8/31: Mexican food, Tae Kwon Do, and jobs

It's finally Friday! 

Last night, I took a bus to Beomgye (bum-gay) after school to meet up with another friend from quarantine during Swine '09. Beomgye has a super huge department store and in that store is a TACO BELL. Ah! I took diligent notes on how to get there for future reference.

Wanting to sit down to eat, we opted for the more expensive Mexican choice -- On the Border. (Yes, you read that right: TWO Mexican food restaurants in one city. Korea's stepping up its game.) I guess On the Border is an American chain, but I'd never been there. The food was delicious; the company was high-quality; the beer was cold. It was a bit strange that they serve Coronas with lemons here instead of limes... Oh well, it tasted great after a long, rainy day!

Today, I had all the fives classes -- about 70 kids -- and they were as cute as can be. When they sing the hello and weather songs, they put so much effort into the motions and sing their little hearts out, even if it comes out complete gibberish. When we read Rain by Robert Kalan, they always shout out the words whenever they think of them: some yell out a line three pages before it happens, while others wait to repeat after me. No matter the level of English, EVERYONE yells "rainbow" on the last page. If nothing else, these kids know what a rainbow is. My work here is done.

I also had two sevens classes today. They're fun because they understand a lot more English. They also get really excited whenever I use any Korean whatsoever. Sometimes I'll say "char-es-so," which is like "good job," and they freak out and then ask me if I speak Korean. In Korean, I'll say, "I don't speak Korean," and then they freak out even more. Eventually they realize I'm just guessing what they're saying and give up, but it's fun while it lasts.

There's one five year old who calls me "jjang-ee-dah" (the best) because I said that to him one time awhile ago. I'll be walking around the school and kids will start yelling "hello Laura Teacher!" and one lone voice will yell "hello jjang-ee-dah!"

After the kindergartners left for the day, one girl's mom picked her up late and said she talks about me at home! This was especially touching because I only see her for 30 minutes three times a week! They warm my little heart.

In my afternoon classes, the kids who take Tae Kwon Do were all wearing their uniforms for some reason today, so here's some pictures of them in all their glory.

The kid in the front is one of my favorites. 

He knows just enough English to get his point across, but not quite enough to make sense.

Plus, he makes this face.

We just finished up our long o spelling words, so my other class did a coloring sheet today.

These long pencils are crayons that you can twist up as you use them. Pretty smart.

Here's some more pictures of them just being goofy. It was a weird/awesome day.

I'm being spoiled with these small classes, but it really is essential with the language barrier. It's also so much easier to personalize the lessons and get to know all my students.

Today in the higher level class, we talked about jobs, and I asked them what kind of jobs people in their families have. Here are some of their answers and what I figured out after some intense non-verbal communicating:

"My dad job weather" = heating and cooling
"Dad job card" = I think a cashier somewhere... Something with the number 100...
"My you is mom" = teacher
"Mom me cook food and mmmmm" = stay-at-home mom or a caterer to the stars?
"My mom job doctor and teacher and zoo and car and hand phone" = liar
"My dad job money" = her dad leaves and then comes home and he has money... so, maybe a drug dealer? or professional ATM withdrawer? wishing well diver?

All in all, an enjoyable week that I'm going to cap off with hiking and a concert tomorrow. Happy Friday morning in the States! It's going to be a good day -- believe me, I'm from the future.

8/30: School daze

I'm updating this from school because my wifi has been hit or miss at home.

I successfully survived the typhoon(s?) with all my limbs intact. It actually wasn't that bad: just some strong winds and a bit of rain. I'm not sure if it lost steam or missed us or what -- it's hard to find local news coverage in English.

My school days have been very busy with the end of the month fast approaching. We have to finish up and grade this month's books, write progress reports, prepare and plan the new books, and continue planning and teaching kindergarten, supplementary classes, and the elementary classes in the afternoon. I have also begun tutoring one-on-one after school with the most difficult child I have ever met.

The time at school definitely flies by! Gotta go -- potatoes and weird mashed stuff for lunch!

8/27: Private parts and typhoon day

Maybe it's the typhoon in the air or something, but the kids were crazy at school today. The boys seemed to be obsessed with their private parts: one kid kept putting his hand down his pants then smelling it, two six-year-olds drew boy parts on their Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly cut-outs, and when talking about long e sounds, the first grade boys found it necessary to act out the difference between he and she.

Oh, and another kid poked me in the butt. Thinking about it now, it's conditioning me to never turn my back on students -- they're making me a better teacher!

The kid who gave me a hard time last week did so again today, but his classroom teacher came in and talked to him for a bit and he seemed to shape up after that. Hopefully, this won't be an every Monday and Wednesday occurrence.

After school, I planned a bit, but most of the talk was about the typhoon scheduled to hit Korea tomorrow afternoon. They're predicting it'll be pretty bad, so we taped up the windows and moved the computers. Apparently, all schools are supposed to be canceled tomorrow, and the VP made the call before noon today that all the classes are indeed canceled, but the teachers still have to come in. I'm thinking it can't be THAT bad if they're making us come in to school.

One of the other teachers said that sometimes they shut down public transportation if it gets too bad though, so I hope we don't get stuck at school! Maybe they'll let us go early... Honestly, it'll be nice to have a planning/grading day with no interruptions. Thanks, Typhoon Bolaven!

And in case you're wondering what the difference is between a typhoon and a hurricane (like I was) -- there is no difference! You learn something every day... I'll keep you updated on the typhoon as best I can, but I'm thinking my wifi will probably go down for awhile... Better download some movies now!

8/25: Suwon, AK Plaza, and Moraksan

Sorry for a bit of radio silence; my (stolen) wifi has been out since Saturday morning. Gift horse...

Friday was pretty standard. We did have a staff meeting during which I found out about my Christmas vacation and that the VP thinks I will be good at choreographing a recital for the fives. Eating and dancing ARE two of my most prized talents. Friday night was rainy and gross, so I had a tall boy with some Koreans on the porch of a convenience store that's connected to my apartment building. 

Luckily, Saturday morning I got in a good, long Skype session with Erica before the internet went down. After our dinner/breakfast date, I started researching travel options for my planned meet-up with my friend Megan from Mizzou. Megan, Erica, and I were all quarantined in Korea during the Swine Flu breakout back in 2009. It's remarkable how many people from that group (and the group I came with in 2011) have returned to teach here.

Anyway, I packed for an afternoon of shopping and shenanigans, then a nice hike in the morning with Megan and her friends. Another teacher had told me which bus to take to Suwon and how to get to the train station there. The bus ride was less than an hour, and finding the station was quite easy since it seemed everyone getting off the bus was headed there. The station is also a huge shopping mall, or a huge shopping mall is also the train station... I'm not sure which. Regardless, there were a ton of people there. The ticket machines had an English option, so finding a train from Suwon to Jeonju was simple enough, but the next train was sold out. Then, when I tried to buy a ticket for a later train, the machine wouldn't take my card. Since I was now going to be arriving in Jeonju around 9 p.m., then turning around on a 3-hour train ride the next afternoon and would have to use all my remaining cash to do so, I decided it wasn't really "giving up" as much as just not working out.

Might as well do some shopping! The shopping center -- called AK Plaza -- was seven stories high and had two Dunkin' Donuts AND two North Face stores. It was mostly name-brand and designer stores like Polo, Lacoste, and Burberry, but there were a few independent booths and stores as well. I was really excited to see an OPI store, but the nail polish was 25,000 won, or about $20, a bottle! (Dad: it's usually only about $8, max.) I bought a few trinkets at an aptly named accessories store -- Open -- and explored a bit. 

After I had my fill of the spoils of debilitating consumerism, I headed outside to figure out how to get home. I had anticipated having a day or so to ask around and have a Korean help me, but my change in plans complicated things a bit. I knew which bus I had to take, and I knew it wouldn't pick me up in the same place since it would be going the opposite direction, but I had no idea where it would pick me up. I finally found an underground sidewalk that took me across the street and to the other bus station. On the way, I grabbed a Vitamin Water from a convenience store and a corn dog from a street food vendor who also had some pretty phallic snacks. Also notice the dreaded ddeokbokki in the top left corner. Gross.

That has to be on purpose, right? 

After having some food and finding my bus stop, I wandered down a few more streets and found my favorite Korean store -- Artbox! It has an entire section dedicated to schedulers and planners. It also has office supplies, stuffed animals, as seen on TV-type stuff, and candy. I could spend all day there. Needless to say, my backpack was a bit heavier when I got back on the bus.

On the way home, I was pooped, but excited thinking about how the list of things I can do and places I can get to is getting longer every day. Knowing my way to and from Suwon opens up a lot of doors; today, I looked it up in my Lonely Planet guide and there is certainly a lot to see and do in the provincial capital city. I'll have to plan a trip there soon.

After a spectacular night's sleep, I was bummed my internet wasn't back up, so I took the opportunity to clean my bathroom and have a traditional spaghetti breakfast. I read a bit on my Kindle, then headed out for a hike. I can see a mountain out my window, and knowing the Korean appetite for exercise, knew there must be some kind of trail. On my way, I found a tennis/badminton court and a basketball court. I also found this sweet weightlifting gazebo.

Oh, Korea.

Eventually, I found the mountain trail and started making my way up. There was a good number of people on the trail, all older men and women decked out in hiking garb -- in Korea, you don't do anything without first buying all the proper equipment. The trail was pretty intense, but those old ladies just kept passing me with their walking sticks (like ski poles) and full-body suits, so I kept on going.

I was rewarded with this view of my city.

The bright green netting close to the center of the photo is an indoor golf range, and my apartment is just a bit past that. The mountains continue in either direction and the result is breathtaking (maybe just because I'm out of shape). I wasn't quite to the top, but I figured I have plenty of time to work my way up there, so I headed back down the mountain, which is actually Morak-san, or Morak Mountain.

On the way down, I stopped at the park to watch some kids play badminton and enjoy the sunshine. There was also a dad there teaching his son how to shoot a basketball, which reminded me of home for obvious reasons.

Neither of them was very good. I probably could've taken them.

Sitting there being nostalgic, a strange thing happened: a Korean said "hey" to me. It was weird to hear the colloquialism, instead of the more common "hello." Turns out, he was actually born in Australia, but moved back and forth a bit growing up. He has been to the U.S. before -- Kansas City, in fact! -- and his mother owns and operates an English kindergarten nearby. He almost immediately offered me a job there, and invited me to his church, so my creepiness radar was going crazy, but he was nice enough and we chatted for a bit. 

I sat for awhile after he left, then went off to Lotte to get some fruit for the coming week. I had some adventures at Lotte, which I think I'll save for another day, and am about to settle in with my Kindle for the night. But not before using my free internet for some inter-continental updates! Now, I'm off to bed, tomorrow's a school day! :)

8/23: F.U., ddeokbokki, and a pity party

Yesterday I had a pretty bad day. The stars aligned and everything just seemed to start working against me. Honestly, my deteriorating attitude probably had something to do with it, too.

I started the day by spilling water on my laptop. I mean, a lot of water. Since then, I have looked up what to do if you spill water on your laptop, and I failed in every respect (unplug it, turn it off, set it upside down to dry, don't turn it on for at least 24 hours, etc.). As punishment for my lack of common sense and patience, my only keyboard keys that work are now F, J, U, and Z, which I'm pretty sure are the keys I use least. 

Then, I had my hardest day of morning classes, including a class for which one of the other teachers neglected to make my copies, so I didn't know what I was doing at all. To top off my rough morning, lunch was ddeokbokki (duck-bo-key) -- my least favorite Korean food -- which is a rice cake in a spicy sauce. It's the strangest texture; it takes forever to chew and is really slimy. It definitely isn't a Korean dish that has grown on me as others have. Here's a stock photo of some ddeokbokki -- it's the cylindrical noodle-things.  

Long story short: I didn't have much to eat at lunch. 

Then, I thought I had the good afternoon class, but really I had the hell raisers, AND they were worse than usual. One kid in particular really challenged me, even yelling mean things at me in Korean. The worst part was that I haven't had any behavior problems yet, so I didn't know the protocol for discipline. I eventually just made him sit in the opposite corner of the room. (In our afternoon classes, there aren't any Korean teachers around.) I ignored him the rest of the period and made him apologize to me before he could leave. I thought he was going to cry at that point, but I waited for the other kids to leave so hopefully I didn't scar him for life. 

I got a self-pity pizza on the way home and ate way too much as I rehashed the day. Finally, I settled in with a su doku and went to bed. I had awful nightmares throughout the night (thanks for nothing, True Blood) and tossed and turned all night. Needless to say, I woke up in a funk. 

Despite the early morning remnants of yesterday's perils, today was pretty alright. I got a new keyboard at Lotte (only 17,000 won!), figured out the discipline protocol, and had the good afternoon class. In my first grade class, the kids were surprised break time came so soon -- they wanted to keep playing my game! And at lunch, the lunch lady told me (via the VP) that I "eat well" and that I'm pretty, so I know that will make my mom proud. The other lunch lady told me (via another teacher) that I "eat well" within my first week here, so I definitely got that going for me. Any job offers for next year?

Anyway, I'm finalizing plans for the weekend and getting my Kindle on tonight. Shout out to literacy.

8/21: The powers that be

Whew. Okay I just got home and settled after dinner (rice, kimchi, veggies, chicken and a hamburger patty; not sure why there was hamburger, but oh well). School gets a little easier every day.

I'm starting to learn the students' names and personalities, so it's easier to get their attention and to feed off of them during my lessons. I've also gotten to the point where I'm not carrying around my map of the school, so I feel like less of an outsider. In general, I feel more comfortable with the Korean teachers, foreign teachers, and staff as well.

Today, I ate lunch with the VP and accountant (who are married and picked me up on my first day), and they said I am a good teacher. It was just conversation for them, but it really made my day. At a new school in a new city, I usually feel uncertain and a little out of place, so even the smallest compliment eased my anxieties a bit. They speak a bit of English and have two kids in the school, who are both very sweet. The vice principal basically runs the school, whereas the principal is more of a figurehead. So far, they have all been very kind to me.

In the office, there is also a secretary and head teacher, who are both very nice and a bit more lighthearted. The secretary speaks limited English, but knows a lot of vocabulary. Today, after school, she whipped out the word "parasailing" when we were looking at a picture. Sometimes, I eat lunch with these two ladies, and they both try so hard to talk to me in Korean. I wish I could understand so badly!

I'm trying to learn a new word or phrase each day. Apparently, one of the other foreign teachers overheard the office folk talking about me and they think my Korean is very good. Someone said they think I will be speaking Korean in one month! It was a nice compliment, but it's definitely going to take longer than that. Coming here, I didn't think I would actively dedicate time to learning the language and just pick up what I could, but the frustration of not being independent and not understanding anything is too much. If I could have any superpower it would be to understand and speak any language on demand. That would be incredible.

We have a staff meeting this Friday, and plans are in the works to meet up with a friend from Mizzou this weekend! I've also begun the process of reserving a spot on a DMZ tour in September. So many things to look forward to! More immediately, however: bedtime.

I'll leave you with this tourism video I found when I was first offered this job. Note: I just found out Baekun Lake is walking distance from my apartment. Also note: This video is cheesy, but it has some nice shots of the landscape.

Life in Happy Plus Apartments

Although I'm sad to be missing a friend's wedding today, it has been an exciting day for me as well -- my first day with a load of clean clothes!

Yesterday, the landlord was scheduled to come by around 4 to install bars on my windows. Since I share a balcony with a neighbor, the Vice Principal and Principal of my school insist that I get bars put on my windows. (I checked, my neighbor has them, so it must be a common thing...) Despite my assurances that I would rather live bar-free, the appointment was set up. Okay, but will someone come to fix my washer? Not yet, we'll need to reschedule that.

Around 4 p.m. yesterday, the landlord and Samsung repairman show up to fix my washer. I have no idea what happened, but gift horse, eh? Anyway, the repairman got right down into his Korean squat and got to work pushing buttons, to no avail. He left and came back with what looked like a computer motherboard. He took off the front panels and door of the washer, swapped out the motherboard, and put everything back in its proper place. He pushed buttons again and then left. This time, he came back with a rubber loop of some kind. He pulled the washer out of its cubby, took off the top panel, then flipped it on its front and took off the bottom panel. He pulled a bunch of frayed material out, put the loop in, and reversed his actions. This time, he turned on the washer, pushed some buttons, and said "Okay."

While all this was happening, the repairman and the landlord were heatedly discussing something that warranted a few frantic phone calls, bouts of laughter, and a GPS map pulled up on the guy's cell phone. The only time they acknowledged me was when the landlord mimed to me that I need to clean my floors and asked me a bunch of questions that I think were if I've been to Korea before or how long I've been here, if I have friends, and if anyone else sleeps in my smaller-than-twin bed with me. Or maybe it was all about the floors; I'll never know. Either way, when she left, I went to the store and got a stupid broom.

All's well that ends well: Last night, I sat down with my laptop as translator and a notepad and did a load of laundry.

Luckily, I already have a drying rack, so I'm not going to make a big deal about the error message that pops up when I try to run the dryer function.