job in Niagara Falls, where I serve tables, and all week at my "career job", working for the region, doing communications. 4 days serving, 5 days communicating. I was exhausted by week's end. A funny thing happened while I was at work in the Falls, though. I was walking to a service bar area and I was stopped by a man, frantically waving his arms and holding up a camera. He was Asian. I have grown used to Asians doing this kind of thing. They hold hands up, or call you over, it's just what they do. So anyway, he was with two children and his wife and he asked if I could please take a photo of them. I took the camera, counted one, two, three and snapped a wonderful family portrait, a memory they will have of Niagara Falls and TGI Friday's for years to come. Something inspired me to ask this man where he was from. He smiled, nodded and said "Korea!". I smiled back and I told him "I am going to Korea in three weeks!". The look on his face was so awesome. He looked so happy, nodded frantically and said "to teach, to teach english, right?". It was pretty neat. His kids were absolutely adorable, too! The girl was shyly hiding behind him, but smiling at me as well. The wife didn't speak at all, but she seemed rather nice, and the little boy was bouncing on the seats, enjoying his chicken fingers. Being a firm believer in signs across the universe, I took this as a sign that I am going to be alright in Korea. I told him and his family that maybe I will see them when I am in their country. He laughed at me. I was only joking, but I thought it would be nice to say! I then walked away to finish up my shift and dreampt about all the things that await me in Korea. How can I not be excited?
The good news has been received; I am off to teach in South Korea for a year with Maple Bear School! I am amazed at how quickly the application process has gone and how lucky I am to be sent to a brand new school that is just being built! My flight is going to leave either August 20th or 21st and I will find myself in a new world. I am so very excited, and some days so very nervous to think I am going to be living halfway around the world, submerged in a culture I have little knowledge of. So what can I do? Research, research, research. I’m trying my hand at learning Korean, at least key phrases and words. So far I know Yes, No, It’s okay, Hello and Thank you. I wonder how far that will get me. Pretty laid back life if that’s all I ever have to use! I’m going to miss my friends and family so, so much, but I am equally as excited for them to visit me; which I really hope happens! So start saving and planning, guys! I am going to be living in Yongin, a place just south of downtown Seoul, famous for Everland Amusement Park! Sweet, my own little “Disney World” right around the corner. Somehow, I think I will be okay! And to top it off, Caribbean Bay is not far either, complete with indoor and outdoor waterparks, simulated surfing areas and hot springs and spas. Ahhhh! Photo of Everland in Yongin.
I have been reading other people’s blogs lately and found them so helpful, so I promised myself I would create one, too. I think it’s a great way to not only try to help others, but to document my travels as well. So, needless to say I am really, super excited for this adventure. I just hope that I can keep this blog up and meet my goal of a thorough documentation!
So over the past four months I have been in Korea I have learned a lot, seen a lot and done a lot. As the old adage goes, all (good) things must come to an end. I have had ups and downs here, and I have decided it is time for me to move on and pursue my Masters in Teaching. There were several reasons for this decision, but it mostly comes down to the fact that school better suits my needs at the moment. Alas, I am headed to Australia to go to Teacher's college. The best part of this is I get to go home for a month over Christmas! My mom sent me a Chocolate Advent Calendar in the mail so I have a sweet accompaniment to go with my countdown. When the package arrived, it wa
s all bent and some of the chocolates broken, but it is doing the job very well. I have only two more weeks of teaching left; I can't believe how quickly it has gone by- in some ways it feels like I just got here, but in other ways I feel like I have been here a year as well. When one door closes, another opens and I am really quite excited to see what life has in store for the next little while. A girl who I met years ago through an old roommate is also going to the same campus as I am- aaaannd she is also in Korea. So, naturally we got together over the weekend to discuss the upcoming year and what is in store for us. Let the new adventure commence.... Annyonghi keyseo Korea, G'day Australia. I am just full of cheesy cliches today.
While reading over past posts, I feel I should inform you loyal blog readers about progress that has been made in my classroom. While things are not perfect, and never will be (how can they be with rowdy 5 year olds vyying for attention in any way possible?) they have greatly improved. I feel as though I have more control over my kids and they respect me more than before. I get a lot of hugs good bye and the kids always smile and say hello in the morning. As for the "little terror" of a child I referred to before, he has come around quite nicely. I feel as though progress has definitely been made. Don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of tears and temper tantrums, and I am still a little overwhelmed by the amount of work it takes to teach these kids, but I have come to love them all. Some teachers at my school are finding grey hairs. Seriously.
