More English Festival Madness

I'm pretty sure this is one of Travis's general kindergarten classes. Lots of interview questions, stories, and songs, galore.

English Festival

Just to give my readers an idea of what all of the JM teachers and students had to do this January. Students prepared interview questions about themselves, memorized a not-so-short story with actions, and read their original stories. Younger students sang songs they memorized. The above is a clip from Alex's universe class. My students had to do virtually the same stunts. More videos to come.

Need Some Positive Vibes Sent My Way

I've been way too negative as of late. So I've decided to take the "list one thing that made me happy today" approach to life. Because some days, that's just what one has to do to get through the day.

So here's my one thing: After missing her on g-repeatedly for a two-week span, I finally caught Emily online for forty minutes in between English Festival acts today. It felt great to catch up with a good friend after such a long time...and yes, two weeks without chatting is a long time. It's the little things that get you through this crazy Korea life.

And it's sad, but another thing that made me happy today is the fact that after over a month of repeating the same stories and interviews and drama scripts with kids, I can finally chuck it all in the garb-age and put it all behind me. It might have sucked folks, but ENGLISH FESTIVAL is FINALLY OVER. Maybe now I'll be in a better mood at work. Kids did well, and it's nice to step back and see the whole picture once in a while. I did catch myself thinking at one point, yes, these songs suck, but it's really awesome that kids this age have access to doing all of this in a second language, and felt a little proud to be a part of it.

I guess I have nothing else to say, just that I like to ramble, and I'm going to sign off before I do too much more of it. So much for blogging about things that matter.

Oh, and I did find a home for the rabbit I was fostering for most of my time in Korea. He went to a nice girl who has always wanted to own a rabbit and just moved to Korea. She seemed really eager to take him and I'm relieved I don't have to panic when my contract does end to find a home for him last minute. I loved owning the rabbit, but hated cleaning up after it, and of course, my situation is less than permanent. Maybe one day I'll actually live my dream of owning a few cats. Gosh I'm so old...LOL. Signing off. Leave comments.

Good God I'm Bad at Updating this Thing

It's not that I'm bad at updating; it's just that I don't have a whole lot of substantial things happen to me that merits updating. I promised my friends and family at home that I'd keep a blog of my Korea adventures. I knew it would be exciting. Honestly though, eight months in, I'm getting bogged down in daily routines, schedules, work, and more work. Not that any of that makes for even a remotely interesting post. I promise a more interesting post soon, and I'm a little anxious to deliver. But I just can't bring myself to do any of that.

What can I say? I've just been really consumed in work lately and I can't say that I'm really that good at it. I've lost the mindfulness that good teaching requires. That's what Korea will do to you I suppose. Just get it done. I'm almost "over" it. I suppose that is what eight months of it will do to you.

For those that have traveled and taught abroad, how do you keep that sense of energy and passion you had at the very beginning? How do you keep going? I have found a decent outside of work network of things to do and see, but I just can't seem to break over that that hump. Could it be that I am just "over" Korea? Is there such a thing?

Or am I just whining too much...

Fill in the Blank Friday

OK, I'll play along with this blog I read. You should too. It's fun. Everyone's doing it!

1. I wish I had more confidence and didn't over think EVERY LITTLE THING I do and say. Seriously.

2. Yesterday I felt totally overwhelmed at work. Too much to do and too little time to do it. Gotta love those crazy Koreans.


3. Today I will relax with a movie or call it a night early, being happy for the weekend.

4. Tomorrow I will relax on a Saturday like I usually do. Listen to new NPR podcasts (YAY for two This American Life episodes I haven't listened to yet) and clean my apartment. Then I will probably wonder around and do some last minute Xmas shopping and prep to get gifts in the mail. Maybe do some Yoga online.

5. Maybe I will find that eye doctor in Seoul that speaks English (I know there is at least one) and go for that free eye exam they advertise and get new glasses. I do need them.

6. Someday I will be sure of what I want and happy in the moment. I hope. :)

7. I love when things are calm and quiet. And after a busy week, I LOVE being ALONE. :)

My Awesome Weekend in Korea

Once upon a time this shy girl wanted adventure. She's been working too hard. She needed a mini-vacation. And this weekend in Korea, she got it. She got it in the form of an Adventure Korea trip to the Gochang province and the surrounding area. It was seriously the best thing I did for myself in a while. This is such a beautiful country there are no words beyond that. I have posted pictures on my numerous internet outlets, and that should satisfy most of you, but this weekend was one that left me in awe of nature and pumped for the week ahead. I haven't felt that in a while.

Saturday we got an early start at 7am. We left Seoul and headed south for three hours. We visited a military fortress and hiked around it once for good fortune. We watched a military festival in progress there. We reloaded the bus and checked into our hotel and met new friends at dinner. Everyone that did this trip was super friendly and seeking the same experience, I think. Many different ages and backgrounds. It's so neat how a thirst for adventure brings us all together in that way.

Sunday we got an early start as well. After a quick peanut butter toast breakfast, we headed up the mountain on a three-hour hike! Gorgeous scenery and invigorating climbing were the main attractions. Fall here is beautiful. The weather was gorgeous. I am so thankful for all that has been given to me. All of the opportunities that have blessed me over the years. The fact that I am here, able to do these things, still amazes and amuses me.

We finished the hike and after a traditional Korean bibimbop lunch, we reloaded the bus and went digging for clams! In the mud! I've never done that before! It was an amazing experience, there are no other words, like I said before. I will have more on this later, but for now, I just wanted to say what an incredible experience this was, and I hope that you are blessed in whatever you are doing at the moment as well. Take time to enjoy the little, finer points in life.

What other time do we have but the present?

Pictures to come!

Love,

Me :)

Week Three Down

I know I should do an update to commemorate my third week in Korea, but honestly not much has changed. I still work long hours, I don't get out much. We found awesome Indian food near our apartment building and I had to turn in my lesson plans for my all day class five times before they told me they were OK. What kills me is the secrecy of this place. It's dawning on me more and more that English Hogwons are businesses more than schools, and that every decision made by upper management (AKA the Korean teachers/coordinators) is made from a business stand point rather than an educational one. What should be done in this situation is always answered with "What would make the parents happier so that they refer more students to our school?"

I think this was what was going on this week with my Kindergarten class. A parent called and said there was too much homework, so instead of OKing my HW plan like they did the week before (with three assignments per night) they revised it so that they only had to do two assignments per night. What they don't realize though is that HW affects the entire week's lesson plan, because whatever we do in class the kids copy for HW. So by chopping my HW plan to pieces, it causes me to rearrange my entire weekly lesson plan as well. Also, everything has to be done in the EXACT SAME ORDER as the day before. I thought I could get away with moving it around a little, especially after lunch, but NO. I'm growing bored of what I'm teaching and it's only the fourth week.

I'm the kind of person that needs reasons why I do things. This is the kind of place/school that doesn't like to give reasons. Just do this. OK. This will last for a while, and then they'll tell me to do this. It doesn't make a lot of sense. But I suppose then again it doesn't have to. Nothing is making a lot of sense lately. I suppose this is the culture shock talking. The Koreans want teacher's reports already, and while I've only known these students three weeks, I don't feel equipped to do reports on them without making something up out of thin air. Which I suppose all of the other teachers are doing just fine and don't have a problem with it. I just think too much and make everything more complicated. URG. Why do I have to be such a thinker? For Pete's Sake. Just do it. Don't ask questions.

I shouldn't complain though. I'm being compensated well, and I have little expenses. I can do anything for a year. The whole experience is making me realize that maybe I do want to move on and move up after this year. Maybe I do want to try my hand at teaching adults for a change. Maybe I want to go back to graduate school in a different field. I have no idea. It's intimidating when I think about it to think that I can do anything. Cost won't be a factor either.

I also need to work on taking that ONE class I need for Minnesota teaching certification. But if I'm not going to be teaching K-12, then I find it kind of pointless. But from an "I need a job" perspective when I get back to the states, it better happen. I better make it work.

I do want most of my experiences here to be not about work too. I want to find somethings to do that don't revolve around teaching children. While taking a walk around the lake this weekend was good, I need more than that. I need to go hiking in the mountains. I want to sign up for a Tae Kwon Do class and some language classes. The English teachers are talking about using their end-of-July vacation to go to Thailand, and I just might join them if my bank account gets set up in time to put my first month's salary in it.

Somethings have to change around here if I'm going to stay sane. That much I know. I'm fine. Really, I am. Just whining.

Second Week Down

Second week is down and left me with a Friday night at 9:15 pm at school.

There's just so much to do. I end up prepping all week for Kindergarten that I don't get my weekly tests they want me to give done until last minute. I did get it all done, and now it's all in the delivery. Class continues to go well, if not a little repetitive. I suppose that's me being selfish though. They say that when you are learning a second language repetition is key, but if I have to sing "What are you doing/I'm playing a game/watch what I do/and then do the same" one more time with my K7A class I'm going to scream.

Same thing with the second graders. They are set to do two units a week, but every week it's the SAME PAGES in their text book and workbook. Practice speaking, practice speaking, practice speaking the SAME PHRASE over and over and over again. That's what I signed on to do though.

Me: What do you do after school? (This is our target language for this week.)
Kid: I (pause) stu- sud- sku
Me: Study?
Kid: Study!
Me: What do you study?
Kid: I studies English.
Me: I study English.
Kid: Yes.
Director: (who is always standing in the back of this class) REPEAT!!! (In scary Korean accent.)
Kid: (timidly) I........study.......English.
Me: Perfect. (Award star.)

Next kid. Same thing. Now I'm starting to see why class sizes are limited to nine kids.

When I think about it, this is exactly what happened in my Spanish class in high school. We'd have a textbook with conversational phrases in it, the teacher would introduce a lesson, have us practice speaking the target phrases to her, and then have us practice with a partner. Students would ALWAYS try to get away with only writing or reading silently, but the teacher would always be calling on kids to speak. This is exactly what I see as a teacher. Funny how that works.

On another notes, I like that all the kids have English names for the purpose of learning English. I was afraid that in coming over here I would have to learn some serious Korean nicknames for children. But no, all the children choose their own English name upon registering at this particular Hogwon. There are lots of Dorothys, Sallys, Jessicas, Thomases and Joshuas here, which are names I haven't heard in America in a long time. 6

I did hear from my recruiter too, who was so obviously checking up on my performance. She had a good report though. Apparently, my director thinks I am doing a good job for my first week officially on the job and also said that "I am a very sweet person." Awww. I have a reputation to uphold. Damn. And I thought I could get away with completely changing my image. As the G6B sixth graders like to say because they just learned this particular slang, "Fiddlesticks!"

I own a bunny now too. Pictures and more posts to come. Stay tuned.

Greetings from South Korea!!!

Sorry it's been so long! I am finally what I think is settled in South Korea and absolutely LOVE IT so far. I haven't seen much of the city because I've been working crazy 12-hour days for the Koreans, but it's been a fun kind of work in getting to know everyone and everything and comparing it to how it is back home and trying not to judge too harshly. It's hard to believe I've been in Korea for a week already. Every now and then I'll have a moment where I go, "Holy cripes I'm in Korea!" and laugh really hard. Becuase it's so surreal still.

The city itself is really big, but you knew that. I fear this is going to be one of those "the buildings are big, the food is good" posts that the comedians make fun of when they talk about travelers because there is so much to say and I just don't quite know how to put it into words. I also fear that this is going to be a teaching-heavy post because that is honestly all I've done besides eat since I've been here. With the exception of this morning.

This morning I braved the subway system (which is actually really easy to figure out) to get to the other side of the city where the doctor's office was for my health checkup for my E2 visa validation. I went with the other new teacher (Jake-who was picked up at the airport at the same time as me and has been on this adventure with me from the beginning) and it took about three hours to wait, piss in a cup, draw blood, and take and x-ray of my chest. All while speaking broken English to me. It was pretty wierd.

The city itself is beautiful, and on my walk to school I walk through a nice park with the view of the mountains.

My teaching schedule is busy, and goes like this:

9:55-11:55 All day Kindergarten VENUS class--which I teach English speaking, reading, writing, math, science, art, and PE for three hours a day. I see these kids everyday, and they are so freakin' adorable. Time moves quickly because you spend no more than twenty minutes on any given activity. Not too challenging, just lots of giving stars and behavior modification like in Kindergarten in the States. These are the advanced kindergarteners in every way. They are older--6 in the U.S. but 7 in Korea because of some difference in how they celebrate birthdays which I havn't figured out yet. They come from wealthier families (they pay more for this class and all day care and school) and have English speaking parents at home that can help them with homework.

It is common for these kids to have an hour of homework a night, things like copying pages from English storybooks such as "I am a Caterpillar" and such. This really threw me for a loop. It's also common for the director to come in at anytime she sees fit and give the kids a good firm smack on the ass if they aren't listening to their English teacher. This really threw me too the first day. There are cameras in every classroom and the director sits and watches the monitor in her office and if she doesn't like what she sees she comes in and fixes it.

(Though she told me on my first day teaching that she has a lot of respect for me as a person with an education degree in America with teaching experience. She hasn't actually been in my classes that much at all and always tells me that she likes what she sees, so I guess I'm doing OK.)

Noon-1 I eat lunch. Lots of rice and veggies and soups. They eat A LOT of beef and pork here which I haven't yet braved--or don't think I care to. I told myself going in that was going to be an open minded person and try all sorts of cultural foods whether they had meat in them or not, and I'm sure I've had chunks of meat disguised as noodle in soups since I've been here so I'm not going to sweat it too much. Also, I think I'm going to learn to love spicy food. Everything is so spicy here. But interesting.

1:05-1:55 I meet with the the VENUS kindergarten kids for the last hour and finish out their day

Then the hogwon (after school) classes start.

I start these classes at 2 with another group of Kindergarten kids (but younger and not as developed in their English as the all day kids). I see these kids for an hour everyday and the routine is the same. We sing a song from their book (which they love and is so freakin' cute to watch) I do phonics flashcards with them and work on the storybook of the day and another workbook page if there is time. It's amazing how fast 55 minutes goes.

It's 3 pm and the older elementary students arrive and the kindergarteners leave for the day.

3-4 I have a group of 6 girls that would be in the second or third grade in America. They were a rowdy group of girls when I did my observation the first day. My director basically assigned them to me and said "see if you can calm them down a bit." LOL. No pressure there or anything. My first day teaching them ended and word has it those girls turned to the director and asked her if I had experience teaching and were really surprised that they couldn't get away with the shit they got away with in the other English teacher's class. Score one for Team Jennifer. They are one of my favorite classes so far because we can have actual conversations and they do enjoy learning. We're working on saying things like "I go to English class after school" and "On Saturday, I don't go to school" because we are on the schedule unit.

Discipline is really easy here, IMO. Give lots of stars and positive praise (the Koreans do the corporal stuff--it's actaully really disrespectful for an English teacher to raise her voice to a Korean student--but we can threaten them with the Bad List and a phone call home by the director and they straighten up right away.)

4-5 MWF I have a group of four kids that would be in the fourth grade in the US. I haven't started teaching them yet, because their current teacher has one more week here, but I've been observing this class and it's very similar to what I would do as a reading teacher here. They read a story from their textbook, (this week they are reading a very popular story in the US--Officer Buckle and Gloria, I thought that was funny) and answer questions. The director wants more competition in class. So while I am used to completing a worksheet collaboratively as a class with a group of students, she wants them to raise their hand and see if they can answer before anyone else. "They love the competition" she says. Different philosophy, it's not bad, just different is what I will keep reminding myself.

5-6 I have a prep hour and get my stuff ready for Kindergarten the next day.

6-7 MWF I have a sixth grade class of eight and they have a reading book and a listening book. They want me to mostly discuss vocabulary words and practice speaking with them, which is hard to do because the pre-adolescent phobia of public speaking has set in by this age. They are very self-conscious of how they sound speaking English, but can understand spoken English and read it very well.

And that's the end of my day. I am exhausted but feel accomplished for surviving the week.

Food here is good too. Meat is in everything, I'm starting to realize, but there are some things that you can get without it. First night I was here I went out with some of the Candadian teachers at the school and we went to a place where raw beef chunks were seared and grilled in the center of a circular table, which was bizarre. That's a really common thing to do in restaurants here.

Noodles with shrimp or fish is common, and I've been living off of kim-bop lately, which is a really cheap sushi roll with fresh veggies, tuna, rice, wrapped in seaweed. Yummy. I also had a bowl of noodles with squid in it for lunch one day, and the noodles were served in a cold broth. Strange, different, but really good.

There are lots of cafes with american and European sandwiches here too, and many grocery stores with western food. Haven't ventured to the grocery store yet, but that's Sunday's adventure.

I'm sure there are many more things I have to say. But that's it for now. Any questions? I really like Korea so far. More later!

P.S. Is there anything else you really want to know? I have lots of stories about the interactions between the Korean teachers and the English teachers, but I'll save that for another day. This is getting long! Can't wait to hear from you!

Do I sound like a stupid American yet? Comments and thoughts about the tone of this post and how you want to see these posts formmated are appreciated as well. There is so much to say about what's new, interesting, exciting, it's hard to take it all in let alone put it into writing. Let me know what you want to hear about!

Random things I know NOW

1. Koreans take an hour and a half for lunch. At least the ones at the Korean Consulate in Atlanta do. Seriously? NO ONE in the office at 1:20pm? How much effort does it take to process VISA paperwork anyway? When I finally did get there and turn in my paperwork, I get laughed at by the slight woman behind the glass after telling her it's my first time going to Korea. Nicely done. I guess I can expect a lot of this in the weeks to come. Also, they got my appointment wrong and I have to go back next Tuesday for my interview. Fabulous. Glad they have a whole week to check me out and make sure I'm not a criminal entering their country. Good grief.

2. I forgot how humid it was in the south. Seriously. The air just. sits. here. Moisture and all. Minneapolis has really spoiled me with its breezy and mild temperatures. I miss that. I miss being able to walk out to get my mail without sweating my face off.

3. It takes a freaking long time to go from Chicago to Atlanta. And I never want to do it in one day again. I suppose though, that it was worth it. Chicago is a really pretty city by the water, and BILLY ELLIOT was awesome to see at the Ford Theater for $25. Seriously, "limited view" seats are the way to go. They seat you fairly close to the front and side, and you really aren't that "limited" in what you see at all. Good deal.

Some things I know

1. My documents for my E2 teaching visa were sent out yesterday. Did you know it cost $72 dollars to send a light package via FEDEX to South Korea? That's not even the express! It will still take 6 days to get there. This shocked me, but at the same time, it's a huge load off my mind. Now I'm just waiting for my Visa Issuance Number so I can go forward with the process.

2. I have one more week at work. I've said most of my goodbyes already, and it's been really hard to leave. At the same time though, it's been really exciting and I'm looking forward to an opportunity for a fresh start.

3. Korean characters are really difficult to draw. I've been trying to teach myself basic Korean, and it's not going well. I'm hoping that it will become easier when I'm over there and I can actually use it and hear it in context, but until then I'm just going to keep watching video lessons on YouTube.

4. I haven't written anything of substance for a long time. As much as I wanted to get back into writing, and as much as I've told myself I'd keep going to writing groups, I just haven't done it. This frustrates me. I do have something I want to say, I just don't know how exactly to say it.

5. I hate packing. Although, I've been really good about keeping stuff down to a minimum this year. I realize that I've lived in three different residences in three years and every time I go to pack, it just makes me realize how silly all of my little stuff is. I already occupy enough of the planet with my space, I don't need a closet full of clothing I don't wear to go with it. I've made several trips to good will thus far, and I will make several more before I leave. I am still proud to announce that everything I own can be lifted and fit into my car, and I own a Mazda. That's impressive.

6. I will definitely keep posting from Korea. It has been asked several times from readers. I am confident I will have more interesting things to post about from another country. I'm not sure what tone it will take, but that will have to be determined when I get there. I know I'm in for some culture shock, so I'm sure I'll blog about that. I know I'm in for some food shocks, so I'll probably blog about that. As for anything else, we shall just wait and see. Surprises are good, no?

Hopeonatenspeed on YouTube is awesome

Add her as a friend. Otherwise known as Paige in the real world, or Frenzy in the camp world, she's in South Korea, teaching English, and living life as an alien. Have a mentioned incredibly talented?



Check her out. Friend her, share it.