Okay, so... I always say that, I don't know why.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Touring South Korea
Well, we had another adventure this past Palm Sunday weekend. The EPIK orientation was actually a really beneficial time for us, if only because we were able to make some great friends there. One couple, Taylor and Lindsey Lett, invited us to come stay a night at their home in Yeoungsan.
Yeoungsan.
...
Yeoungsan, Yeounsan, Yeoungsan!!!
This little town is about a 45 minute bus ride south of Daegu, so it's fairly close. The drive to Yeoungsan (from Busan) is scenicly surrounded by mountains even larger than we have in the Daegu area. At night, Yeoungsan actually looks devent sized, but in actuality it is about half the size of Seongju, the small city Anna and I teach in. I don't really know what the drive from Daegu to Yeoungsan looks like, though.
"Why is this?" you may ask.
Well, there are many towns and cities in Korea that sound similar to Yeoungsan, such as: Youngsan, Yangsan, Yongson, etc. The hangul for our intended Yeoungsan, however, is 영산. When we arrived at the bus station, the attendant apparently said something along the lines of, "oh no, you don't want to go there. You want to go to 양 산." Well, we didn't know, so we did what she said... Little did we know this would result in the waste of a significant portion of our Saturday. We left our apartment at 1:30p and should have arrived by 3p. Instead, we arrived at our destination around, oh... 8:30p!!! The bus we took went in a huge loop. If you have access to a map of Korea, we went east to Gyeongju and then south to Yangsan, which is a suburb of Busan. Busan is about 2.5 hours south east of Daegu.
So, after telling Taylor and Lindsey that we would be in Yeoungsan around 3p, we arrived in Yangsan around 5:30-6p. The bus driver literally kicked us out on the side of the road. We had no idea where we were. We ended up walking about 2 miles through Yangsan, dragging a suitcase and carrying 2 pillows, looking for a subway station/taxi. We finally found the latter that brought us to the former, and took a 30 min subway trip to Sangso, near central Busan. Fortunately, Taylor and Lindsey had just purchased a car the day before, and Taylor was able to find the bus station while driving in Busan for the first time. I can't even imagine how scary that would be. Once we found Taylor, it was 1-1.5 hours back to Yeoungsan. Wow.
After that we had a great time. They showed us a game (I think it was called San Juan) similar to Settlers, but without the board. A good game for Danny and Emily :). They also showed us their spunky son Corin. While waiting for us, Corin, two-year-old (almost) "beast" of a red-haired boy, managed to bust open both of his lips and his pinky toe. He's great!!! I have to say I am a bit jealous of their place though, a 3 bedroom with flat floors :). I am not, however, jealous of their location. They are pretty secluded.
In the morning we went with them back to Busan to visit their church. It was a foreigners church! Everyone spoke English! Actually, it was a little bit weird. We had a great time though: the message was about controlling the tongue, taken from James. It was interesting to apply, especially in Korea, where I find myself analyzing so many of the things around me, and where often times there are only one or two people within hearing range who can understand what I am saying, if that. Afterwards they treated us to lunch at another Italian Restaurant :), and then we joined them for a couple's bible study.
We were also able to see the Busan shoreline, which was excellent. It was easily the most gorgeous day we've experienced here so far, and we took a relaxing stroll along the beach. I can't remember what it was called, but we will post a video of it.
Overall, I don't think I could really call the weekend restful, but I can say that we had a great time, and if nothing else, I have a much better sense of distance and direction for the southeastern corner of the country.
Yeoungsan.
...
Yeoungsan, Yeounsan, Yeoungsan!!!
This little town is about a 45 minute bus ride south of Daegu, so it's fairly close. The drive to Yeoungsan (from Busan) is scenicly surrounded by mountains even larger than we have in the Daegu area. At night, Yeoungsan actually looks devent sized, but in actuality it is about half the size of Seongju, the small city Anna and I teach in. I don't really know what the drive from Daegu to Yeoungsan looks like, though.
"Why is this?" you may ask.
Well, there are many towns and cities in Korea that sound similar to Yeoungsan, such as: Youngsan, Yangsan, Yongson, etc. The hangul for our intended Yeoungsan, however, is 영산. When we arrived at the bus station, the attendant apparently said something along the lines of, "oh no, you don't want to go there. You want to go to 양 산." Well, we didn't know, so we did what she said... Little did we know this would result in the waste of a significant portion of our Saturday. We left our apartment at 1:30p and should have arrived by 3p. Instead, we arrived at our destination around, oh... 8:30p!!! The bus we took went in a huge loop. If you have access to a map of Korea, we went east to Gyeongju and then south to Yangsan, which is a suburb of Busan. Busan is about 2.5 hours south east of Daegu.
So, after telling Taylor and Lindsey that we would be in Yeoungsan around 3p, we arrived in Yangsan around 5:30-6p. The bus driver literally kicked us out on the side of the road. We had no idea where we were. We ended up walking about 2 miles through Yangsan, dragging a suitcase and carrying 2 pillows, looking for a subway station/taxi. We finally found the latter that brought us to the former, and took a 30 min subway trip to Sangso, near central Busan. Fortunately, Taylor and Lindsey had just purchased a car the day before, and Taylor was able to find the bus station while driving in Busan for the first time. I can't even imagine how scary that would be. Once we found Taylor, it was 1-1.5 hours back to Yeoungsan. Wow.
After that we had a great time. They showed us a game (I think it was called San Juan) similar to Settlers, but without the board. A good game for Danny and Emily :). They also showed us their spunky son Corin. While waiting for us, Corin, two-year-old (almost) "beast" of a red-haired boy, managed to bust open both of his lips and his pinky toe. He's great!!! I have to say I am a bit jealous of their place though, a 3 bedroom with flat floors :). I am not, however, jealous of their location. They are pretty secluded.
In the morning we went with them back to Busan to visit their church. It was a foreigners church! Everyone spoke English! Actually, it was a little bit weird. We had a great time though: the message was about controlling the tongue, taken from James. It was interesting to apply, especially in Korea, where I find myself analyzing so many of the things around me, and where often times there are only one or two people within hearing range who can understand what I am saying, if that. Afterwards they treated us to lunch at another Italian Restaurant :), and then we joined them for a couple's bible study.
We were also able to see the Busan shoreline, which was excellent. It was easily the most gorgeous day we've experienced here so far, and we took a relaxing stroll along the beach. I can't remember what it was called, but we will post a video of it.
Overall, I don't think I could really call the weekend restful, but I can say that we had a great time, and if nothing else, I have a much better sense of distance and direction for the southeastern corner of the country.
Friday, March 26, 2010
So, what's new with Seth?
Even Anna was telling me I need to make a new post, since she has written the last three or four. Sorry about that... Anyway, things are going great for me! For some reason it feels like I have an easier setup than Anna, even though I teach more classes. I love my second school, Gacheon. The students are incredible, and the co-teachers are helpful friendly.
It's kind of funny how things are working out. My first school, Meung-In, is actually very challenging, especially Monday. That's because I have High School grade 1... Sometimes they drive me nuts! One native English teacher here actually suggested I start making them do wall-sits to keep them in line, and actually I probably will!
By Wednesday, I wonder what we are doing in Korea, and then my middle schoolers save the day. They are a lot of fun, and very excited to be in class. Thursday and Friday are amazing though. The kids at this school are just priceless.
Yesterday, one of my periods randomly cancelled class so that the first and third grade high schoolers could play soccer... in the rain... on a sand field. Well, the girls had no interest in this, so they dragged me into the auditorium for Karaoke!!! Apparently, this school loves karaoke so much they bought a massive machine with probably 5,000 songs, including English. So after getting an "example," I serenaded them with "Georgia on my Mind." The funny thing is that when the students sing American songs, their English is perfect! I didn't know the songs they sang (mostly Beyonce), but they sang them great. Right before lunch, and to cap off the "concert", they insisted I rap for them... Never had much talent for that. It was... interesting. But they loved it, so it was fun.
Anyway, I'm about finished with my day here, and getting ready to leave, so I'll write some more next week.
Seth
It's kind of funny how things are working out. My first school, Meung-In, is actually very challenging, especially Monday. That's because I have High School grade 1... Sometimes they drive me nuts! One native English teacher here actually suggested I start making them do wall-sits to keep them in line, and actually I probably will!
By Wednesday, I wonder what we are doing in Korea, and then my middle schoolers save the day. They are a lot of fun, and very excited to be in class. Thursday and Friday are amazing though. The kids at this school are just priceless.
Yesterday, one of my periods randomly cancelled class so that the first and third grade high schoolers could play soccer... in the rain... on a sand field. Well, the girls had no interest in this, so they dragged me into the auditorium for Karaoke!!! Apparently, this school loves karaoke so much they bought a massive machine with probably 5,000 songs, including English. So after getting an "example," I serenaded them with "Georgia on my Mind." The funny thing is that when the students sing American songs, their English is perfect! I didn't know the songs they sang (mostly Beyonce), but they sang them great. Right before lunch, and to cap off the "concert", they insisted I rap for them... Never had much talent for that. It was... interesting. But they loved it, so it was fun.
Anyway, I'm about finished with my day here, and getting ready to leave, so I'll write some more next week.
Seth
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Day to Day
I don’t even know where to start! We have been so busy lately. Of course, it has mostly been good busy. I work 9 1/2 hour days, and I am gone for 11 hours. Seth’s schedule is a little different, but it averages out that he his gone for about the same amount of time. On most days, we have been spending time with Korean and foreign friends. Here are a few of the things we have done.
We went to downtown Daegu and had delicious Italian food with one of Seth’s co-teachers, Peter. It was a great night of relaxation and fun.
My co-teacher’s niece, Minhee and her brother, Chanhee,, took us out for Italian food and bowling. We have had lots of spaghetti and pizza because everyone knows that I love Italian food. They all want to take us to their favorite Italian restaurants J It’s great! Many of the restaurants are Western-style. The only big difference is that most of them are very small. Also, you usually call the server with a button that is at the table. After having Italian, we went bowling., the bowling alley was similar except for the fact that it wasn’t one very long wide room; the bowling alley located on three separate floors of a building.
We saw Shutter Island at the local Lotte Theater with a few other native English teachers who live near us. The theater was built like bowling alley. It is many floors high. You purchase your tickets on one floor, and then take the elevator up to the floor that your movie is playing on. They also have assigned seating J I was soooo happy to find that they have American style popcorn. I have had a very hard time finding it. Most of the most popular adult movies are in English with Korean subtitles! Yay! Twilight Saga J
We had a native English teacher over to hang out and play games.
We had a Korean friend and a Kenyan friend over to play Wii, watch a movie, and have Chinese food. We had our Kenyan friend order the Chinese for us because we had no idea what to say. The Chinese food was delicious and very authentic. I liked it a lot better than American Chinese food.
We also went to a Korean concert. Seth’s principal gave him tickets to the orchestra that was playing at the university near our apartment. It was beautiful. They played many songs that I didn’t know, but they also played some that I did know, like “My Heart Will Go On” and “Jesus Christ, Superstar.”
Tonight will are hosting “Taco Night” for all of native English teachers in Seongsoe (West Daegu).
Our apartment is small, but it is very cozy. We have received many compliments about it from Koreans and foreigners. All of the furniture is used. Our co-teachers got it from a previous native English teacher. We were told by a few Koreans that even though our apartment is a traditional Korean-style apartment, it has the feel of foreigners. I am curious to find out how our apartment is different from a Korean’s apartment. We haven’t been to one yet!
We just realized that after the Dell technician fixed out computer, we lost 3/4 of our files that were saved on our old hard drive. I was devastated, and I am still very upset. We had hours and hours worth of college essays, projects, resumes, job applications, financial information, lessons plans, pictures, etc. on our old hard drive. Now, we have lost most of it for good. We are going to see if there is any possible way to retrieve those files, but it is highly unlikely. I feel like a huge part of my life is missing. Despite being very angry about it, I am trying to accept that God is teaching me an important lesson from this experience. I really don’t want to learn this lesson! Before leaving for Korea, our church was going through a series on stewardship. I learned a lot about material blessings and spiritual blessings, and I believe this is a big reminder that no matter how much time I spent on those files and no matter how important they are to me, they are just files. They are not as important as building relationships. Learning lessons can be such a pain!
-Anna-Teacher :)
We went to downtown Daegu and had delicious Italian food with one of Seth’s co-teachers, Peter. It was a great night of relaxation and fun.
My co-teacher’s niece, Minhee and her brother, Chanhee,, took us out for Italian food and bowling. We have had lots of spaghetti and pizza because everyone knows that I love Italian food. They all want to take us to their favorite Italian restaurants J It’s great! Many of the restaurants are Western-style. The only big difference is that most of them are very small. Also, you usually call the server with a button that is at the table. After having Italian, we went bowling., the bowling alley was similar except for the fact that it wasn’t one very long wide room; the bowling alley located on three separate floors of a building.
We saw Shutter Island at the local Lotte Theater with a few other native English teachers who live near us. The theater was built like bowling alley. It is many floors high. You purchase your tickets on one floor, and then take the elevator up to the floor that your movie is playing on. They also have assigned seating J I was soooo happy to find that they have American style popcorn. I have had a very hard time finding it. Most of the most popular adult movies are in English with Korean subtitles! Yay! Twilight Saga J
We had a native English teacher over to hang out and play games.
We had a Korean friend and a Kenyan friend over to play Wii, watch a movie, and have Chinese food. We had our Kenyan friend order the Chinese for us because we had no idea what to say. The Chinese food was delicious and very authentic. I liked it a lot better than American Chinese food.
We also went to a Korean concert. Seth’s principal gave him tickets to the orchestra that was playing at the university near our apartment. It was beautiful. They played many songs that I didn’t know, but they also played some that I did know, like “My Heart Will Go On” and “Jesus Christ, Superstar.”
Tonight will are hosting “Taco Night” for all of native English teachers in Seongsoe (West Daegu).
Our apartment is small, but it is very cozy. We have received many compliments about it from Koreans and foreigners. All of the furniture is used. Our co-teachers got it from a previous native English teacher. We were told by a few Koreans that even though our apartment is a traditional Korean-style apartment, it has the feel of foreigners. I am curious to find out how our apartment is different from a Korean’s apartment. We haven’t been to one yet!
We just realized that after the Dell technician fixed out computer, we lost 3/4 of our files that were saved on our old hard drive. I was devastated, and I am still very upset. We had hours and hours worth of college essays, projects, resumes, job applications, financial information, lessons plans, pictures, etc. on our old hard drive. Now, we have lost most of it for good. We are going to see if there is any possible way to retrieve those files, but it is highly unlikely. I feel like a huge part of my life is missing. Despite being very angry about it, I am trying to accept that God is teaching me an important lesson from this experience. I really don’t want to learn this lesson! Before leaving for Korea, our church was going through a series on stewardship. I learned a lot about material blessings and spiritual blessings, and I believe this is a big reminder that no matter how much time I spent on those files and no matter how important they are to me, they are just files. They are not as important as building relationships. Learning lessons can be such a pain!
-Anna-Teacher :)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
A Few Observations
Before coming to Korea, I was told that a typical Korean teenager’s life is very different from a typical American teenager’s life. As I work with Korean high school students, these differences become more and more noticeable. My high school students have been working on a “Dream Job” unit. At first, I wasn’t sure if this unit would be appropriate for the first year high school students, but I was very encouraged to hear, from my co-teacher, that this unit is perfect for them because they are so busy studying that they don’t have time to daydream about their future. The students are making posters in which they have to explain their dream job, the reasons why they want the job, their personal strengths, and steps they must take to achieve their goal. As the students were writing about the steps they must take to achieve their dream job, I noticed that all of the students focused on studying hard, passing exams, and going to a good university. These steps are important; however, everyone focused on studies even when I showed them a personal example in which only one of my three steps had anything to do with studies. In order to get a good job and have stability, students in Korea must do well in high school, have good exam scores, and do well in the university. I have been told that when colleges are looking at applications, they focus solely on grades; whereas, in the United States, grades are important, but schools also place a high priority on extracurricular activities, volunteer work, jobs, etc.
I have also noticed how generous and giving my students are. My students are constantly giving me candy, chips, etc. Even if I don’t want what they offer, I accept it with a smile because I know that this is a method of expressing their feelings. They also want to teach me everything about Korea. Getting to know my students on a deeper level has humbled me. The phrase “life-long learner” is cheesy, but teaching has shown me how true and important this motto is. Even though I have more education and more life experience than my students, they teach me something new everyday. Although teaching is very challenging and exhausting work, it is an extremely rewarding job.
Sung-Sang-Nim (Teacher)
I have also noticed how generous and giving my students are. My students are constantly giving me candy, chips, etc. Even if I don’t want what they offer, I accept it with a smile because I know that this is a method of expressing their feelings. They also want to teach me everything about Korea. Getting to know my students on a deeper level has humbled me. The phrase “life-long learner” is cheesy, but teaching has shown me how true and important this motto is. Even though I have more education and more life experience than my students, they teach me something new everyday. Although teaching is very challenging and exhausting work, it is an extremely rewarding job.
Sung-Sang-Nim (Teacher)
Monday, March 15, 2010
Experiencing Korea
I love the fact that when Seth and I are walking down the street minding our own business, children, teenagers, and some adults will wait until we have walked five feet past, say “hi,” and then giggle and run away. No matter how much I adapt to my new surroundings, this is a cute reminder that I am a foreigner.
Last Saturday, we met Mrs. Lee, one of my co-teachers, and her niece, Minhee; we hiked up Waryoung Sun or Mount Waryoung. It was the warmest day we have had in a while. At the top of the small mountain, we were able to look down on all of Daegu and its 2 million inhabitants. We saw high-rise apartment complexes for miles, many blue-roofed factories, and beautiful mountains.
After church on Sunday, Maurice, a Kenyan who is studying theology at Keimyoung University near our house, took us out for Korean barbeque. I believe it is called Samgyeopsal or three layer meat. We sat around a circular table with a grill in the center and cooked our meal while chatting.
After school on Monday, all of the English teachers from Seongju met at the District Education Center. After the meeting, we were able to meet more English teachers from America and other Korean English teachers. It was rejuvenating to connect with people from home and to meet other Koreans whom we can easily communicate with. On Thursday, we are all going to go to a movie together! I was told that the most popular American movies for adults are usually in English with Korean subtitles and that the movies for children are usually dubbed in Korean. I was pleasantly surprised to hear this.
Although Seth and I have become addicted to Paris Baguette and Lost and have gotten out of our exercise routine (Seth has started one), we both have managed to lose weight. Traditional Korean food is very healthy. It is fresh and unprocessed. Koreans eat rice for three meals a day, soup for most meals, and Kimchi for most every meal.
I continue to learn about, appreciate, and enjoy Korea, the people, and the culture. At the same time, I continue to understand and appreciate the United States more. It is amazing how learning about another culture allows you to learn even more about your own.
-Anna-Teacher
Last Saturday, we met Mrs. Lee, one of my co-teachers, and her niece, Minhee; we hiked up Waryoung Sun or Mount Waryoung. It was the warmest day we have had in a while. At the top of the small mountain, we were able to look down on all of Daegu and its 2 million inhabitants. We saw high-rise apartment complexes for miles, many blue-roofed factories, and beautiful mountains.
After church on Sunday, Maurice, a Kenyan who is studying theology at Keimyoung University near our house, took us out for Korean barbeque. I believe it is called Samgyeopsal or three layer meat. We sat around a circular table with a grill in the center and cooked our meal while chatting.
After school on Monday, all of the English teachers from Seongju met at the District Education Center. After the meeting, we were able to meet more English teachers from America and other Korean English teachers. It was rejuvenating to connect with people from home and to meet other Koreans whom we can easily communicate with. On Thursday, we are all going to go to a movie together! I was told that the most popular American movies for adults are usually in English with Korean subtitles and that the movies for children are usually dubbed in Korean. I was pleasantly surprised to hear this.
Although Seth and I have become addicted to Paris Baguette and Lost and have gotten out of our exercise routine (Seth has started one), we both have managed to lose weight. Traditional Korean food is very healthy. It is fresh and unprocessed. Koreans eat rice for three meals a day, soup for most meals, and Kimchi for most every meal.
I continue to learn about, appreciate, and enjoy Korea, the people, and the culture. At the same time, I continue to understand and appreciate the United States more. It is amazing how learning about another culture allows you to learn even more about your own.
-Anna-Teacher
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Snow day!
So! Most of you saw my facebook post yesterday about how I had a snowday. Officially, it was the first time a snowfall like that has happened in 50 years in our part of Korea. The bus ride out was terrifying! Our ride couldn't get her car out of the snow, we took the bus. The roads were sloshy and awful, and at one point the bus actually got stuck! However, it was actually a very warm day, and the snow was melting quickly. It looked amazing! It was a very wet snow, so every tree branch was draped. It really was beautiful. I have no clue why my school cancelled the second half of the day, though, because the snow was halfway gone by the time they did. I'm pretty sure it was just an excuse to go home, and to let the students play in the snow.
So most of you were probably feeling sorry for Anna because she had to stay at work all day and she had to turn down entrails for lunch. Well... don't. My co-teachers were so excited to have a half day that 4 of them insisted on taking me out to lunch. My buddy, "Peter," a 50ish year-old widower who absolutely loves almost anything to do with me, told me that they were taking me to a place that is famous in Korea for it's hand-rolled traditional noodles. He proceeded to describe how natural and unprocessed and healthy traditional korean food is, which is true.
Anyway, when we got there, the other 3 teachers were waiting for us. We sat down, and this is what Peter said:
"We are going to have traditional hand-rolled noodles, but first, I want you to try something new. I'm not going to tell you what it is, because most Americans don't like to eat it, but (mumble, mumble, mumble) insides of a pig."
...
So there I am, the only American in the restaurant, sitting with four 40-50 year old Koreans who have just payed for my meal, and out come the entrails! :) I really have no way of dodging this one, because the first course was served communal style as lettuce wraps, with Kimchi, garlic, traditional Korean sauce, and hot peppers. While you're reading this, just think about that for a second: entrail lettuce wraps! Well, that was the one thing I tried not to do, was think about it. I've decided that the best way to eat things you don't know the origin of is to not think about what it is. Even if it doesn't taste good, just get down, smile, and say thank you.
Anyway, that is why you shouldn't feel sorry for Anna. She didn't eat it.
Today was an awesome day teaching, I had so much fun! I teach at two schools. The first, Meung-In Middle and High School, is a private informational school. Informational school basically means "school for kids who aren't going to be doctors or lawyers or businessmen or teachers." These are basically the future blue collar South Koreans, who really don't care about English. Consequently, the high schoolers have very little English ability or desire to improve. I have 9 classes of 30 in high school, and 3 classes of 6-15 in Middle school (which is glorious, by the way). I have one of those very fancy 52 inch touch screens for my lessons, and 3 co-teachers: Peter, Mr. Lee, and Mr. Che. Mr. Che is my "co-teacher/life assistant." He is the one who is assigned to be my "protector." :) He is a chain-smoking, outdoorsman with a secret desite to gamble, and he's great.
My other school is Gacheon middle and high school. I work at Meung-In M-W and at Gacheon Th-F, but I kind of wish it was the other way around. The students at Gacheon, although at a similar ability level English-wise, are incredible. My first two classes I struggled, because they were my first two classes period, my powerpoint wouldn't work, and they were the only bigger classes in the school. It's difficult to keep high schoolers entertained without visuals, a back-up plan, or any reasonable idea of how skilled they are at English. After a week under my belt, however, I can't wait to go back. I have six classes there: High School grade 1 (Sophomores) has 22 students; High School grade 2 has 9; High School grade 3 has 30. Middle School 1 (grade 7) has 12, Middle School 2 has 10, and Middle School 3 has 7. Whereas my co-teachers at Meung-In are all older guys, my co-teachers at Gacheon are slightly younger women, and very involved in the classroom, which is nice.
Anyway, I should go, I just wanted to let you guys know a few things about my teaching situation and some of the... interesting things that are going on.
Seth
So most of you were probably feeling sorry for Anna because she had to stay at work all day and she had to turn down entrails for lunch. Well... don't. My co-teachers were so excited to have a half day that 4 of them insisted on taking me out to lunch. My buddy, "Peter," a 50ish year-old widower who absolutely loves almost anything to do with me, told me that they were taking me to a place that is famous in Korea for it's hand-rolled traditional noodles. He proceeded to describe how natural and unprocessed and healthy traditional korean food is, which is true.
Anyway, when we got there, the other 3 teachers were waiting for us. We sat down, and this is what Peter said:
"We are going to have traditional hand-rolled noodles, but first, I want you to try something new. I'm not going to tell you what it is, because most Americans don't like to eat it, but (mumble, mumble, mumble) insides of a pig."
...
So there I am, the only American in the restaurant, sitting with four 40-50 year old Koreans who have just payed for my meal, and out come the entrails! :) I really have no way of dodging this one, because the first course was served communal style as lettuce wraps, with Kimchi, garlic, traditional Korean sauce, and hot peppers. While you're reading this, just think about that for a second: entrail lettuce wraps! Well, that was the one thing I tried not to do, was think about it. I've decided that the best way to eat things you don't know the origin of is to not think about what it is. Even if it doesn't taste good, just get down, smile, and say thank you.
Anyway, that is why you shouldn't feel sorry for Anna. She didn't eat it.
Today was an awesome day teaching, I had so much fun! I teach at two schools. The first, Meung-In Middle and High School, is a private informational school. Informational school basically means "school for kids who aren't going to be doctors or lawyers or businessmen or teachers." These are basically the future blue collar South Koreans, who really don't care about English. Consequently, the high schoolers have very little English ability or desire to improve. I have 9 classes of 30 in high school, and 3 classes of 6-15 in Middle school (which is glorious, by the way). I have one of those very fancy 52 inch touch screens for my lessons, and 3 co-teachers: Peter, Mr. Lee, and Mr. Che. Mr. Che is my "co-teacher/life assistant." He is the one who is assigned to be my "protector." :) He is a chain-smoking, outdoorsman with a secret desite to gamble, and he's great.
My other school is Gacheon middle and high school. I work at Meung-In M-W and at Gacheon Th-F, but I kind of wish it was the other way around. The students at Gacheon, although at a similar ability level English-wise, are incredible. My first two classes I struggled, because they were my first two classes period, my powerpoint wouldn't work, and they were the only bigger classes in the school. It's difficult to keep high schoolers entertained without visuals, a back-up plan, or any reasonable idea of how skilled they are at English. After a week under my belt, however, I can't wait to go back. I have six classes there: High School grade 1 (Sophomores) has 22 students; High School grade 2 has 9; High School grade 3 has 30. Middle School 1 (grade 7) has 12, Middle School 2 has 10, and Middle School 3 has 7. Whereas my co-teachers at Meung-In are all older guys, my co-teachers at Gacheon are slightly younger women, and very involved in the classroom, which is nice.
Anyway, I should go, I just wanted to let you guys know a few things about my teaching situation and some of the... interesting things that are going on.
Seth
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Feels Like Home to Me
As Seth and I stepped out the doors this morning, we were blinded by white. There was snow covering everything. Apparently, snow is an abnormality in Daegu. My co-teacher, who drives me to school every morning, was unable to get all of the snow off of her car, so she took the bus to our meeting location, and we took the bus to school together. The bus ride is normally 30 to 35 minutes. It took us an hour. We saw one snowplow the whole way. We ended up being late to teach our classes, but it all worked out. The people of Daegu are unprepared for snow storms because they very rarely get them. Mrs. Lee said that the last time she saw so much snow was when she was a child. Although the snow was an anomaly for many of the Koreans, I felt right at home. It seemed like a typical morning in Minnesota.
Wish I could post pictures of it :(
-Anna
Wish I could post pictures of it :(
-Anna
Octopus and Entrails
I have been silently dreading the day when I would be served octopus in the cafeteria (the cooks dish up your food for you). I knew it would probably come sooner rather than later, and it did. However, I never anticipated that I would be served entrails wrapped in pork intestine. Most Koreans love both of these dishes; I sadly wimped out and did not try either. I told my co-teacher that I will get up the courage to try entails before I leave, and I will probably end up trying octopus soon. It is simply a matter of how I was raised. Most Koreans eat octopus and entrails from childhood; they are common meals. As I child, the only seafood my family ate was fresh fish, and I don’t think many American families eat entrails. With time, I will overcome my fears and make my co-workers proud!
Although it is only my first week teaching, I believe that my school situation is perfect for me. I only teach 18 classes a week. Most of those classes are middle school students; however, I do teach one high school class a day. The first day I met my high school students I was shocked at their English language ability. I had to throw my lesson plan out because it was too easy for them! My students actually speak better than anyone else I have met in Korea. I can talk my normal speed with them! This high school class is made up of the top students from high school one and high school two (10th and 11th grade). I have 12 high school students total. 12 come to class on Monday, and for the rest of the week, they split up into two classes of six. I love it! I have decided to make the class a discussion format. Yesterday, we were talking about the differences between American education and Korean education. One of the students asked, “If Korean students study so much more than American students, why is America so much more powerful than Korea?” I was floored! We had a good discussion on the differences between Korea and the United States, and I hope to continue the discussion with them tomorrow. My high school students’ days look like this . . .
7:00am – begin studying
7:30am – classes start
lunch and dinner in the school cafeteria
9:00pm – classes end
9:00pm – 12:00am – study
12:00pm – go to bed
Many of the students live in a dorm on campus. This is a pretty typical high school schedule for Korean teenagers.
I hope that through God’s grace, I can be a positive influence on all of my students and co-workers in Korea!
Thanks for being involved in my life!
-Anna-Teacher - My students call me this :)
Although it is only my first week teaching, I believe that my school situation is perfect for me. I only teach 18 classes a week. Most of those classes are middle school students; however, I do teach one high school class a day. The first day I met my high school students I was shocked at their English language ability. I had to throw my lesson plan out because it was too easy for them! My students actually speak better than anyone else I have met in Korea. I can talk my normal speed with them! This high school class is made up of the top students from high school one and high school two (10th and 11th grade). I have 12 high school students total. 12 come to class on Monday, and for the rest of the week, they split up into two classes of six. I love it! I have decided to make the class a discussion format. Yesterday, we were talking about the differences between American education and Korean education. One of the students asked, “If Korean students study so much more than American students, why is America so much more powerful than Korea?” I was floored! We had a good discussion on the differences between Korea and the United States, and I hope to continue the discussion with them tomorrow. My high school students’ days look like this . . .
7:00am – begin studying
7:30am – classes start
lunch and dinner in the school cafeteria
9:00pm – classes end
9:00pm – 12:00am – study
12:00pm – go to bed
Many of the students live in a dorm on campus. This is a pretty typical high school schedule for Korean teenagers.
I hope that through God’s grace, I can be a positive influence on all of my students and co-workers in Korea!
Thanks for being involved in my life!
-Anna-Teacher - My students call me this :)
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Check out all of our pages!
My post pushed Seth's off again :) Make sure you check out his post too!
Food
I forgot one delicious little tidbit from yesterday. We are served very trabitional Korean food for lunch at our schools. Yesterdays meal was great overall: there was a sweet and sour chicken, a very tasty spout vegetable to go with the rice, and of course, soup. Now, the soup is what got me. I saw some students walk past with what appeared to be a large chunk of... something in a red broth. As I was being served the soups, I noticed very large pieces of... seafood, floating around in the soup. When I sat down, I found an entire half a crab (shell and all), and an entire half a fish (scales bones, spine and ribs stick out on one side, and all). They literally took crabs and fish, chopped them in half (possibly alive), and dropped them in the soup. I'm proud to say I tried, and also not ashamed to say that I did not eat very much. :)
2 Bottles of Mulit-Purpose Cleaner, 8 Rolls of Paper Towels, and a lot of Elbow Grease
Hello Friends and Family!
After a full bottle of multi-purpose cleaner, a full bottle of Windex, tons of soap, eight roles of paper towels, a few sponges, and numerous trips to E-Mart, we have a big, clean, and comfortable apartment directly above Hooni Pizza. We finally feel somewhat settled, and come down after a stressful day, we have gotten ourselves addicted to Lost (Thank you Andrew and Brittany)! We have taken pictures for you all to see and will take some videos too, but we are unable to post them at the moment because our computer is very, very, broken :( We are using PC Clubs for our internet needs. I am very excited to show you all our apartment, city, and schools.
I am working at Seongju Girls' Middle and High School. It is a private school. I am very blessed to have an English Zone at my school. The English Zone is a small, but new building where all of the students come to take English conversation classes from my co-teacher and me. Last week, I wasn't teaching, but I was able to visit a couple of my classes to introduce myself. Every time I visited, I left the classroom encouraged and motivated. I am so excited to get to know my students more. Here are some of the hilarious questions and comments I received . . .
1. Did you have surgery on your eyes to make them so big? (I told them that my sister has even bigger eyes than me, love you Apes)!
2. Your nose is so big!
3. Do you where colored contacts? (They were very shocked at my eye-color).
4. You are very pale.
5. How much do you weigh?
6. Are you rich?
7. Is your husband handsome?
8. Why didn't you come to Korea with your whole family? I wish they had come with me :(
9. When was your first kiss?
10. Have you used a public bathroom in South Korea? (squatters)
11. I love America!
12. Do you have a baby?
On the streets and around town, the communication barrier doesn't bother me, but in school, the communication barrier has been a struggle, and it has been challenging to adjust to a very different work-culture. Everyone has bragged excessively about the Native English Teacher before me, which makes me even more stressed out because I have been told that I have a lot to live up to!
As we walk around town, the young girls stare, point, laugh, and try to talk to us. Usually, they just end up laughing so much that it is impossible to have a conversation. They are very eager and yet shy about their English. Teenagers and adults sometimes stare, but I have found that we are more of an anomaly in the rural towns where our schools are rather than in the city. We have both had people tell us continually how beautiful and handsome we are. It is actually quite embarrassing. I don't know how to respond.
We went to the Daegu City Center tonight. The shopping is amazing! There is an enormous mall underground on the subway level and an even bigger mall on street level. I am not sure, because we couldn't walk it all, but I would guess there are 20 blocks on each level! There are endless shoe stores :)
I am so blessed to have Mrs. Lee in my life. Although I have only known her for four days, she has already made an impact on my life. She is a Christian. Her family will be meeting us for the foreigner service at their church at 2:30 this Sunday. She has been very open, kind, and patient with me. I have even been able to carpool with her to school. Mrs. Lee teaches English at my school and will be working with me on occasion. She is very eager to practice her English with me, and she is trying to help me learn some Korean :) I think I will be a challenging student for her :)
Despite the many challenges, we are enjoying ourselves. At times, I feel that I am not up to the challenge, but then I remember that all things are possible through Christ's strength. My dad keeps giving me the great reminder that "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7
After a full bottle of multi-purpose cleaner, a full bottle of Windex, tons of soap, eight roles of paper towels, a few sponges, and numerous trips to E-Mart, we have a big, clean, and comfortable apartment directly above Hooni Pizza. We finally feel somewhat settled, and come down after a stressful day, we have gotten ourselves addicted to Lost (Thank you Andrew and Brittany)! We have taken pictures for you all to see and will take some videos too, but we are unable to post them at the moment because our computer is very, very, broken :( We are using PC Clubs for our internet needs. I am very excited to show you all our apartment, city, and schools.
I am working at Seongju Girls' Middle and High School. It is a private school. I am very blessed to have an English Zone at my school. The English Zone is a small, but new building where all of the students come to take English conversation classes from my co-teacher and me. Last week, I wasn't teaching, but I was able to visit a couple of my classes to introduce myself. Every time I visited, I left the classroom encouraged and motivated. I am so excited to get to know my students more. Here are some of the hilarious questions and comments I received . . .
1. Did you have surgery on your eyes to make them so big? (I told them that my sister has even bigger eyes than me, love you Apes)!
2. Your nose is so big!
3. Do you where colored contacts? (They were very shocked at my eye-color).
4. You are very pale.
5. How much do you weigh?
6. Are you rich?
7. Is your husband handsome?
8. Why didn't you come to Korea with your whole family? I wish they had come with me :(
9. When was your first kiss?
10. Have you used a public bathroom in South Korea? (squatters)
11. I love America!
12. Do you have a baby?
On the streets and around town, the communication barrier doesn't bother me, but in school, the communication barrier has been a struggle, and it has been challenging to adjust to a very different work-culture. Everyone has bragged excessively about the Native English Teacher before me, which makes me even more stressed out because I have been told that I have a lot to live up to!
As we walk around town, the young girls stare, point, laugh, and try to talk to us. Usually, they just end up laughing so much that it is impossible to have a conversation. They are very eager and yet shy about their English. Teenagers and adults sometimes stare, but I have found that we are more of an anomaly in the rural towns where our schools are rather than in the city. We have both had people tell us continually how beautiful and handsome we are. It is actually quite embarrassing. I don't know how to respond.
We went to the Daegu City Center tonight. The shopping is amazing! There is an enormous mall underground on the subway level and an even bigger mall on street level. I am not sure, because we couldn't walk it all, but I would guess there are 20 blocks on each level! There are endless shoe stores :)
I am so blessed to have Mrs. Lee in my life. Although I have only known her for four days, she has already made an impact on my life. She is a Christian. Her family will be meeting us for the foreigner service at their church at 2:30 this Sunday. She has been very open, kind, and patient with me. I have even been able to carpool with her to school. Mrs. Lee teaches English at my school and will be working with me on occasion. She is very eager to practice her English with me, and she is trying to help me learn some Korean :) I think I will be a challenging student for her :)
Despite the many challenges, we are enjoying ourselves. At times, I feel that I am not up to the challenge, but then I remember that all things are possible through Christ's strength. My dad keeps giving me the great reminder that "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7
Teaching
So... I've got a couple days under my belt. :) It was definitely a rocky start, though. I was visiting my new school for the first time. We were going to be picked up by my two co-teachers... and I went to the wrong pickup spot! I made everyone 40 minutes late for when they wanted to arrive. Luckily, we didn't miss any classes, and I had enough time to meet the teachers and administration as well as prepare for my lessons.
Unfortunately, I forgot to save my powerpoint for 2003, so I wasn't able to use it for the first two classes! I basically had to wing it, which was not pretty. The first lesson for almost every grade from middle to high school is "All About Me," which is perfect for me to introduce myself to everyone. I had a great powerpoint with pictures of my family, Minnesota, and my favorite things. Instead, I had to start by drawing random aspects of my powerpoint, and basically moving right into the activity. Now, my classes were High School grade 1 and High School grade 3, the first of which didn't know or care about what I was saying, and the second of which was just bored with the whole thing, I think.
Anyway, over lunch I was able to figure my powerpoint out, and every class after that was very enjoyable. My class ages rang over 6 grades, and the sizes range from 7-30. Most of them are under 12 though, only 2 over 20, and the smaller classes are a lot of fun. I think I will actually be able to help the students in the smaller classes a significant amount.
Tomorrow I'm going to try to chat with a dell representative to get our computer fixed. We have pictures we want to upload, but we don't want to try at pc clubs in case of viruses. Also, obviously, we really can't stand not being able to skype right now.
Anyway, today we went to the city center. Apparently, when I say we live in Downtown Daegu, it's not exactly true. We're in a section of the city called Seongseo, which is still Daegu, but not technically downtown. The city center consists of a few buildings reminiscent of Minneapolis, and then as far as we can tell about 20 blocks of outdoor shopping center. It was pretty impressive actually. There was KFC, Burger King, Nike, Starbucks, Addidas, Puma, Baskin Robbins, and Dunkin Donuts, just to name a few familiar brands. It really was something, actually. Under the street, there was another shopping mall that basically seemed to span the entire city.
Our apartment is finally acceptably clean, which is a very satisfying feeling. We still haven't figured out the garbage situation yet, and apparently our landlord called our co-teachers to complain that we weren't doing things right. :P Oh well.
Anyway, Anna is writing more right now, so I don't want to step on her toes.
Unfortunately, I forgot to save my powerpoint for 2003, so I wasn't able to use it for the first two classes! I basically had to wing it, which was not pretty. The first lesson for almost every grade from middle to high school is "All About Me," which is perfect for me to introduce myself to everyone. I had a great powerpoint with pictures of my family, Minnesota, and my favorite things. Instead, I had to start by drawing random aspects of my powerpoint, and basically moving right into the activity. Now, my classes were High School grade 1 and High School grade 3, the first of which didn't know or care about what I was saying, and the second of which was just bored with the whole thing, I think.
Anyway, over lunch I was able to figure my powerpoint out, and every class after that was very enjoyable. My class ages rang over 6 grades, and the sizes range from 7-30. Most of them are under 12 though, only 2 over 20, and the smaller classes are a lot of fun. I think I will actually be able to help the students in the smaller classes a significant amount.
Tomorrow I'm going to try to chat with a dell representative to get our computer fixed. We have pictures we want to upload, but we don't want to try at pc clubs in case of viruses. Also, obviously, we really can't stand not being able to skype right now.
Anyway, today we went to the city center. Apparently, when I say we live in Downtown Daegu, it's not exactly true. We're in a section of the city called Seongseo, which is still Daegu, but not technically downtown. The city center consists of a few buildings reminiscent of Minneapolis, and then as far as we can tell about 20 blocks of outdoor shopping center. It was pretty impressive actually. There was KFC, Burger King, Nike, Starbucks, Addidas, Puma, Baskin Robbins, and Dunkin Donuts, just to name a few familiar brands. It really was something, actually. Under the street, there was another shopping mall that basically seemed to span the entire city.
Our apartment is finally acceptably clean, which is a very satisfying feeling. We still haven't figured out the garbage situation yet, and apparently our landlord called our co-teachers to complain that we weren't doing things right. :P Oh well.
Anyway, Anna is writing more right now, so I don't want to step on her toes.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wow
Sorry we haven't updated more... it's been slightly crazy lately. We were warned to worry about the culture shock, but what they didn't warn us about are the little things. For example: a computer that just decides to lock it's control panel, network manager, and security center overnight; washing machine hoses that leak; the amount of trips to E-Mart needed to obtain enough drawers/hangers/cleaning supplies; etc. To me, these do not fall under the category of culture shock. Culture shock, to me, is language barriers, confusing or "unusual" customs, the disregard for pedestrian safety, the fact that all Korean meals are spicy (and food in Gyeongbuk is spicier than normal)... and also that all food that is "American" is sweet (e.g. pretzels).
Unfortunately, it is the former that is the most frustrating. The things we knew about which are supposed to bother us, don't. The little things, that would happen at home anyway, are still what drives us nuts.
This weekend we will take time to update everyone on everything that has happened this week. There really is no timetable right now on when we will have internet, for those of you we are dying to skype. We SHOULD be able to connect right now... Who knows.
It definitely is not all bad. We have both met numerous christians, excellent co-workers, and adorable kids. Our apartment is at least 75% clean, and we have TV, dvd, and Wii capability. We can do cold washes whenever we want, we have an air conditioner, and for the week our transportation to and from school is arranged. Food is cheap and plentiful, we are living in a busy, interesting town, and we are 2 blocks from these internet cafes.
Anyway, we miss everyone! Will be writing again soon.
Seth
Unfortunately, it is the former that is the most frustrating. The things we knew about which are supposed to bother us, don't. The little things, that would happen at home anyway, are still what drives us nuts.
This weekend we will take time to update everyone on everything that has happened this week. There really is no timetable right now on when we will have internet, for those of you we are dying to skype. We SHOULD be able to connect right now... Who knows.
It definitely is not all bad. We have both met numerous christians, excellent co-workers, and adorable kids. Our apartment is at least 75% clean, and we have TV, dvd, and Wii capability. We can do cold washes whenever we want, we have an air conditioner, and for the week our transportation to and from school is arranged. Food is cheap and plentiful, we are living in a busy, interesting town, and we are 2 blocks from these internet cafes.
Anyway, we miss everyone! Will be writing again soon.
Seth
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)