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| Sunday, March 15th, 2009 | | 11:36 am |
Yesterday started out fairly crappy but ended with one of my favorite Korean punk rock bands inserting my home state into their rendition of “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” And then I got their autographs. Seriously, I almost skipped the concert, the morning was so unpromising. It was just a string of annoyances capped off by a “shower” involving various bowls and my electric kettle because the construction workers (see “string of annoyances”) had turned off the gas to my building. After much dithering, though, I finally resolved to go to the concert, even though I had only vague directions to the performance venue, the ticket price was higher than I would have liked, and I smelled kind of funky thanks to my pathetic excuse for a shower. As soon as I left my apartment, my day took a turn for the better. I located the concert venue easily (it’s a nice thirty-minute walk from my apartment); while waiting for the show to start, I found three promising ESL activity books at a nearby English bookstore; and when I finally walked into the darkened performance hall (really just a room), I was immediately spotted by some of my uni students, members of the school rock band, who invited me to join them up by the stage. (I stood unobtrusively off to the side, in front of a speaker.) It was a small but enthusiastic crowd, and I wound up just a few feet from two of my favorite Korean punk rock bands, No Brain and Sugar Donut. I've seen both bands several times, but this was smaller and much more intimate than their other performances. When the lead singer of Sugar Donut noticed me and another foreigner in the audience, he asked where we were from; and later that night, John Denver’s “West Virginia” became “New Mexico” (and then “California”) for possibly the first and last time ever. After the show, the band members hung out in the lobby, and they were happy to pose for pictures and sign autographs. (I only got four autographs. I wanted to collect ‘em all, but I thought that might seem greedy!) Afterward, my students and I went out for beer, and that was fun, too. ^^ If you're curious, this is No Brain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKXsEZrgaCAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw4hm70AQxo&feature=relatedAnd this is Sugar Donut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiETXE1Xo4ohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy8CeA6SwQA&feature=related | | Thursday, September 11th, 2008 | | 9:54 am |
Jump cut: Gwangju, three months later
That makes two students who have actually called to ask me to come back to Jeju. One of my favorite bad boys called me yesterday during his math class (he was hiding in the boys’ bathroom) to ask where I was and when I would return to Jeju. He was obviously not paying attention the several times I explained to his class I was leaving the island. “Gwangju??!? Why you there??? Come back!” he demanded. I wished I could send a hug through the phone! (Not that he would have submitted to a hug, but I would have felt better.) I miss my boys, but my girls (yes, I teach 68 girls and 4 boys now) are lovely. I have three classes of freshmen (P.E., ethics, and Korean majors, respectively) and one class of sophomore English majors. Two weeks in, and I’m already quite attached to the sophomores! I see them twice a week; there are only eighteen of them; and they’re English majors, all of which makes a huge difference when cultivating a relationship. We can discuss complicated topics, and their individual personalities are gradually being revealed through the dialog journals we do at the start of every class. I also love my P.E.-major class, which includes the only four boys I teach. So far, all of the P.E. students are quite energetic, and they seem game to try anything I ask of them. The other classes are a mixed bag: a handful of bright, active girls; one or two sullen girls playing with cell phones; the rest falling somewhere in between. So why, you ask, am I teaching primarily girls? Well, for the past couple of years, this university’s English department has had only male foreign teachers, but the student body is 70% female. When the department hired two female instructors this year, they finally had enough instructors to divide each class in half (so we’re each teaching 17 or 18 students); and they apparently decided to divide the classes along gender lines, so the male instructors are teaching mostly boys and the women are teaching mostly girls. I miss teaching boys, but it’s quite interesting to teach all-girl classes. The classes have a different dynamic. There’s less teasing; the students don’t hit each other; and the girls seem very sensitive, almost fragile (I have completely curtailed my teasing impulse). It’s also different teaching university students. I can ask them to have a conversation in English, and they do! They just… do it!! When I walk around the classroom, they’re not planning soccer strategies or listing their soccer dream-team or drawing on the desks or watching something on a PMP or talking in Korean. (Well… sometimes they’re talking in Korean, but it usually seems related to the discussion topic.) It’s nice, but… I don’t know what to do with myself! Walk and listen… walk and listen… walk and listen…. This university is quite prestigious, though, and the students are all studying to be teachers, so I’m not surprised by their diligence. Life in Gwangju is nice so far. I have a comfortable two-bedroom apartment on the top floor of the student dormitory. Within walking distance are two Home Plus stores, the downtown area (hello, movie theaters!!), and a university that offers Korean language lessons (which I started this week). For the first time ever, I’ve joined a gym. It’s in the same building as my office (did I mention I have an office? Private. Corner. Big windows.), so I won’t have an excuse not to go; there’s a free “sauna” (haven’t gone yet, so I don’t know exactly what they mean by this); and it was offering both a discount to university employees and a free bike to the first 100 people to join. How could I resist? So… yeah, life is great! I love it here. But… as happy as I am, as much as I love my new job and my office and my apartment and my gym (well... maybe), I would trade everything in a heartbeat to be with my boys at SHS. | | Thursday, June 19th, 2008 | | 10:30 am |
I love that Korea can still surprise me. Take, for instance, these recent scenes from my life: It’s just before first period, and the second-years are walking around with Dixie cups filled with liquid. “Oh, how nice!” I think. “The teachers have brought a treat for everyone. What's the occasion?” I approach a student to find out whether they’re drinking juice or coffee. “Oh, Teacher, why??” he demands as I try to peer into his cup. I follow him as he takes the cup into a conference room and gingerly places it on the floor next to a bunch of other cups, each sorted by class, labeled with a student's name, and containing yellow-ish fluid.... OH! Yup. Urine test. Routine part of their health exam. ***** I’m standing at an intersection on my way to school, waiting for the light to change so I can cross the street. I’m running a little late, as usual. A car stops in front of me; one of my coworkers is driving. I smile and bow, ask him if he’s going to the school; he answers in the affirmative and gestures to the empty passenger seat beside him. I figure he’s offering me a ride, so I try the door handle. Door’s locked. He reaches through the window, shakes my hand, and drives off. ***** This month, I’m conducting a speaking test. It’s typically one of the highlights of my semester, since it allows me to talk with my students one-on-one and learn more about them. So far this time, I’ve learned that a surprising number of students have at least one dead parent. An equally impressive number have no idea what university their older siblings attend. And while quite a few students have dogs, at least half of these dogs have no name. Interesting! (Oh, and for the record, most boys think it's better to be a boy than a girl, because boys are "strong and active." Girls, evidently, are not.) Best quote so far, from a student who couldn’t think of the word for “housewife”: “Mother is...uh...father manager.” | | Friday, June 6th, 2008 | | 10:03 am |
Fascinating! This week in class, we’re playing an American culture-and-etiquette quiz game. The most frequently missed questions include the following: * True or false: In America, it’s okay to stare at people. * True or false: In America, it’s okay to say someone is fat as long as they’re actually fat. * True or false: Americans can’t eat spicy food. * True or false: Americans can’t use chopsticks. * True or false: In America, it’s common to ask, “When will you get married?” * True or false: There are no slippers in American bathrooms. * [picture of an old man] True or false: If you see this man on the street, it’s polite to say, “Hello, Grandpa!” * [picture of Penelope Cruz]: This is Penelope Cruz. She’s an actress from Spain. True or false: We can say she is black. My students know quite a bit about American culture, so it's interesting to see where the gaps are. (It’s possible some students missed these questions because of the phrasing, but I've started asking them to explain their answers. Their explanations usually clarify whether they misunderstood the question or have a genuine misconception.) When I reveal the answer to each question, I try to explain why it’s true or false, avoiding over-generalizations as much as possible. I think we’ve successfully explored some of the stereotypes many students hold about foreigners. In two classes, we also had productive (maybe) discussions about mad cow disease, which many students believe is rampant in America. (If you don’t know about the recent candlelight vigils and impassioned protests against U.S. beef, don’t ask. Seriously. It’s ludicrous.) ( What's up with those true/false questions?? )I was surprised yesterday when one first-grade class, upon hearing I’d be leaving at the end of this semester, plaintively asked when I’d return and then insisted that I stay a little longer—just until they graduate in the spring of 2011. How sweet! I honestly didn’t think this particular class liked me very much, so I was touched to hear this. I told them (truthfully) that I’d done everything in my power to stay with them; I even asked the provincial board of education if I could stay at this school if I signed with the BoE's English teachers’ program. But no, three years at one school is the maximum. I suppose it’s just as well; I’m not a fan of the new administration and some of the changes they’ve implemented. But that’s a different story…. In other news, the remodeling is mostly finished, and the teachers have officially relocated to the administration building and its shiny new teachers’ room—which, naturally, is adorned by ratty, decades-old storage lockers and bookshelves. I’m happy to say I have a computer and all the necessary accoutrements. (This was a problem in the temporary teachers’ room.) I’m sitting next to the gym teacher, an inordinately cool and reliable guy whom I like immensely. He once gave me a soccer uniform. I’m not sure why, but it was very sweet. (Korean culture side-note: He’s a “wild goose” father, living alone in Jeju and visiting his wife and kids every weekend in the mainland. A surprising number of families are split like this, with the father working far from his family but visiting them whenever he can. In some families, the children live with their grandparents while both parents work far away.) I still have no classroom, but that’s okay. Now I just miss the temporary teachers’ room, where I was across the hall from my boys. Oh, I’m not ready to leave! I mean, what are the odds that at a university I can have conversations like this: Student: Teacher! No panties. Me: No panties? You’re not wearing underwear? Why? Student [shakes the gym shorts he's holding, then pulls down his pants a bit to reveal a panty-less hip]: No panties. Sexy boy! | | Monday, May 26th, 2008 | | 10:29 pm |
Last week was our school’s sports festival. Basically, this meant a full day of basketball, tug-of-war, soccer, a relay race, and ssireum wrestling. The best athletes in each class competed, while the other students participated in a class tug-of-war battle before settling down to watch their classmates and read comic books. For the past two years on Sports Day, I’ve asked my favorite students, half-jokingly, to teach me ssireum wrestling, my new favorite spectator sport. Each time, they were excited that I was interested, but they looked uncomfortable at the thought of actually teaching me—partly because I’m a teacher, partly because I’m a girl. (Last year, my female co-teacher gamely volunteered to try it with me; but since I’m about twice as big as she, I decided it might be a bad idea.) This year, I broached the subject with one of the ssireum competitors as we stood near the deserted sand pit between rounds. “Sure,” he said, and he immediately grabbed a sash for me. He strapped me up (the sash goes around the wrestler’s waist and right thigh), we got into the ring, and then he gave me the extent of my instruction: “Grab here and here. Okay, go!” A handful of students cheered me on (well… more precisely, they laughed at me), shouting advice both helpful (“Teacher! Shoulder game.”) and less-than-helpful (“Teacher! Pick up and throw!” “Oh, terrible.”). He knocked me down (rather gingerly, I thought) twice before taking what I suspect was a gentlemanly dive. He told my co-teacher afterwards I was “like a man,” but I think he was just being polite. I had sand in my underwear for the rest of the day, but wrestling with this student was the highlight of my week! I’d love to try it again—preferably with a little more instruction on the exact techniques and rules involved. ^^;; | | 9:51 pm |
| | Friday, May 16th, 2008 | | 8:08 am |
For the record
FBI criminal background check Wait-time quoted: 6 weeks Got it in 2. Korean criminal background check Wait-time quoted: 15 minutes Got it in 10. AND I got to ride in a police car. The helpful officers at the "police box" couldn't describe the location of their headquarters, so they decided just to drive me there. (Turns out it's a five-minute walk from my favorite hotel in Seoul!) Also for the record, neither the driver nor the front-seat passenger wore a seat belt. Typical. | | Thursday, May 1st, 2008 | | 9:05 pm |
My second-graders are back from their class trip to the mainland! I was delighted to see them again; without their presence on the second floor, last week was quiet and dull. (My first graders are rambunctious little miscreants, but their crude wildness is no substitute for the charming rowdiness of my second graders.) I even went to great effort to try to surprise my boys at a performance of Nanta on Saturday, when my visit to Seoul overlapped with theirs for a few hours. Unfortunately, none of the four taxi drivers I tried could find the theater; and I think the directions we eventually received from the box office actually sent us in the direction of an entirely different theater…. Anyway, the boys are back; they didn’t miss me (or so they say); and one actually brought me a present: People magazine’s Yearbook 2008. Awww, how sweet! He must think I miss my home country. I hope he didn’t pay full price for it (the price tag indicates it was about $19—marked down from $22).... Even though I was severely disappointed I couldn’t see my boys in Seoul, last weekend’s trip was fantastic. First, I met up with a former student and initiated him into the world of live punk rock. We saw Crying Nut and the Rocktigers, two superb Korean bands, at one of my favorite music venues. The room was packed; the energy was high; and after some initial reticence, my student bounced with the crowd and was absorbed into the roiling flow of the mosh. By the end, his collared shirt was pasted to his body with sweat, and he left with an enormous grin. The evening was flawless—the best possible introduction to live music for him. (He had seen a few pop concerts at the Jeju convention center, but those don’t count. There’s minimal “liveness” in the music there.) Other than that, the weekend featured friends, movies (we saw The Forbidden Kingdom, which was terribly, painfully dull; but at least Jet Li was hot as the monkey king), Mexican food, and noraebang. How my friends can sing and dance with such reckless abandon, I’ll never know; but I’m glad I had my camera (and its video function) handy! ***** Quote of the day:Me: I’m happy to see you! Welcome back! Where’s my present? Student: Uh… uh… uh... It’s in my heart. | | Monday, April 21st, 2008 | | 7:19 am |
It's Monday morning in Korea, so here's something to get your week off to a good start: excerpts from my students' personal ads! ( My boys are so adorable! ) | | Sunday, April 20th, 2008 | | 9:15 am |
I have one second-year student who routinely wanders into the classroom (late) in a cloud of smoke. I always fan the air and complain about the “terrible smell,” to the amusement of his friends; but I’m not trying to be funny. The aroma is truly overwhelming. He reminds me of Pigpen from Peanuts, except he’s exuding smoke instead of dirt. I can smell him from five feet away; when he leaves the classroom, the scent of smoke lingers in the air for several minutes. Actually, I’m worried about this kid. He’s developed a Parkinson’s-like tremor. His head tends to tremble slightly; and when he’s focusing on a paper, his eyes dart all around. It seems completely involuntary, and I think it’s new (it’s hard to say, though, because he sleeps so much in his classes). When I raised my concerns with one of the Korean English teachers, she had no idea what I was talking about. Apparently, he lives apart from his parents, so maybe no one has made him see a doctor…. I’m going to talk to his homeroom teacher this week (surely I can’t be the only person who’s noticed his tremor?), but I thought I’d first seek input from the collected knowledge on LJ. So... keeping in mind that he’s a heavy smoker and is rumored to drink, as well, does anyone have any ideas what this might be? If it were a hand tremor, I’d assume it’s just too much caffeine or nicotine or something. Head tremors and twitching eyes seem more serious to me…. Thoughts? EDIT, 4/22: I harassed my co-teacher again, hoping that she'd talk to this student's homeroom teacher for me. My co-teacher kept telling me the palsy was just this kid's "habit," and I kept telling her that it wasn't normal. She couldn't understand why I was concerned; I couldn't understand why she WASN'T. The head first-grade teacher heard what we were talking about and jumped in. He, too, had noticed the tremor, and he had inquired about it. Here's the story: This kid's dad was an alcoholic and used to beat him. This is why he no longer lives with his parents. The tremor is most likely the result brain damage.... Sad.... | | Sunday, April 13th, 2008 | | 8:24 am |
I got a new job! I've accepted a position in the English education department at a teachers' university. Starting in August, I will be living in Gwangju, a city in the southwest corner of the mainland, teaching budding elementary school teachers. There's another university nearby that offers Korean language lessons (my main motivation for leaving my beloved island); a couple of my former students are attending university just an hour away; and it sounds as if I'll have a lot of say in the core curriculum AND will be designing my own elective courses. Now I get to start the long, HUGELY annoying process of securing a work visa.... Arggg.... Can you hold that hoop a little higher, please? Over the past several weeks, I've had many wonderful opportunities to see old friends and former students. Last weekend, all the teachers in my program visited Jeju, AND a former student visiting his hometown from the mainland made time to meet me for lunch (he even gave me insignia pins from his coast guard [?] university--thanks, I think, for the care package I sent him). Two weeks ago, I got to see a handful of good friends while I was in Gwangju for a job interview. Three weeks ago, I went to Seoul for the weekend to see a friend from the U.S., and one of my former students took a two-hour bus ride from Daejeon to spend the afternoon with me. Poor kid had a terrible time of it, too! First, he missed two buses to Seoul (how? I'm not sure, but he's not exactly city-savvy yet) and arrived several hours later than he originally planned. THEN he was crestfallen to discover that none of our Seoul friends were able to join us--it was just the two of us. By the time evening rolled around, he was having such a nice time that he secured permission to return to his dorm after the 11 p.m. curfew... but when he tried to buy a return bus ticket, the first bus with available seats would have arrived in Daejeon around 2 a.m. He wound up staying in Seoul overnight (my friend graciously let him stay in her hotel room while she and I shared mine. And now I can end at least one story with, "So I put my student up in a love motel...."). It was not exactly the trip he had envisioned, but he says he'd do it again.... Sigh. I miss my former students. Actually, I miss my current students, too! How can I ever leave this school?? ( Kids say the darnedest things.... ) | | Sunday, March 16th, 2008 | | 10:12 pm |
Excerpt from a text message conversation with Bonggi #3: Bonggi: I wanna ask u something Me: Sure! Ask. Bonggi: TO SAY FRANKLY WHAT DO U THINK OF ME? U DON’T HAVE FLATTER I JUST WONDER. ^^ Me: I think you’re great! Very smart and good. Sometimes crazy, but sweet. Why? Bonggi: BCOZ I was rude, crazy, using vulgar to u but u always smile, kind sent SMS [text message], asked me etc. I am just want remembered u good guy. Me: Don’t worry! I always knew you were nice, even when you were crazy. ㅎ Bonggi: haha thanks. it is good remembered to someone…. Isn’t that sweet? Oh, and by the way, he also mentioned in this conversation that he has given up porn—hasn’t watched a single adult video for a month now. HAHAHA! This kid cracks me up. And as much as I LOVE teaching only SANE classes, I do kinda miss the unpredictability of my bonggi class…. They definitely gave me some good stories and kept me on my toes! They’re third graders now, so I no longer teach them. ㅠㅠ | | Friday, March 14th, 2008 | | 2:06 pm |
My laptop is now adorned by seventeen Keroro stickers plus two anime figures I don't recognize, courtesy of a particularly sneaky first-grade student. I am officially the envy of all my students (one of whom actually stole two of my stickers yesterday!). ^^ | | Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 | | 7:16 pm |
Things that have made me laugh this week
While playing "Two Truths and a Lie" with class 1-4: Student: 1. I have been to busan. 2. I am god. 3. My cell phone color is black. Via Cyworld, from a former student newly of legal drinking age who just finished his first week of university: Me: Did you have a good weekend? What did you do? Student: saturday night im drinking with my seniors and friends, and sunday morning my brain is broken. What a beautifully accurate way to describe a hangover! | | Saturday, March 8th, 2008 | | 7:59 am |
My students have taken it upon themselves to decorate my computer. In two classes, while my back was turned, Keroro stickers suddenly materialized. (The stickers are currently a fad here, though the cartoon has been around for a while. It’s known as SGT. FROG in the U.S., I believe.) First, there was one. In the next class, one became six. I’ve added a seventh that was given to me by a student last semester, and I’m now set to be the coolest teacher ever. Or something like that…. ㅎㅎ ( random thoughts ) | | Friday, March 7th, 2008 | | 7:52 am |
Woo-hoo! Problems resolved. (Some of them, anyway.) As Einstein once said, “Impossible is nothing!” Problem: no internet at my desk in the teachers’ room. Teachers’ response: “Tomorrow you can change desks. The music teacher will move into the music room tomorrow.” My response: Wait two days for said changing of desks; and when it doesn’t seem forthcoming, I poke around and discover the underlying problem. The difficulty isn’t a lack of internet capability; they’re just missing an Ethernet cable. (Seriously?!?) Solution: Brought an Ethernet cable from home and plugged it into the massive router myself. Problem solved. Will buy a wireless router today so I can have internet access in the classrooms during my lessons. Problem: beam projectors in the first-grade classrooms are encased in metal with no power button accessible/visible. Teachers’ response: “We will find the remote control.” My response: Wait twelve hours for promised remote control. The administrative office presents me with four remotes, none of which work. Solution: I go online, find the technical specs for this particular beam projector, note the exact location of the power button, and thank god I have small fingers that can slip into the metal casing to feel around for both the power switch and the input control. I’m a little dirty afterwards, but at least I can make the beam projectors work when I need them! Problem: no computer monitor, other accoutrements at my desk in the teachers' room Solution: I'd rather use my laptop, anyway! This isn’t to say that the other teachers are ineffectual. (Sometimes they are, especially about technical stuff; but overall, they really are quite kind, and they have good intentions.) In fact, the gym teacher took it upon himself to slide all the desks forward so my desk is no longer quite as obtrusive; and my co-teacher says she found some materials from my classroom and boxed them up for me. I still don’t have my own classroom, but my co-teacher said she’d talk to the vice principal about it. Life is good once again. Oh! AND the new first-years are awesome. I can’t wait to get to know them better! I think I’m going to friends-lock my previous (whiny) posts. I hate to keep such negativity in the public sphere. ^^ | | Monday, March 3rd, 2008 | | 4:10 pm |
The boys seemed happy to see me today, and they actually spoke English to me—voluntarily! I was especially surprised by a friendly greeting from our school rock band's guitarist, since I had (maybe) embarrassed him a week ago. The school rock band had a concert, and one of the other teachers was kind enough to tell me about it. Toward the end of the show, the band held a raffle; when they ran out of prizes, they raffled off hugs from the band members (there were many adolescent girls in the audience, so this was a popular prize). Finally, this guitarist announced, "Anyone who wants a hug can come get one." He seemed disappointed when no one took him up on his offer ("Anyone? Anyone? Doesn't any girl want a hug from me?"), so I called out, "Here!" in Korean and made my way to the stage, bravely trying to pave the way for the shy teenage girls in the audience. His proud, expectant face fell when he saw who it was, and he protested; but he finally gave in, to the delight of his fellow band members and the audience. Today, when he saw me, he gave me an enormous grin, so I jokingly asked him for a hug. He fled in mock horror... but he later laughed when a fellow band member reminded me, "Teacher! You hug Seong Hyeop." "Yes," I answered. "Will you hug me, too?" The band member, a keyboardist, immediately enveloped me in a hug. ^^ | | Thursday, February 21st, 2008 | | 7:37 am |
Wow, it’s been a long time since I last posted! It feels a little ridiculous to be posting a summary of the past few months, but it would feel far more absurd just to jump in with a story about my day, so.... In brief, since I last posted, I * went to the U.S. for a quick Christmas visit; * visited a friend in Dhaka, Bangladesh, for a week (interesting place; wouldn’t want to go there alone, though); * hit a few highlights of Hong Kong in a carefully arranged four-day layover (awesome! Andy, Aaron, and Edison on posters everywhere, AND new HK films with English subtitles! Heaven. ^^); * showed friends around Seoul and Jeju; * participated in the embassy’s English/leadership camp with five students (four of whom were great; one of whom [the bonggi’s friend] I had to pull aside and reprimand after Day Three because he was being a little rude to me); * received one flower bouquet, one rose, and two hugs from students I saw at our school’s festival and graduation ceremony (the two hugs were from the same student on different days. Does that count? The rose and the bouquet were given to the students by their parents, and the kids then elected to give them to me. Sweet, eh?). Our school festival was awesome! I’ve been waiting for this event for almost three years. Our festival is held every other year, and the last one was December 26, 2005—just after I had gone home for Christmas. This year, the timing was MUCH better: it was AFTER all my camps and trips had finished, but before my winter class started. The festival featured a singing contest, a Starcraft tournament (I discovered computer games are boring to watch if you don’t know the rules and can’t follow the commentary!), musical performances, a magic show (but the student, one of my favorites, was out of practice and left in embarrassment before the show was over), an English play, and more. I think my favorite part was the play, which featured several of my favorite first-years in drag. (One of my quietest, shyest students even donned a tiny dress and a pink wig, and then performed an AMAZING, hip-thrusting, arm-waving, Britney-worthy sexy dance! I honestly didn’t recognize him. He’s in my winter class, and his classmates just revealed his identity to me yesterday—after trying to convince me the actor was actually a girl who just had really strong legs and broad shoulders. Honestly, that was much easier to believe than that it was Dong Hwan! Best of all, I have everything on tape.) Graduation was also wonderful. The graduating students were the first first-years I taught, and they suffered through my rookie-teacher mistakes. I’ll miss these boys! After the hour-long graduation ceremony, a few agreed to take pictures with me, and I laughed to see some of the troublemakers covered in eggs and flour (throwing eggs and flour at your graduating friends after the ceremony is a new trend). I also got to meet a few parents, and I was invited to join the third-year homeroom teachers for tea with the PTA representatives. Let’s see... Other (possibly) interesting news... Bonggi #1 now has a cell phone and the ability to send text messages from other people’s phone numbers. I didn’t know this was even legal! But I’m positive the spam-like messages I’m receiving (from numbers such as 012-345-6789) are from him. I’m also sure the prank call I received recently was this kid. (“Heh-heh-heh... Heh-heh-heh....” was all the caller would say. I told him I didn’t have time to play that night, but he should call back another time.) He forgot to hide his number last week, though, and Bonggi #3 confirmed that it was Bonggi #1’s new number. It’s now in my phone’s memory.... And a totally random note: I didn’t see many movies this year, but my favorite movies from 2007 (so far) are JUNO, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, I AM LEGEND (flaws and cheesy CGI aside), and ONCE. Gooooooood stuff! | | Monday, December 17th, 2007 | | 6:24 pm |
You know, for a self-proclaimed misanthropic hermit-wannabe, I’m surprisingly attached to my friends. It never ceases to amaze me how friends can make up for a terrible week. My presentation on Friday went well... But the reception was disheartening. Some of the novice teachers in That Other Program were downright RUDE! One person read a book the entire time; others didn’t look up once; one even made a “hurry up” gesture during the presentation. Afterwards, one of my friends in this program told me that my presentations were getting "increasingly better" (I think because I included music and flashy pictures this time), and she suggested that a game would have improved it even more. Now, I use games frequently in my classes, but that’s because my audience is students who 1) don’t speak much English, 2) are kids, and 3) generally don’t want to be there in the first place. At this presentation, my audience was adult native English speakers who were attending a workshop for professional development. I shouldn’t have to be a dancing monkey for their edification! I’m still a bit bitter about it, but the world seemed much brighter after a full afternoon of movies, chocolate, and sangria with ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.2) lab83. A Christmas dinner/gift exchange with the other island SETAs and a holiday party at the child center also made me happy. Today was another disappointing day. I bought a small cake for my TOEFL class, since it was a student’s birthday; and we had planned to order pizza and watch It’s a Wonderful Life after class finished. The birthday boy didn’t even show up to the class; the other students ate the pizza, but then decided to skip the movie; and when the birthday boy finally arrived, he had already eaten lunch and had a very uncomfortable expression on his face when I brought out his cake. (Note: This isn’t the first time I’ve brought a cake for someone, and this kid has been in enough of my special classes to know this, so it's not that he thought it was weird....) I watched the movie alone and gave the cake to the third-grade teachers. Anyway, the day was kind of a flop, and I was feeling grouchy about it; then I went home, logged onto NateOn (like MSN)... and was immediately welcomed with text messages from two Korean friends and one student, who invited me to “play” on Wendesday, when we don’t have school. THEN another student called me from China (but then accidentally hung up on me). I feel so loved. ^^ | | Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 | | 8:40 am |
Despite much frustration, I emerged victorious from my most recent trip to Seoul. The frustrations included spending about forty-five minutes explaining first to DHL and then to the post office that I needed a self-addressed, stamped envelope so my passport could be returned to me by the Bangladesh embassy after my visa was processed. ( Short version: I have my visa! Long version: under the cut )During my whirlwind trip to Seoul, I also saw my favorite Korean band, The RockTigers; attended an AYP planning meeting with the other cool SETAs participating in the program; discovered a Mexican restaurant that has great margaritas (the best in Korea, and better than many in the States!); stopped by the foreigner clinic at Severance Hospital to get some prescriptions from a doctor fluent in English; bought more prizes for my students; finished my Christmas shopping (and then some!); talked to my mom for a few hours; and watched MICHAEL CLAYTON (not bad, but nothing new, either). Awesome. Because of final exams, election day, and other tests, I’m only teaching three days between now and December 21, the day I fly home for Christmas; but somehow, I’m busy every single day! I get to help grade foreign English teachers for two afternoons; my friends and I are throwing a holiday party on Saturday at the child center; my TOEFL class is still meeting every day (we’ll have to meet at my apartment a few times); my AYP boys will meet to prepare their school introduction; and on Friday, I’m presenting at a workshop for new foreign English teachers in the other English-teaching program in Korea. The other program’s orientation is only a week long, and I rarely see these teachers observing proper Korean etiquette, so my presentation focuses on cultural differences and niceties that apparently weren’t covered properly. I hope the new teachers aren’t offended; they’ve been in Korea for four months, and some of them seem to think they’ve learned everything there is to know.... (And I’m fully aware that I have a lot to learn, so maybe my presentation isn’t as accurate and thorough as I’d hope!) On a totally unrelated note, the election vans are still in the rotary below my window, but at least the candidates alternate days. (Jeong Dong Yeong’s van is still the loudest and most annoying, though.) One candidate’s song is to the tune of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” His van just drove past my building.... It made me smile. |
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