Below: Jenn and I chilling and talking in the park.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Calm in the Midst of Crazy
Life in the big city can sometimes feel like a lot of concrete, cars and pollution. Jenn and Jord have become more brave with exploring and found this beautiful, peaceful park right in the middle of Seoul. We spent last Sunday afternoon walking around in 'Canada.'
Below: Jenn and I chilling and talking in the park.
Below: Jenn and I chilling and talking in the park.
Birthday Party in Daegu
So last weekend we made a trip to our home from last year- Daegu. Because Blake's birthday was mixed in with our move to Korea, we really didn't have a big party for him so last weekend was for Blake. For those who don't know Blake, he is so accustomed to deferring attention and shying away from the spotlight that we really need these special celebrations for him to get a chance to have the limelight. :)
It was so great to see some faces that we haven't seen in awhile and it was neat to show Jenn and Jord our familiar spots from last year. We stopped in at CDI and said hello to all the folk there and while there is a high turnover rate with the teachers, that place just seems to keep chugging. We came away grateful for our current situation in Seoul, despite the low level of English we're dealing with. Here are just a few of the pics from the weekend.
It was so great to see some faces that we haven't seen in awhile and it was neat to show Jenn and Jord our familiar spots from last year. We stopped in at CDI and said hello to all the folk there and while there is a high turnover rate with the teachers, that place just seems to keep chugging. We came away grateful for our current situation in Seoul, despite the low level of English we're dealing with. Here are just a few of the pics from the weekend.
Eager Teacher
My current dilemma...
I teach classes that sometimes reach numbers of 40 students. Because of the communication barrier and the number of students, the homeroom teachers are required to stay with the class while I teach English. This has been a huge blessing at times when the teachers manage well and at times a big burden. Many of these teachers are eager to learn English and become very active in my classes. One teacher in particular is very enthusiastic and perhaps feels a boost of confidence about her English abilities when compared to the students. She answers all my questions before the students even have a chance! Quite often I have a competition of some kind in class and she keeps giving away the answers. It's actually quite hilarious how genuine she is. Anything I ask the students to repeat she's right in there dominating the voices.
I've had to handle a situation like this before where I told an eager student to take a break and let someone else talk, but I'm not sure that the approach is going to be the same with a teacher.
I teach classes that sometimes reach numbers of 40 students. Because of the communication barrier and the number of students, the homeroom teachers are required to stay with the class while I teach English. This has been a huge blessing at times when the teachers manage well and at times a big burden. Many of these teachers are eager to learn English and become very active in my classes. One teacher in particular is very enthusiastic and perhaps feels a boost of confidence about her English abilities when compared to the students. She answers all my questions before the students even have a chance! Quite often I have a competition of some kind in class and she keeps giving away the answers. It's actually quite hilarious how genuine she is. Anything I ask the students to repeat she's right in there dominating the voices.
I've had to handle a situation like this before where I told an eager student to take a break and let someone else talk, but I'm not sure that the approach is going to be the same with a teacher.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Broadway Blake
Blake told me a story about his day today and I wanted to post it on the blog because it's too cute not to share.
Blake is teaching a variety of levels at his school and this includes some very young kids (gr 1 and 2). While he has developed into an excellent teacher for older grades, the strategy for working with little guys is a lot different and is all new to him. I would love to be a fly on the wall and see him with these little guys!
Blake was attempting to teach the months of the year today and was losing their attention in the discussion. They weren't too interested in learning how to spell the words and were distracted by anything and everything. One of the Korean helpers said to Blake, "They don't understand...you just need to sing!" I can just imagine Blake's response...something along the lines of...'you're kidding right?!'
I guess the Korean teacher assumed she would be waiting a good while before Blake broke out in song so she decided to take over by singing, 'January, February, March, April' and touched a different body part for each word. January- head, February-nose, etc... The kids instantly jerked to attention when they heard singing and mimicked exactly what the teacher was doing and sang along. Blake said he was entirely baffled watching how captivated they were. I think we're going to see some changes this year in my husband! I'll keep you posted :)
Blake is teaching a variety of levels at his school and this includes some very young kids (gr 1 and 2). While he has developed into an excellent teacher for older grades, the strategy for working with little guys is a lot different and is all new to him. I would love to be a fly on the wall and see him with these little guys!
Blake was attempting to teach the months of the year today and was losing their attention in the discussion. They weren't too interested in learning how to spell the words and were distracted by anything and everything. One of the Korean helpers said to Blake, "They don't understand...you just need to sing!" I can just imagine Blake's response...something along the lines of...'you're kidding right?!'
I guess the Korean teacher assumed she would be waiting a good while before Blake broke out in song so she decided to take over by singing, 'January, February, March, April' and touched a different body part for each word. January- head, February-nose, etc... The kids instantly jerked to attention when they heard singing and mimicked exactly what the teacher was doing and sang along. Blake said he was entirely baffled watching how captivated they were. I think we're going to see some changes this year in my husband! I'll keep you posted :)
One of those days!
I just finished teaching my last group of kids today and I need an opportunity to de-stress! This public school arrangement is a little tough at times! You know all the wonderful things I said about Korean kids last year?! I have learned that kids are kids and this public school deal has showed me that it isn't that much different from home.
Let me tell you about my day....
It started out with rain and gloom. I didn't feel 100% and I also wasn't feeling entirely prepared for my classes as I had skipped prep time yesterday to go to the immigration office. However, the day began with the usual bus ride. As an aside...I think riding the buses here in Korea should be considered an Olympic sport. I stand beside all these Korean girls who wear short mini-skirts and high heels and seem to have this innate ability for balance. I am the crazy white lady wearing work clothes and running shoes who grasps at anything and anyone for stability and still goes flying. Today was an exceptionally bad ride (I thought the bus was going to tip over!) and to make matters worse, I had an umbrella in one hand that prevented me from using two hands to hang on and my umbrella kept whacking people. I am sure it was quite the sight!
I arrived at school unscathed and managed to prevent any stabbings with the umbrella. On top of my teaching load today which involved some nightmarish Grade 5 classes, I also had to run a club activity called 'English Animation' that happens once every two weeks. For some reason, only boys signed up for this club activity (sigh) and it just so happened to be a combination of all the most horribly behaved boys from all of my other classes. I couldn't believe the combination of kids as they walked through the door. I knew it wasn't going to go well right from the get-go! I normally have a Korean teacher with me for classes to help with management, but I don't have one for the club activities- which is where I need it the most! Classroom management can be tough at times when the kids understand you! The first two boys walked in punching each other, a couple others followed who were soon rolling on the ground wrestling and everyone was yelling before it even started- it was absolute chaos! After trying an assortment of techniques involving yelling in Korean (and boy does it scare them to have a crazy white lady yelling with words they understand), I finally had their attention. I went to play the dvd we were to watch, but my computer decided to give me error messages in Korean! At this point the class is in chaos again and I couldn't get any of the dvd's to work. The tape player worked so I shoved in the only tape I had which was....are you ready....Winnie the Pooh! Oh my goodness- I just wanted to be swallowed up! The boys watched long enough to see the title and had an absolute fit. It was awful!!
Thankfully, my TV will display my computer screen so I quickly found some Mr. Bean and Animaniacs clips on youtube and I was able to keep their attention long enough to pass the time. Some of the really bad ones even fell asleep (and I was not about to wake them)!
One of the other challenges I'm dealing with is the kids trying out random English words they hear on TV- I'm sure you can guess the type of words I'm talking about. I know they have some idea that the words are 'bad' or they wouldn't try them, but they also are saying them in front of the Korean teachers and in front of me which makes me think they don't entirely know what they're doing. I am somewhat at a loss as to how to effectively handle situations like these.
At any rate...I earned my pay today! I'm exhausted. I'm about to lace up my running shoes and get on the dreaded bus again. I've got my umbrella again so pray for the safety of the people around me! :)
Let me tell you about my day....
It started out with rain and gloom. I didn't feel 100% and I also wasn't feeling entirely prepared for my classes as I had skipped prep time yesterday to go to the immigration office. However, the day began with the usual bus ride. As an aside...I think riding the buses here in Korea should be considered an Olympic sport. I stand beside all these Korean girls who wear short mini-skirts and high heels and seem to have this innate ability for balance. I am the crazy white lady wearing work clothes and running shoes who grasps at anything and anyone for stability and still goes flying. Today was an exceptionally bad ride (I thought the bus was going to tip over!) and to make matters worse, I had an umbrella in one hand that prevented me from using two hands to hang on and my umbrella kept whacking people. I am sure it was quite the sight!
I arrived at school unscathed and managed to prevent any stabbings with the umbrella. On top of my teaching load today which involved some nightmarish Grade 5 classes, I also had to run a club activity called 'English Animation' that happens once every two weeks. For some reason, only boys signed up for this club activity (sigh) and it just so happened to be a combination of all the most horribly behaved boys from all of my other classes. I couldn't believe the combination of kids as they walked through the door. I knew it wasn't going to go well right from the get-go! I normally have a Korean teacher with me for classes to help with management, but I don't have one for the club activities- which is where I need it the most! Classroom management can be tough at times when the kids understand you! The first two boys walked in punching each other, a couple others followed who were soon rolling on the ground wrestling and everyone was yelling before it even started- it was absolute chaos! After trying an assortment of techniques involving yelling in Korean (and boy does it scare them to have a crazy white lady yelling with words they understand), I finally had their attention. I went to play the dvd we were to watch, but my computer decided to give me error messages in Korean! At this point the class is in chaos again and I couldn't get any of the dvd's to work. The tape player worked so I shoved in the only tape I had which was....are you ready....Winnie the Pooh! Oh my goodness- I just wanted to be swallowed up! The boys watched long enough to see the title and had an absolute fit. It was awful!!
Thankfully, my TV will display my computer screen so I quickly found some Mr. Bean and Animaniacs clips on youtube and I was able to keep their attention long enough to pass the time. Some of the really bad ones even fell asleep (and I was not about to wake them)!
One of the other challenges I'm dealing with is the kids trying out random English words they hear on TV- I'm sure you can guess the type of words I'm talking about. I know they have some idea that the words are 'bad' or they wouldn't try them, but they also are saying them in front of the Korean teachers and in front of me which makes me think they don't entirely know what they're doing. I am somewhat at a loss as to how to effectively handle situations like these.
At any rate...I earned my pay today! I'm exhausted. I'm about to lace up my running shoes and get on the dreaded bus again. I've got my umbrella again so pray for the safety of the people around me! :)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Chuseok Weekend (Thanksgiving)
We are loving having Jenn and Jord here! While it will take some adjusting, they are saying they really love it here. We went touring around Seoul this past weekend and here are some pictures. The first few are from The Korean War Museum.
Above: Jordan with a big tank.
Below: Boys are loving being together surrounded by big guns and tanks. Girls are thankful that boys can rave about big guns and tanks to one another and not have to involve girls :) Girls can then talk about much more meaningful topics!
Below: Blake welcoming Jordan to Korea.
Below: Flags of the countries that helped South Korea fight off the North Koreans.
Below: Yay for Canada!
Below: Korean meal with old friends and new friends.
We also toured ancient burial grounds for some of Korea's kings of old. It was such a beautiful, calm park right smack in the middle of Seoul.
Below: An old Korean man attempting to explain the park in English. Pretty good effort!
Jenn and Jord taking in the sights.
Above: Jordan with a big tank.
Below: Boys are loving being together surrounded by big guns and tanks. Girls are thankful that boys can rave about big guns and tanks to one another and not have to involve girls :) Girls can then talk about much more meaningful topics!
Below: Blake welcoming Jordan to Korea.
Below: Flags of the countries that helped South Korea fight off the North Koreans.
Below: Yay for Canada!
Below: Korean meal with old friends and new friends.
We also toured ancient burial grounds for some of Korea's kings of old. It was such a beautiful, calm park right smack in the middle of Seoul.
Below: An old Korean man attempting to explain the park in English. Pretty good effort!
Jenn and Jord taking in the sights.
Cultural Differences
Blake and I have adjusted to most of the cultural differences we experience in South Korea , but teaching in public schools has provided us with some new ones we haven't encountered before. I guess our employers at our old schools were accustomed to dealing with us foreigners and had mostly (note mostly) worked out the kinks when it came to those cultural differences. I am the only white person at my school for 600 kids (which apparently is a small size) and this has given me a whole new perspective on Korean culture. One difference between Canadian schools and Korean schools is that they provide lunch here, but you must bring your own toilet paper. I find that so weird!
One teacher at my school has taken responsibility for making me feel welcome at lunchtime. Based on body language and context I'm pretty sure the principal commissioned him to talk to me when I was sitting alone on the first day. He can't speak English well, but he told me he likes it because he's getting free English lessons out of the deal. He's started to write me messages because his wife has told him his English writing needs improvement too. He's a pretty funny guy and tries hard so I'm humoured so far. :)
Blake is one of the only male teachers at his school and apparently the female teachers are tickled pink to have another guy around. Blake told me today that the conversation with the girls revolved around household duties and some were saying how their husbands don't help much. This past weekend was Thanksgiving where a great deal of food is prepared and women have a lot of responsibility. Blake was asked what sort of things he did around the house and they were shocked to learn he takes primary responsibility for laundry. He was pretty quick to share with me that those teachers thought that he was just a dream. I have such a gem on my hands! :)
One teacher at my school has taken responsibility for making me feel welcome at lunchtime. Based on body language and context I'm pretty sure the principal commissioned him to talk to me when I was sitting alone on the first day. He can't speak English well, but he told me he likes it because he's getting free English lessons out of the deal. He's started to write me messages because his wife has told him his English writing needs improvement too. He's a pretty funny guy and tries hard so I'm humoured so far. :)
Blake is one of the only male teachers at his school and apparently the female teachers are tickled pink to have another guy around. Blake told me today that the conversation with the girls revolved around household duties and some were saying how their husbands don't help much. This past weekend was Thanksgiving where a great deal of food is prepared and women have a lot of responsibility. Blake was asked what sort of things he did around the house and they were shocked to learn he takes primary responsibility for laundry. He was pretty quick to share with me that those teachers thought that he was just a dream. I have such a gem on my hands! :)
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Our New Diggs
Here are the pics for our new apartment. It's one big room plus a bathroom, but we've been able to section it off a bit. We found a great couch for cheap at a used furniture store and our apartment is really starting to feel like home now.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Jenn and Jord embark on the Korea Adventure
Jenn and Jordan have finally made it and are now here with us in Korea! They are extremely jet-lagged and are being thrown right into the thick of things with school. They're experiencing all the typical cultural shock, but I think they'll adjust in no time. We're attempting to set their apartment up so they have the essentials. It has been so neat to experience Korea again for the first time through their eyes. One of the first things we did with them was set them up with their subway cards and take them on a tour of the subway system...during rush hour :) Yes I think we're a little cruel. Jenn said something to the effect of, 'do you just push like everyone else?' and 'is there a word for excuse me?' For those unaware...yes you push and no you don't say excuse me.
We finally have internet at home!
We finally have internet at home!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Found my way!
So I found my way home last night and while I had to get help from a complete stranger to get to school this morning...I made it! I now know the exact buses I need to take.
I am now on my second day of teaching, but I feel a little out of the loop. Because no one speaks English well, they forget or just don't tell me what's going on at the school. I was in my classroom prepared to teach the grade 6 students at 9am, but it is now 9:40 and there are still no students. Not really sure what's going on. The ability to just 'go with the flow' and not need a whole lot of information is essential!
In other news...Jenn and Jordan have their visas! We are so excited to have them here with us! If all goes as scheduled, they will be arriving on Thursday at 1pm.
I am now on my second day of teaching, but I feel a little out of the loop. Because no one speaks English well, they forget or just don't tell me what's going on at the school. I was in my classroom prepared to teach the grade 6 students at 9am, but it is now 9:40 and there are still no students. Not really sure what's going on. The ability to just 'go with the flow' and not need a whole lot of information is essential!
In other news...Jenn and Jordan have their visas! We are so excited to have them here with us! If all goes as scheduled, they will be arriving on Thursday at 1pm.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Adjustments
Erin again with another update...we're alive and well in our new city. I think this year is going to be very very different from last year. We've had a few bumps to work out as we get set up, but nothing too big. We are thinking that our landlady went through the Korean war and has become a pack-rat because of it. (Yes Amy, I think she would even beat your pack-rat tendancies) Our one room apartment had a piano in it and was full of horrible plastic-like blankets and broken pots and pans. The blankets took up the limited closet space and while a piano is nice, it is highly impractical when it is such a little room. We asked her to move it along with all the other junk (perhaps to her own apartment?)...to which she said that there was no other room. Our contact at school was kind enough to reason with her and we now only have a few of her storage items in our place. Apparently this is quite typical in Korea.
The other hiccup that I'm dealing with is getting lost. Blake and I worked at the same school last year and our classes were beside each other. This year I have to take the bus and he walks to school. I know it's pathetic because so many other couples never even have the chance to work together, but I really miss him. I rely on him in so many ways, but his gift for direction entirely compensates for my incompetence in this area. I can never tell you which way is north or south and I constantly get turned around and confused. I follow Blake like a puppydog as we navigate around the city. Now I'm on my own and I hate it! I got lost going home from school last night and couldn't find my way to school this morning. I still don't know how to get home! I'll have to sit down with google earth once we get internet hooked up at home and try to make sense of it. Last night when I was trying to get home it was pouring rain and I had no umbrella. I knew I was really close to home and probably could have made it had I searched a little longer, but Blake had felt prompted to come look for me in the pouring rain. I can't express the relief it was to see my man come to rescue me! I felt like such a damsel in distress awaiting my knight in shining armour to rescue me. I am so thankful for him!
Teaching is going pretty well. The students are very low level English and nothing like what we experienced last year. I am the only foreign teacher at school and the other Korean teachers seem nice and friendly, but many are hesitant to talk to me. The kids are pretty funny and some are just so desperate to interact with me, but can't figure out what to say so they just bang their hands on their heads (which is typical when you're frustrated). Other kids will just yell out any English words they know like 'hamburger' and 'hi!' Hilarious at this point. I think we're getting the true 'ESL' experience now.
Jenn and Jordan are still stuck at home in Canada because of the visa situation. They have another flight booked for Wednesday and are hoping the visa will come through by then. We are eagerly anticipating their arrival!
The other hiccup that I'm dealing with is getting lost. Blake and I worked at the same school last year and our classes were beside each other. This year I have to take the bus and he walks to school. I know it's pathetic because so many other couples never even have the chance to work together, but I really miss him. I rely on him in so many ways, but his gift for direction entirely compensates for my incompetence in this area. I can never tell you which way is north or south and I constantly get turned around and confused. I follow Blake like a puppydog as we navigate around the city. Now I'm on my own and I hate it! I got lost going home from school last night and couldn't find my way to school this morning. I still don't know how to get home! I'll have to sit down with google earth once we get internet hooked up at home and try to make sense of it. Last night when I was trying to get home it was pouring rain and I had no umbrella. I knew I was really close to home and probably could have made it had I searched a little longer, but Blake had felt prompted to come look for me in the pouring rain. I can't express the relief it was to see my man come to rescue me! I felt like such a damsel in distress awaiting my knight in shining armour to rescue me. I am so thankful for him!
Teaching is going pretty well. The students are very low level English and nothing like what we experienced last year. I am the only foreign teacher at school and the other Korean teachers seem nice and friendly, but many are hesitant to talk to me. The kids are pretty funny and some are just so desperate to interact with me, but can't figure out what to say so they just bang their hands on their heads (which is typical when you're frustrated). Other kids will just yell out any English words they know like 'hamburger' and 'hi!' Hilarious at this point. I think we're getting the true 'ESL' experience now.
Jenn and Jordan are still stuck at home in Canada because of the visa situation. They have another flight booked for Wednesday and are hoping the visa will come through by then. We are eagerly anticipating their arrival!
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