I was at the bowling alley with Andrew and some other English teachers. I was in the middle of bowling a 46, when a guy started hanging up a banner near our lane. Only the second half of the banner was visible, and we could read "less." Everyone started making guesses as to what the banner was going to say - would it say "fearless"? Then a "b" was revealed, making "bless". Could the message be "God bless"?
All at once, the rest of the banner was revealed: "Marbless."
"Well, no one could have seen that coming," said Jake.
Marbless. What did it mean? Was it simply a mispelling of "marbles", and if so, the question is raised as to why they would have a banner saying "marbles" at a bowling alley?
Saying it out loud, we found that it was also possibly a mispelling of "marvelous".
Above "marbless", in smaller letters, was the message "Since 2008," which adds further intrigue. It lead me to guess that perhaps we were thinking about marbless all wrong. What if it wasn't a mispelling at all. What if it was saying that they were Marb-less, or lacking "marb," since 2008?
What is marb? This we will never know.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Angela
Last Friday I was at the grocery store near work picking up some candy for the kids, when I felt someone tugging at my basket. It was Angela, one of the 8 year olds. She doesn't speak very much English, but she likes to jump a lot and wave her arms. She is easily within the top three cutest students I teach, which is an extremely competitive category.
Angela's mom was surprised to see me too, and waved and said hello. I bought my stuff and was ready to leave when Angela ran up to me and said "Wait!", so I did. She brought me an ice cream bar, which her mom paid for. She had one too, and we ate them together.
After school I went for a run, and as I was walking into my building, who should I see bursting from the restaurant next door, and hitting the elevator button but Angela! Probably the last person I would ever expect to see. She saw me and did her jumping waving dance, without seeming the least bit surprised that I was there. She told me she was going to sing (the second floor of my building is a Nori-Bang - Karaoke room). Her mom came out of the restuarant a moment later, probably the most surprised of all. To her, it probably seems like I've been stalking her child, so I felt like I needed to explain that I live in the building.
Angela's mom was surprised to see me too, and waved and said hello. I bought my stuff and was ready to leave when Angela ran up to me and said "Wait!", so I did. She brought me an ice cream bar, which her mom paid for. She had one too, and we ate them together.
After school I went for a run, and as I was walking into my building, who should I see bursting from the restaurant next door, and hitting the elevator button but Angela! Probably the last person I would ever expect to see. She saw me and did her jumping waving dance, without seeming the least bit surprised that I was there. She told me she was going to sing (the second floor of my building is a Nori-Bang - Karaoke room). Her mom came out of the restuarant a moment later, probably the most surprised of all. To her, it probably seems like I've been stalking her child, so I felt like I needed to explain that I live in the building.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tricks of the Trade
Jinna gave me a bag of M&Ms to help the 4 year olds do their work. Sally will rarely even look my way when I say her name, but if I say M&M, she pays attention. I sit across from them with the bag of M&Ms, and I put one M&M out for each of them. If they are doing work, I slide the M&M closer to them, and make a big deal about it. If they're not doing work, I slide the M&M back towards the bag. It works well about half the time, which is a lot more than I get from not using this trick. I still feel weird about making 4 year olds do "work."
Another tactic is the countdown. If kids are out of their seats, or generally misbehaving, starting a countdown from 5 or 3 will make them respond almost every single time. It's pretty unbelievable.
Of course, the stickers are the real incentive. Every kid has a book of stickers which the teachers can add to if they are being good. Sometimes the stickers are recorded by a tally on the board - which is an even greater power because the teacher can remove the stickers if they are bad. Jason believes in using a group tactic - he makes the students discipline each other by denying stickers if even one student is out of line.
I caught two kids in my class forging stickers (stickers can also substituted with stars drawn with a marker). This revealed a huge flaw in the whole sticker system.
Another tactic is the countdown. If kids are out of their seats, or generally misbehaving, starting a countdown from 5 or 3 will make them respond almost every single time. It's pretty unbelievable.
Of course, the stickers are the real incentive. Every kid has a book of stickers which the teachers can add to if they are being good. Sometimes the stickers are recorded by a tally on the board - which is an even greater power because the teacher can remove the stickers if they are bad. Jason believes in using a group tactic - he makes the students discipline each other by denying stickers if even one student is out of line.
I caught two kids in my class forging stickers (stickers can also substituted with stars drawn with a marker). This revealed a huge flaw in the whole sticker system.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Korean Lessons
I had my first Korean lesson on Saturday and my second one earlier today. Right now I am learning the alphabet, and a little vocabulary.
In exchange for free weekly Korean lessons, all I need to do is spend one hour once a month co-teaching an art class with my Korean teacher. She is one of Jinna's friends, and also a part time English teacher at Break Away. I think the reason I get so much for so little work is that my presence in the art class is an advertisement for Break Away's new foreign teacher.
In exchange for free weekly Korean lessons, all I need to do is spend one hour once a month co-teaching an art class with my Korean teacher. She is one of Jinna's friends, and also a part time English teacher at Break Away. I think the reason I get so much for so little work is that my presence in the art class is an advertisement for Break Away's new foreign teacher.
Born to Account
At the employee dinner Jinna told the Korean teachers that I had been an accountant before I came here. The Korean teachers said that accounting was a good match for me. "No, no, no!" I said, a little ashamed that they would think that about me. "Bad fit."
Later I was talking with Annie, one of the Korean teachers, and she explained that accountants are held in high regard in Korea. When they said that accounting was a good match for me, they probably weren't imply that teaching was a bad match. It was probably a compliment, although I still don't like it.
I don't think it is as common a thing here to leave a secure, socially respected job to do soul searching. If I explained that I make more money as a teacher than as an accountant, it might be more understandable.
Later I was talking with Annie, one of the Korean teachers, and she explained that accountants are held in high regard in Korea. When they said that accounting was a good match for me, they probably weren't imply that teaching was a bad match. It was probably a compliment, although I still don't like it.
I don't think it is as common a thing here to leave a secure, socially respected job to do soul searching. If I explained that I make more money as a teacher than as an accountant, it might be more understandable.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Don't Drop the Soap
There is a popular game among Korean children, if it can be called a game. They place their palms together and extend their index fingers. Then they find someone whose back is exposed, and they jam their two extended fingers as hard as they can up that person's butt. They call it "dong-chim." I was warned about dong-chim on my first day here, but my first real experience with it didn't come until a few days later.
I learned not to turn my back on them pretty quickly.
I learned not to turn my back on them pretty quickly.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Math Class
I have "Math" class with the seven year olds, which is absolutely chaotic sometimes. There are about ten students, each with his or her own activity book, and each of them are at a different place in that activity book. The class is thirty minutes long, and goes something like this:
Me:
"Hey everyone! It's math time! Let's get out our math books."
Everyone:
"Nooooo" "Water please!" Batha roooom please!"
At this point, the three "good" students get their math books out. Another three just sit there in a daze, and say and do nothing. The remaining students will clamor for "batha rooom!!!" and will eventually attempt a jailbreak. If I stop the first kid, their revolution is usually thwarted. If I don't, almost the entire class is likely to escape in the ensuing chaos. They usually go fill up their water cups or go to the bathroom (whether they need to or not), which is for them, much preferable to sitting in class.
Me:
"Open up your books, get out your pencils!"
Everyone scrambles to get their pencils, which are, for some reason, never at hand. They are in drawers, on the floor, anywhere but with the student. Then it becomes a mad dash to the pencil sharpener. They will sharpen and sharpen those pencils down to little stumps if allowed.
For the rest of class, several students will continuously call "Tea-e-cher! Tea-e-cher! Help-a me please!"
They will yell this once or twice, and then, if I'm not already helping them, they will scream it at the top of their lungs. Or they will get out of their seat, and grab onto whatever part of me they can grab on to. Often times the math problems include English instructions that are way past the students' level of understanding, so I need to be able to read, understand, and demonstrate the problem to a student in about 20 seconds so I can deal with the next issue, or else whatever remaining order that exists will disappear.
There's way too much stuff happening to be able to deal with it all, or even half. So the first thing I do is adjust my expectations. I'm happy if I can help a few students during class, and the classroom is not entirely destroyed.
Some days are better than others with math class. Today was a good day. I got the most troublemaking student to do work. I tried less discipline than last time, and more positive reinforcement. I praised the kids who were doing work. When John, the troublemaker, did work, I think he was genuinely surprised that I said "good job," and gave him a high five. I think he's mostly used to getting yelled at.
All of this happens in the blink of an eye.
Me:
"Hey everyone! It's math time! Let's get out our math books."
Everyone:
"Nooooo" "Water please!" Batha roooom please!"
At this point, the three "good" students get their math books out. Another three just sit there in a daze, and say and do nothing. The remaining students will clamor for "batha rooom!!!" and will eventually attempt a jailbreak. If I stop the first kid, their revolution is usually thwarted. If I don't, almost the entire class is likely to escape in the ensuing chaos. They usually go fill up their water cups or go to the bathroom (whether they need to or not), which is for them, much preferable to sitting in class.
Me:
"Open up your books, get out your pencils!"
Everyone scrambles to get their pencils, which are, for some reason, never at hand. They are in drawers, on the floor, anywhere but with the student. Then it becomes a mad dash to the pencil sharpener. They will sharpen and sharpen those pencils down to little stumps if allowed.
For the rest of class, several students will continuously call "Tea-e-cher! Tea-e-cher! Help-a me please!"
They will yell this once or twice, and then, if I'm not already helping them, they will scream it at the top of their lungs. Or they will get out of their seat, and grab onto whatever part of me they can grab on to. Often times the math problems include English instructions that are way past the students' level of understanding, so I need to be able to read, understand, and demonstrate the problem to a student in about 20 seconds so I can deal with the next issue, or else whatever remaining order that exists will disappear.
There's way too much stuff happening to be able to deal with it all, or even half. So the first thing I do is adjust my expectations. I'm happy if I can help a few students during class, and the classroom is not entirely destroyed.
Some days are better than others with math class. Today was a good day. I got the most troublemaking student to do work. I tried less discipline than last time, and more positive reinforcement. I praised the kids who were doing work. When John, the troublemaker, did work, I think he was genuinely surprised that I said "good job," and gave him a high five. I think he's mostly used to getting yelled at.
All of this happens in the blink of an eye.
Monday, August 16, 2010
US and Korea: preliminary differences
Work: I heard a statistic that Koreans have 35% more working hours than the US (which already works too hard in my opinion), making Korea the hardest working developed country in the world. Also, if a "holiday" in Korean happens to fall on Saturday or Sunday, they say "too bad" instead of taking Friday or the following Monday off.
Food: Half the time I don't know what I'm eating, but I feel that it is much easier to eat healthy here that the US, especially when it comes to dining out. The only meal I make for myself is breakfast. I eat at school for lunch, and I eat at restaurants for dinner and lunch on weekends, and any other time I feel like eating. I feel like I have more energy here, which I attribute to my healthier diet (although it is probably also partially due to excitement). White rice is part of everything, and there are a lot of vegetables.
Food here is awesome. Restaurants here are awesome. I went to sit-down diner/restaurant last night and had a big bowl of ramen noodles, with some green onions and what I think was egg, and a side of kimchee and some kind of pickled root of something. The total bill was 2000 won, or about $1.75, and you don't leave tips here either. Eating out is actually more economically practical than cooking!
Side dishes vary from place to place, but they always include kimchee, which is spicy, pickled cabbage. Side dishes are always free, and delivered to you without asking. If you need something, it is not impolite to yell at the waiter until you get his or her attention.
The bread is bad. It's hard to find good bread. Somewhere down the way, Koreans must have gotten the idea of bread mixed up with pastry. Almost all bread is coated with sugar. It's gross, but they never use bread in anything anyway.
City: Neon lights are everywhere. There is not a lot of space, so they build upwards. Driving must be a nightmare: parking spots are tiny, so everyone has to fold in their side mirrors when they park. Jaywalking is rare, because the cars will probably just run you over. Even when I am in a crosswalk, the cars will come right up next to me, putting the brakes on at the last possible moment.
At first glance, it seems that the US has a more efficient trash removal system. I was eating a banana on the way to work, and had to carry the peel with me for a ten minute walk because there are almost no public trash cans. I was confused where to put the trash from my apartment, until a lady who works at my building directed me to the local trash heap. It's just a pile of trash that sits in the middle of the sidewalk. It seems like it would be so easy to have a dumpster there, but instead everyone just piles up garbage until someone eventually takes it away.
Besides the trash piles, the city is fairly clean. No more or less dirty than Boston. Unlike the US, there are plenty of public restrooms (although they are not necessarily clean).
Incheon's public parks are plentiful. The parks usually have work-out machines for the adults and jungle-gyms for the kids. The bigger parks have public badminton courts, soccer fields, and all sorts of good stuff. Incheon is bike friendly with pink bike paths, made out of asphalt and recycled tires, that go pretty much all over the city.
Food: Half the time I don't know what I'm eating, but I feel that it is much easier to eat healthy here that the US, especially when it comes to dining out. The only meal I make for myself is breakfast. I eat at school for lunch, and I eat at restaurants for dinner and lunch on weekends, and any other time I feel like eating. I feel like I have more energy here, which I attribute to my healthier diet (although it is probably also partially due to excitement). White rice is part of everything, and there are a lot of vegetables.
Food here is awesome. Restaurants here are awesome. I went to sit-down diner/restaurant last night and had a big bowl of ramen noodles, with some green onions and what I think was egg, and a side of kimchee and some kind of pickled root of something. The total bill was 2000 won, or about $1.75, and you don't leave tips here either. Eating out is actually more economically practical than cooking!
Side dishes vary from place to place, but they always include kimchee, which is spicy, pickled cabbage. Side dishes are always free, and delivered to you without asking. If you need something, it is not impolite to yell at the waiter until you get his or her attention.
The bread is bad. It's hard to find good bread. Somewhere down the way, Koreans must have gotten the idea of bread mixed up with pastry. Almost all bread is coated with sugar. It's gross, but they never use bread in anything anyway.
City: Neon lights are everywhere. There is not a lot of space, so they build upwards. Driving must be a nightmare: parking spots are tiny, so everyone has to fold in their side mirrors when they park. Jaywalking is rare, because the cars will probably just run you over. Even when I am in a crosswalk, the cars will come right up next to me, putting the brakes on at the last possible moment.
At first glance, it seems that the US has a more efficient trash removal system. I was eating a banana on the way to work, and had to carry the peel with me for a ten minute walk because there are almost no public trash cans. I was confused where to put the trash from my apartment, until a lady who works at my building directed me to the local trash heap. It's just a pile of trash that sits in the middle of the sidewalk. It seems like it would be so easy to have a dumpster there, but instead everyone just piles up garbage until someone eventually takes it away.
Besides the trash piles, the city is fairly clean. No more or less dirty than Boston. Unlike the US, there are plenty of public restrooms (although they are not necessarily clean).
Incheon's public parks are plentiful. The parks usually have work-out machines for the adults and jungle-gyms for the kids. The bigger parks have public badminton courts, soccer fields, and all sorts of good stuff. Incheon is bike friendly with pink bike paths, made out of asphalt and recycled tires, that go pretty much all over the city.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
English Names
All the kids here take an English name when they begin at Break Away. I just named a boy "Corey."
Most of the names are really ordinary. There are like four Kevins. I don't know who is responsible for the Kevin-naming spree.
There are some names that somehow slip through the cracks. My favorites are:
Lion (perversion of "Ryan")
Shine
Carlex (perversion of "Carlos")
Car (Carl, maybe?)
Rex
Vito ( total gangsta)
Honey
Most of the names are really ordinary. There are like four Kevins. I don't know who is responsible for the Kevin-naming spree.
There are some names that somehow slip through the cracks. My favorites are:
Lion (perversion of "Ryan")
Shine
Carlex (perversion of "Carlos")
Car (Carl, maybe?)
Rex
Vito ( total gangsta)
Honey
Saturday, August 14, 2010
The Casino
As of 8/15/2010, $1 USD = 1,183 Korean won. I will warn you when the semi-technical poker talk begins.
I finally got my cell phone on Friday, which means my social interactions won't be limited to planning in advance, running into people accidentally, and hoping people knock on my door.
On Saturday I got a text from Jake that the gang was going to Walker Hill Casino in Seoul. The only problem was that nobody seemed to agree on where it was. Finally the consensus was that I should just get in a cab and ask for "Walker Hill Casino." The casino reimburses cab fare up to 10,000 won, which isn't bad considering how cheap cabs are.
I got in a cab and said "Walker Hill Casino." He seemed a little confused and asked "Walker Hill Hotel?" Chances are they were the same thing, but I didn't want to end up in the wrong place so I repeated "casino." He called a number and put me on with someone who spoke English. Apparently all cab drivers have a hotline they can call when they run into a way-gook who doesn't speak any Korean.
Once the cab driver understood, he repeated to me: "Walker Hill Casino," and I smiled and said "Yes, Walker Hill Casino." He started chuckling, and for some reason I started chuckling too. For several moments, we were both chuckling. I'll never know exactly why he started chuckling, or why I was doing it too, but it felt like we sharing some sort of conspiracy together. This is one of those moments that just can't be captured in words. It was hilarious, and I had to hold myself back otherwise I would have been laughing uncontrollably, which probably would have made him uncomfortable.
After that moment, we didn't say another word to each other until the cab ride was over, almost an hour later. For an hour long ride, the fare was about 26,000 won. I paid, and tipped him 500 won - less than 50 cents. It felt a little weird, but most of the time they aren't tipped at all, so he seemed grateful. As soon as he drove off, I remembered I needed a receipt to get my reimbursement. I wasn't even inside the casino, and I was already down 10.
Walker Hill Casino is your average casino, like any casino you've ever been to in the US. Perhaps it feels a little bit newer, and the chips feel a little cleaner (or another likely explanation is that my tolerance for grime on my fingers has gotten much higher since getting here).
It's so normal that if it were in Las Vegas, you'd probably not stay there very long. What makes it interesting are the people. Koreans aren't allowed to gamble, which means the place is full of Japanese, Chinese, Korean-Americans, foreign English teachers, and American military. Our friend Alice, who is Korean-American, had to show her US passport to get in.
I had been wondering how easy it would be to tell military apart from English teachers - the two basic groups of non-Asians in Korea. It's really easy. They're generally younger, big muscles, and buzz cuts. The older military guys stand out even more. One guy had a tattoo of a dog-tag on his arm. Not that I am in a position to judge another man's tattoo.
If I were in Las Vegas, I would kill to sit at some of these poker tables, based on stereotypes alone. The tables I sat at were 80% Asian, 20% military. I had hoped I had found a place that was still untouched by the likes of Sklansky and Cardrunners. But alas, there were still the same slightly-misguided discussions about outs and odds you find everywhere. Overall though, the tables were very soft.
I was playing with some Koreans who spoke perfect English, and from what I could tell, perfect Korean too. They would speak to each other between hands. That was a little disconcerting, especially when they were obviously discussing a hand they had just played in which one of them had gotten a fold from a young military guy. I asked where everyone was from. The military guy and the Korean who had just pushed him off his hand answered "Chicago" at the same time. That got them started on a long conversation about home. The military guy was 20 years old, and had been in Korea for 10 months. He was going home at Christmas, and could hardly wait. He didn't like it here.
Later, I moved to a 5,000/5,000 blind table, with a minimum buy-in of 500,000. Considering I had about 700,000 to my name, it was a risky move. I decided I could manage it. If I lost it all, I would have 200,000 left to last me the month, which seemed reasonable.
I had my 200,000 in chips from the 1,000/2,000 table with me, and my ass had not made contact with the chair for more than one second when a young asian guy with sunglasses to my right said, "The minimum buy-in is 500, buddy." I glanced at his chip stack. He was sitting on about 5.5 million, probably covering everyone at the table combined. I decided immediately that I did not like this person.
WARNING: Semi-technical poker talk starts here.
As I was beginning the laborious process of buying chips (the largest bill in Korea is the 10,000, which means you have to hand over 30 bills to buy about $300 in chips. They just recently got a 50,000 bill, but you pretty much only see them at casinos. The banks don't even pay you with them unless you ask for it), the dealer gave me QJ, and I limped after a few other limpers. The flop was KTx rainbow, and an older white guy in the blind bet 25 into about a 35 pot. I called, everyone else folded. The turn was an ace, giving me the nut straight, and he checked. I bet 50, and he folded.
I got AK in the big blind a few hands later, and an old asian guy raised to 70. I didn't know what to make of him yet, but I called, and so did another old asian guy, who seemed pretty loose and bad. The flop was Q96 rainbow. I checked, and they both checked. The turn was a 6, and I checked, and they both checked. The river was an off-suit ace, and I decided to check it, hoping a weaker ace would bet, or someone would try a bluff. It got checked down. I showed AK, expecting to drag in the pot, but the loose guy showed 67 for trips. The original raiser showed TT angrily.
I was down to 400, and the next hand I got AK again. There was a raise to 25 in early position, followed by 4 callers. I was in the small blind. With 130 already in the pot, I decided to make a big raise. I almost went all-in, but instead for some weird reason, opted to raise to 200 - half my stack. Everyone folded, and I was up to about 550.
After that, I went on a mini-rush. For the next two orbits, I was playing every other hand. I picked up okay hands in playable spots, and had some good luck with them. I never won any huge pots, but I won several small-medium ones in a short amount of time. I was up to about 950,000.
At this moment, Sunglasses thought it was appropriate to address the table: "Let's speed up the game, people. This isn't the freaking main event." He didn't look at me when he said it, but I couldn't imagine him directing it at anyone else. My guess was that he had been the center of attention up until now, but now that the spotlight had shifted for a few minutes he was cranky. Oh, how I wanted his chips.
The very next hand I pick up AJ of hearts on the button. Several people limp, and Sunglasses makes it 40. I call on the button, and 3 others call. The flop comes KQT, with two diamonds and a heart. Whammo. This was it. The poker moment everyone dreams of. Here I was in a 5/5 game with over 160 in the pot preflop, multi-way pot, super action heavy board, with position, sitting on the nuts with a deep stack against an arch-nemesis (who is also the open-raiser!) who is even deeper. You can't invent a situation more ideal than that. Just try it.
It gets checked around to me, and I bet 100, and everyone instantly folds. Of course.
The only other hand I played with Sunglasses after that was when I had AQ of hearts on the button. Two limpers, he was one of them. I raised to 40, and got a call from him and the other limper. The flop was KK7 with two clubs. Checked to me, and I bet 70, the first limper folds and Sunglasses check-raises to 210. I consider a shove, but mostly just out of bitterness. I fold. He doesn't show, but claims it was KQ. He said he needed to make sure I didn't have AK. I made some noise of agreement. He said he would have probably folded if I shoved. I said that would be a big fold with KQ. He didn't say anything. How much of his story is bullshit? It's hard to say.
I was having a great time. I was down from 950 to about 700, but I was still up in a pretty soft 5/5 game. But then I noticed something appalling which made me decide to cash out, and will keep me from ever playing a cash game there again. I saw the dealer drop three green 5,000 chips into the rake slot. Did I see that right? The next hand went down preflop, and there was no rake. But the hand after that grew to over 150, and sure enough, the dealer took three green chips, and two cream-colored 1,000 chips.
I got up and walked over to Andrew's table. "Do you know what the rake is here?" He didn't know, but a white guy next to him said, "10%, capped at 20." "20 dollars?" "Yep."
A $20 rake in any pot that gets to 200,000, which is quite often in that 5/5 game. No thanks.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Nothing but Crickets
I have one class twice a week with four students about to enter middle school in a couple weeks. One of the girls is very talkative, and fun to have in class. The other three will barely say a word. Sometimes they won't talk even if they are directly addressed.
Yesterday, the talkative girl was absent. I started class with a game, trying to get the students relaxed and talking. It was a game I found on an TEFL website - students try to ask questions that get the teacher to say yes. For example: "Is your name Tom?" "Are you wearing a shirt?" and so forth. It's a big hit amongst the younger classes, and it's really cool hearing the little kids use full sentences (otherwise they almost never do).
With this older class, however, there was nothing. I got one kid to ask a question, but the other two just sat there. I tried to help them along, basically making the sentences for them, but still nothing. I asked them if they'd rather read from the textbook. Of course they didn't answer, so we did the textbook. At least they were "talking" when they read out loud from the book.
Afterwards I told Jason about the class. He'd had similar experiences with them. They are like kids anywhere who go to school because they are forced to, and they don't really care about the subject. I probably wasn't much better as a Spanish student.
Yesterday, the talkative girl was absent. I started class with a game, trying to get the students relaxed and talking. It was a game I found on an TEFL website - students try to ask questions that get the teacher to say yes. For example: "Is your name Tom?" "Are you wearing a shirt?" and so forth. It's a big hit amongst the younger classes, and it's really cool hearing the little kids use full sentences (otherwise they almost never do).
With this older class, however, there was nothing. I got one kid to ask a question, but the other two just sat there. I tried to help them along, basically making the sentences for them, but still nothing. I asked them if they'd rather read from the textbook. Of course they didn't answer, so we did the textbook. At least they were "talking" when they read out loud from the book.
Afterwards I told Jason about the class. He'd had similar experiences with them. They are like kids anywhere who go to school because they are forced to, and they don't really care about the subject. I probably wasn't much better as a Spanish student.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Health Check
Jinna rushed me to the hospital in between classes yesterday so that I could get my health inspection, which is standard for aliens in Korea. On the way we stopped at my apartment so that she could explain how my washing machine works.
They weighed me, took my blood pressure, and did a very easy hearing test. I was asked to pee in a dixie cup, which I then awkwardly handed back to the nurse. They drew blood, and I thought I was done, but then they said I needed an x-ray. I didn't want one, but they said it was necessary.
So they x-rayed my chest. I sat in the doctor's office while Jinna translated for me. He asked if I ever had any infectious diseases, so I answered no. Then he asked me if I had ever had tuberculosis. I didn't know what to say. I told Jinna that I did, but a long time ago. The doctor nodded and said he saw the scar on my lung. It was okay - I could still get an alien registration card, but the doctor wanted me to come back in a month for another x-ray to make sure everything is okay. I said okay, but I have no intention of going back there. No more unneccessary x-rays, please.
They are checking my blood for drugs is what Jinna and Andrew say. Marijuana use is a serious crime here. You can even be arrested on hearsay. On the other hand, Andrew says that doctors will look the other way when a foreign English teacher tests positive for THC, due to their desperation, and the sheer number of recent college grads from USA and Canada that test positive for it. Not that I plan on testing that out.
They weighed me, took my blood pressure, and did a very easy hearing test. I was asked to pee in a dixie cup, which I then awkwardly handed back to the nurse. They drew blood, and I thought I was done, but then they said I needed an x-ray. I didn't want one, but they said it was necessary.
So they x-rayed my chest. I sat in the doctor's office while Jinna translated for me. He asked if I ever had any infectious diseases, so I answered no. Then he asked me if I had ever had tuberculosis. I didn't know what to say. I told Jinna that I did, but a long time ago. The doctor nodded and said he saw the scar on my lung. It was okay - I could still get an alien registration card, but the doctor wanted me to come back in a month for another x-ray to make sure everything is okay. I said okay, but I have no intention of going back there. No more unneccessary x-rays, please.
They are checking my blood for drugs is what Jinna and Andrew say. Marijuana use is a serious crime here. You can even be arrested on hearsay. On the other hand, Andrew says that doctors will look the other way when a foreign English teacher tests positive for THC, due to their desperation, and the sheer number of recent college grads from USA and Canada that test positive for it. Not that I plan on testing that out.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
No Liability
Lawsuits in Korea are very rare. If you trip in a pothole on the street, it's your own fault.
The same is true for children. Every morning the kids empty out a lego box with wheels on the bottom, and take turns climbing into the box and pushing each other all over the library. If they duck down and have enough momentum, a kid in the wheel-box can just barely roll under the tables and make it to the other side.
Amazingly enough, there have been no major injuries since the school opened up almost a year ago.
The same is true for children. Every morning the kids empty out a lego box with wheels on the bottom, and take turns climbing into the box and pushing each other all over the library. If they duck down and have enough momentum, a kid in the wheel-box can just barely roll under the tables and make it to the other side.
Amazingly enough, there have been no major injuries since the school opened up almost a year ago.
Monday, August 9, 2010
No Korean
As a foreign teacher, I am told not to speak Korean to the children.
After 10 months in Korea, Andrew had picked up a few Korean phrases. One time he spoke to a kid in Korean when his mother was around. The mother went to Jinna, upset that Andrew was speaking Korean. The foreign teachers are not supposed to know, let alone speak, Korean.
But that being said, it's hard to teach class without knowing any Korean at all. Sometimes I will be talking, and the kids don't even know that I am addressing them. Jason said that it's helpful to learn a few words to use in class - just be careful not to use Korean when the moms are around.
I sat with the kids during lunch today. Jay and Dan, smart kids - but troublemakers, talked to me in Korean. I responded with "hello" and "thank you" in Korean, and they lost it. Until now, I had never said a Korean word at the school. They would talk in Korean, and I would mimic them. Everything I said was the best joke in the world.
Jason speaks the best Korean of any white person I have met - he's been here nine years and is married to Korean. But he doesn't speak very well, by his own account. Everyone comes to Korea with the mindset that they are going to learn Korean, but as soon as they realize they don't have to learn it, then they lose their motivation. It's also not very motivating to learn Korean when the only Korean-speaking country is Korea.
After 10 months in Korea, Andrew had picked up a few Korean phrases. One time he spoke to a kid in Korean when his mother was around. The mother went to Jinna, upset that Andrew was speaking Korean. The foreign teachers are not supposed to know, let alone speak, Korean.
But that being said, it's hard to teach class without knowing any Korean at all. Sometimes I will be talking, and the kids don't even know that I am addressing them. Jason said that it's helpful to learn a few words to use in class - just be careful not to use Korean when the moms are around.
I sat with the kids during lunch today. Jay and Dan, smart kids - but troublemakers, talked to me in Korean. I responded with "hello" and "thank you" in Korean, and they lost it. Until now, I had never said a Korean word at the school. They would talk in Korean, and I would mimic them. Everything I said was the best joke in the world.
Jason speaks the best Korean of any white person I have met - he's been here nine years and is married to Korean. But he doesn't speak very well, by his own account. Everyone comes to Korea with the mindset that they are going to learn Korean, but as soon as they realize they don't have to learn it, then they lose their motivation. It's also not very motivating to learn Korean when the only Korean-speaking country is Korea.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Detective McNulty
So my co-worker Andrew's last name is McNulty. He also informs me he has a brother who is a real-life detective. Can't get any cooler right?
Sunday we were hanging out with a guy named "Bunk."
This won't make sense unless you know "The Wire."
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The Weekend
Friday night I went for roasted duck with my boss Jason, my co-worker Andrew, and Jason's Korean golfing buddy Song-nam. It was there that I had my first run-in with Korean soju - a vodka-like liquor that is extremely dangerous for a variety of reasons.
Soju facts:
1. A pint of soju costs roughly $1.
2. It's liquor.
The bottles of soju kept coming, and it took me a little while to realize that I was really, really drunk. Afterwards, Jason and Song-nam went back to their wives, and Andrew took me to Rio's- a bar full of white people. I didn't remember too much, and the next day I was still a little drunk when Andrew came knocking at 4 PM. He was really excited because he had acquired beef and a grill, and was going to cook burgers.
I met the gang, some of whom had already met me at Rio's the other night. We had a gang of about 6 foreingers, and we went to a bar called King Kong. Then everyone went outside and started drinking in the square. Open beverages are legal. So is drinking in cars and taxis.
We started collecting more and more westerners. We had English-speaking representatives from Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, England, and the U.S. Within the U.S., there were two Californians, two Virginians, and a guy from New Mexico.
Koreans approached us throughout the night, and tried talking to us. Most of the time, they knew only a few English phrases, which they would repeat over and over again. They were all about taking pictures with us. White people here are minor celebrities. A man who knew only about a dozen English words, one of which was "bodyguard," insisted on getting a picture with me.
Soju facts:
1. A pint of soju costs roughly $1.
2. It's liquor.
The bottles of soju kept coming, and it took me a little while to realize that I was really, really drunk. Afterwards, Jason and Song-nam went back to their wives, and Andrew took me to Rio's- a bar full of white people. I didn't remember too much, and the next day I was still a little drunk when Andrew came knocking at 4 PM. He was really excited because he had acquired beef and a grill, and was going to cook burgers.
I met the gang, some of whom had already met me at Rio's the other night. We had a gang of about 6 foreingers, and we went to a bar called King Kong. Then everyone went outside and started drinking in the square. Open beverages are legal. So is drinking in cars and taxis.
We started collecting more and more westerners. We had English-speaking representatives from Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, England, and the U.S. Within the U.S., there were two Californians, two Virginians, and a guy from New Mexico.
Koreans approached us throughout the night, and tried talking to us. Most of the time, they knew only a few English phrases, which they would repeat over and over again. They were all about taking pictures with us. White people here are minor celebrities. A man who knew only about a dozen English words, one of which was "bodyguard," insisted on getting a picture with me.
Friday, August 6, 2010
End of the Week
I'm at school, and I have one last class before the week is over. All in all, it has been the most intense, ridiculous, bizarre, exhausting, and exciting week that I can remember.
Today I wrote report cards for the 4 year-olds. Yes, in Korea even the 4 year olds are graded on their performance. What's more, the reports are for July. August 1st being my first day on the job, I felt that it was a little out of my jurisdiction. But Tim, the teacher I replaced, had been replaced, and I was their new teacher. I wrote some very generic comments about how they were improving.
In addition to everything else, I have been fighting a cold all week. I think I've finally won, although I passed it off to Jason.
Today I wrote report cards for the 4 year-olds. Yes, in Korea even the 4 year olds are graded on their performance. What's more, the reports are for July. August 1st being my first day on the job, I felt that it was a little out of my jurisdiction. But Tim, the teacher I replaced, had been replaced, and I was their new teacher. I wrote some very generic comments about how they were improving.
In addition to everything else, I have been fighting a cold all week. I think I've finally won, although I passed it off to Jason.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Running and Casinos
I may have judged running in Incheon too soon. It seems that it is similar to Boston in that you just need to find the right places to run. I went for a nice run the other day through some parks. There are rubber paths made from recycled tires that run through the parks, and also through many of the sidewalks around the city. The air quality still probably isn't the best, but that's what I get for living in a city.
I let slip my interest in poker to Jason and Andrew, and they told me some interesting things about Korean casinos. The most interesting thing is that Koreans themselves are not allowed to play in their own casinos! The casinos are full of Japanese, Chinese, and various other foreign travelers. The owners and employees are Korean.
Some comparisons between working at the preschool and being at a casino:
1. Very colorful
2. Constant bombardment of noise and distractions
3. My hands feel dirty again 20 minutes after I wash them
I let slip my interest in poker to Jason and Andrew, and they told me some interesting things about Korean casinos. The most interesting thing is that Koreans themselves are not allowed to play in their own casinos! The casinos are full of Japanese, Chinese, and various other foreign travelers. The owners and employees are Korean.
Some comparisons between working at the preschool and being at a casino:
1. Very colorful
2. Constant bombardment of noise and distractions
3. My hands feel dirty again 20 minutes after I wash them
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
The Crabs
On the third day, I had some science project classes. One of the projects was to make a moving crab from a kit. Making the crabs required use of fine motor skills that was difficult even for adults, let alone kindergarteners. Not only that, but the crabs were just terribly designed, and could survive one, maybe two scuttles, before falling apart.
Soo-jun, one of the Korean teachers, helped me in class to make them, although neither of us could figure it out. The directions, of course, were in Korean, and one of the kids read the directions and showed me what to do.
It was kind of a disaster, but it was funny too. When I went to lunch with Jason and Andrew, I asked them "Have you guys had the crabs yet?"
They gave me a shocked look, as though I had crossed a professional boundary, and then they burst out laughing when I backtracked, and tried to rephrase the question.
I'm in Korea, and I can't even communicate properly with my fellow native speakers.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Beard
Everyone seems to like my beard. So all the haters back in the US of A can just chew on that. You know who you are.
Larry, the shyest kid at school, won't say a word to me, but he did join the other kids yesterday when they gathered around and felt my beard.
I went to a sushi bar across the street from my apartment last night. I was shocked that the cheapest item on the menu was 19,000 won (or ~$16 US) - a very pricey place in Korea! So far it seems that you can get really good restaurant food for about 25-50% of what you can in the States. Jason told me he once fed a party of 8 adults for under $150, including booze.
I soon realized why it was so pricey. It was a meal for two, at least. I left a lot of raw tuna behind, sadly.
The sushi chef spoke broken English, but enough for us to joke around. He asked how old I was, and I told him. He gave a surprised look and said "My head is going ping ping ping!" He asked how old I thought he was, and I said 27. He laughed and said 41. He pointed to my face and said "Handsome." When he didn't take his hand back, I realized that he was gesturing to my beard. He wanted to feel it, so I obliged him by leaning forward. Then the sushi chef rubbed his fingers on my beard. For some reason, this wasn't weird.
I promised him I'd be back next week with a friend so that we could finish one of the portions. Now all I need to do is find a friend.
That sounded really sad, but it's not.
Larry, the shyest kid at school, won't say a word to me, but he did join the other kids yesterday when they gathered around and felt my beard.
I went to a sushi bar across the street from my apartment last night. I was shocked that the cheapest item on the menu was 19,000 won (or ~$16 US) - a very pricey place in Korea! So far it seems that you can get really good restaurant food for about 25-50% of what you can in the States. Jason told me he once fed a party of 8 adults for under $150, including booze.
I soon realized why it was so pricey. It was a meal for two, at least. I left a lot of raw tuna behind, sadly.
The sushi chef spoke broken English, but enough for us to joke around. He asked how old I was, and I told him. He gave a surprised look and said "My head is going ping ping ping!" He asked how old I thought he was, and I said 27. He laughed and said 41. He pointed to my face and said "Handsome." When he didn't take his hand back, I realized that he was gesturing to my beard. He wanted to feel it, so I obliged him by leaning forward. Then the sushi chef rubbed his fingers on my beard. For some reason, this wasn't weird.
I promised him I'd be back next week with a friend so that we could finish one of the portions. Now all I need to do is find a friend.
That sounded really sad, but it's not.
Day 2
I've been in Korea less than 3 full days, but it already feels like a month.
My second day was very different from my first. Leading class felt much more natural. I did not have the same class that I had yesterday, but I did have some equally rowdy kids in another class. Jason keeps saying "don't fight them," which can also be somewhat contradictory to his "iron fist" policy.
Entertaining the kids is key. I had another phonics class today, but this time I divided the class into two teams, and had them create words to stump the other team. Although it had some kinks, it worked a lot better than yesterday's approach (in which I made the words, and asked the questions).
It's early to make judgements about my job, but I feel like the best parts about my job are probably going to be the worst parts as well. So far, it's really awesome. The other native English teacher, Andrew, is part time, making me the only full time English teacher employee of the school (Jason's also a teacher, but he's the owner). I have a LOT of stuff to do. One of the Korean co-teachers asked me if I was bored today, during pretty much the only ten minutes of down time I had (it wasn't even really down time). I answered no. Bored is one thing I have not been since I arrived. I was at school for almost 11 hours today, which was totally fine because I don't have a life here yet. Things will supposedly get less busy for me when the other full time teacher arrives next month. We'll see.
I'm kind of like a superstar at Break Away, and I'm not saying that in a bragging way. I certainly haven't done much yet to deserve my status - it's a role that belongs to whoever would have filled their position. For instance, I get photographed a lot. It's a little weird for me when Jinna, or one of the other Korean teachers, enters the class and takes pictures of me hanging out with the kids. Jinna pulls me out of class several times a day to meet the students' mothers. Jason explained that a lot about running a private English school in Korea is perception. The photos go on their website, and the mothers talk to each other.
A tricky situation that happened today:
I was in class with the three girls again - Sophie, Sally, and Linda. Besides being the cutest 4 year olds ever (I think they're four), Linda is the best behaved, Linda is very touchy-feely, and Sophie is very cute, but gets very upset when she doesn't get her way. I asked them what animal goes "quack quack" and Linda said duck, so I gave her a point (just a mark on the board - I think they get stickers at the end of the day or something). I asked another question, and Linda got it right again, so I added another point on the board. When I turned back at them, Sophie was on the verge of tears.
I regretted giving Linda a two point lead over the other girls (although Sally was too busy feeling my arm hair to care), but now I was stuck. I couldn't take a point away from Linda - I had already given it to her, and she had answered correctly. I also didn't see how I could give Sophie a point simply because she was upset - that would surely screw me over in future classes. I decided to let my decision stand, and continue class. Sophie carried her chair to the corner of the room, and climbed butt-first into a cubby hole. When Sally took the chair away, Sophie lost it, and started crying. I kept going the best I could.
Eventually Sophie stopped crying, and I got her attention by making a fish face. "Pishie!" she called out. "Yes, good job! Sophie gets a point!" Order was restored again.
I'm trying to learn as much as I can from watching how Jason and Andrew, and even the Korean teachers, handle themselves around the kids. The school is in a constant state of "barely controlled chaos" from 9:30 AM until about 4 PM. After that, classes get smaller and fewer, and the kids get older and more obedient.
They feed me coffee in the morning, and energy drinks in the afternoon. I was playing Scrabble with two middle schoolers around 7 tonight (a nice, easy-going treat at the end of a crazy day), when Jason came in with a small, sealed plastic bag, covered in either Korean or Chinese characters and some kind of brown liquid inside. "Here," he said, "To fight the jet-lag. It's traditional Chinese medicine. Basically. Try not to smell or taste it." I just shrugged and chugged it down with him. I think it worked, because it's almost 10, and I can still function.
I like how little I'm thinking about things here. Today, I was thrown into at least two classes with absolutely no lesson plan, or even an idea of what the lesson was supposed to be about. I had to look at my time-sheet to see the class was called "critical thinking." I thought for a second about what that would mean for 6 year olds, and decided to play pictionary on the whiteboard.
The only class I actually had a little time to prepare for was also the only time I felt nervous. During the rest of the day, everything happens so suddenly and urgently that there is no time for second-guessing.
My second day was very different from my first. Leading class felt much more natural. I did not have the same class that I had yesterday, but I did have some equally rowdy kids in another class. Jason keeps saying "don't fight them," which can also be somewhat contradictory to his "iron fist" policy.
Entertaining the kids is key. I had another phonics class today, but this time I divided the class into two teams, and had them create words to stump the other team. Although it had some kinks, it worked a lot better than yesterday's approach (in which I made the words, and asked the questions).
It's early to make judgements about my job, but I feel like the best parts about my job are probably going to be the worst parts as well. So far, it's really awesome. The other native English teacher, Andrew, is part time, making me the only full time English teacher employee of the school (Jason's also a teacher, but he's the owner). I have a LOT of stuff to do. One of the Korean co-teachers asked me if I was bored today, during pretty much the only ten minutes of down time I had (it wasn't even really down time). I answered no. Bored is one thing I have not been since I arrived. I was at school for almost 11 hours today, which was totally fine because I don't have a life here yet. Things will supposedly get less busy for me when the other full time teacher arrives next month. We'll see.
I'm kind of like a superstar at Break Away, and I'm not saying that in a bragging way. I certainly haven't done much yet to deserve my status - it's a role that belongs to whoever would have filled their position. For instance, I get photographed a lot. It's a little weird for me when Jinna, or one of the other Korean teachers, enters the class and takes pictures of me hanging out with the kids. Jinna pulls me out of class several times a day to meet the students' mothers. Jason explained that a lot about running a private English school in Korea is perception. The photos go on their website, and the mothers talk to each other.
A tricky situation that happened today:
I was in class with the three girls again - Sophie, Sally, and Linda. Besides being the cutest 4 year olds ever (I think they're four), Linda is the best behaved, Linda is very touchy-feely, and Sophie is very cute, but gets very upset when she doesn't get her way. I asked them what animal goes "quack quack" and Linda said duck, so I gave her a point (just a mark on the board - I think they get stickers at the end of the day or something). I asked another question, and Linda got it right again, so I added another point on the board. When I turned back at them, Sophie was on the verge of tears.
I regretted giving Linda a two point lead over the other girls (although Sally was too busy feeling my arm hair to care), but now I was stuck. I couldn't take a point away from Linda - I had already given it to her, and she had answered correctly. I also didn't see how I could give Sophie a point simply because she was upset - that would surely screw me over in future classes. I decided to let my decision stand, and continue class. Sophie carried her chair to the corner of the room, and climbed butt-first into a cubby hole. When Sally took the chair away, Sophie lost it, and started crying. I kept going the best I could.
Eventually Sophie stopped crying, and I got her attention by making a fish face. "Pishie!" she called out. "Yes, good job! Sophie gets a point!" Order was restored again.
I'm trying to learn as much as I can from watching how Jason and Andrew, and even the Korean teachers, handle themselves around the kids. The school is in a constant state of "barely controlled chaos" from 9:30 AM until about 4 PM. After that, classes get smaller and fewer, and the kids get older and more obedient.
They feed me coffee in the morning, and energy drinks in the afternoon. I was playing Scrabble with two middle schoolers around 7 tonight (a nice, easy-going treat at the end of a crazy day), when Jason came in with a small, sealed plastic bag, covered in either Korean or Chinese characters and some kind of brown liquid inside. "Here," he said, "To fight the jet-lag. It's traditional Chinese medicine. Basically. Try not to smell or taste it." I just shrugged and chugged it down with him. I think it worked, because it's almost 10, and I can still function.
I like how little I'm thinking about things here. Today, I was thrown into at least two classes with absolutely no lesson plan, or even an idea of what the lesson was supposed to be about. I had to look at my time-sheet to see the class was called "critical thinking." I thought for a second about what that would mean for 6 year olds, and decided to play pictionary on the whiteboard.
The only class I actually had a little time to prepare for was also the only time I felt nervous. During the rest of the day, everything happens so suddenly and urgently that there is no time for second-guessing.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Kenglish
Here are some amusing establishments with English names near where I live:
Beer Story - the bar that I live above
Miller Time - Another bar
Buy the Way - Popular convenience store chain
Me & Me - hair stylist?
Mr. Pizza: Made for Women - I assume they make pizzas and tampons here.
Tom N Tom - Starbucks-like coffee shop chain. I had to go in there.
Fabric Cafe - a fabric store?
Nail Story - a salon? or maybe a hardware store.
Beer Story - the bar that I live above
Miller Time - Another bar
Buy the Way - Popular convenience store chain
Me & Me - hair stylist?
Mr. Pizza: Made for Women - I assume they make pizzas and tampons here.
Tom N Tom - Starbucks-like coffee shop chain. I had to go in there.
Fabric Cafe - a fabric store?
Nail Story - a salon? or maybe a hardware store.
First Day of School
Jason picked me up at 9:20 and took me to school. Break Away Academy is on the sixth floor. It was filled with red, pink, and white balloons in honor of Valentine's day, which is apparently the theme of the week, or maybe just today.
My first two groups of kids were a lot of fun. I gave some kids some English names - Annie, Pete, Dan, and Tyler. We drew pictures of ourselves, I acted out animals, and we had a great time. I met Andrew, the only other native English employee of the school. He's been there since last September, and is leaving at the end of November.
The school has about ten employees, mostly Korean English teachers, and one chef. I had lunch at school - bulgolgi (thin cut pork) with rice, kimchi, soup, and vegetables. After lunch, I had a class with three girls - Sally, Sophie, and Linda. Sally and Sophie liked to say "no" a lot. When Sally put her feet on the table, Sophie copied her. Then all of sudden, all three of them were screaming at the top their lungs. Jinna burst into the room and took the girls out to discipline them. Jinna told me that she asked them if they liked me, and they said yes, and she asked them if they would behave now, and they said yes.
They were quiet when they returned, and Sophie looked like she was ready to cry. I tried to read them a terrible story called Dirty Dog, which was less of story and more like ambiguous pictures of things that start with "D". In a couple minutes, they were acting hyper again. They tried to block the door when it was time for me to leave.
The next class was the low point of the day. I was trying to get them to pronounce words, which was fine when I asked them directly. But as soon as I focused on one of them, the rest of the class mentally checked out. I granted one of them a bathroom break, and soon they were all taking them, and banging on the windows. A Korean teacher came into the room, and order was mostly restored. I taught the rest of the class with the Korean teacher in the back of the room.
My next duty involved calling students at home, and asking them about the sentence of the day. They would say "I will go to the market" to me, and I would say "thank you," and that was it. The last phone call I made was at 7:42, while I was out to dinner with Jason, Jinna, and their 2-year old Joshua.
I replaced a 40-year old teacher named Tim, who was let go after working for two months. He was apparently very mild mannered, and had no repoire with the kids. While we were eating, Jinna told me that she knew I was the right replacement as soon as she saw my picture. That felt pretty good.
I have freedom to run the class any way I please, as long as their assignments get finished. It will be a challenge to get some of the kids to stop acting up. Jason says I need to have an iron fist with them in the beginning.
My first two groups of kids were a lot of fun. I gave some kids some English names - Annie, Pete, Dan, and Tyler. We drew pictures of ourselves, I acted out animals, and we had a great time. I met Andrew, the only other native English employee of the school. He's been there since last September, and is leaving at the end of November.
The school has about ten employees, mostly Korean English teachers, and one chef. I had lunch at school - bulgolgi (thin cut pork) with rice, kimchi, soup, and vegetables. After lunch, I had a class with three girls - Sally, Sophie, and Linda. Sally and Sophie liked to say "no" a lot. When Sally put her feet on the table, Sophie copied her. Then all of sudden, all three of them were screaming at the top their lungs. Jinna burst into the room and took the girls out to discipline them. Jinna told me that she asked them if they liked me, and they said yes, and she asked them if they would behave now, and they said yes.
They were quiet when they returned, and Sophie looked like she was ready to cry. I tried to read them a terrible story called Dirty Dog, which was less of story and more like ambiguous pictures of things that start with "D". In a couple minutes, they were acting hyper again. They tried to block the door when it was time for me to leave.
The next class was the low point of the day. I was trying to get them to pronounce words, which was fine when I asked them directly. But as soon as I focused on one of them, the rest of the class mentally checked out. I granted one of them a bathroom break, and soon they were all taking them, and banging on the windows. A Korean teacher came into the room, and order was mostly restored. I taught the rest of the class with the Korean teacher in the back of the room.
My next duty involved calling students at home, and asking them about the sentence of the day. They would say "I will go to the market" to me, and I would say "thank you," and that was it. The last phone call I made was at 7:42, while I was out to dinner with Jason, Jinna, and their 2-year old Joshua.
I replaced a 40-year old teacher named Tim, who was let go after working for two months. He was apparently very mild mannered, and had no repoire with the kids. While we were eating, Jinna told me that she knew I was the right replacement as soon as she saw my picture. That felt pretty good.
I have freedom to run the class any way I please, as long as their assignments get finished. It will be a challenge to get some of the kids to stop acting up. Jason says I need to have an iron fist with them in the beginning.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Land of the Morning Calm
I woke up at 5 AM this morning, and went for a short run around my neighborhood. The air doesn't taste very good due to the pollution. I don't know if I'll be able to run outside here very much.
I'm back in the internet cafe. There are a few Koreans in the cafe playing Starcraft... at 630 AM on Monday morning.
I'm really excited about my first day of school. It starts at 10 AM. Jason is going to pick me up at 930.
I'm back in the internet cafe. There are a few Koreans in the cafe playing Starcraft... at 630 AM on Monday morning.
I'm really excited about my first day of school. It starts at 10 AM. Jason is going to pick me up at 930.
Landed
I landed safe and sound. A taxi driver was waiting at the airport with my name on a sign. He knew a few English words, but not much. We drove to my apartment. The only problem was that neither of us had ever been to my apartment before, so from about 5 - 6 AM, I was hanging out on the corner, while the cab driver walked around, searching for my apartment. I shared the corner with a machine called "W Push Push", which was a coin-operated claw machine with some stuffed animal prizes. Some teenagers came and won an animal.
By the time I got in my apartment, I was ready to collapse. I ate an apple, made my bed, and fell asleep for some amount of time. The guy who hired me, Jason, came by this morning. He introduced me to his Korean wife Jinna, and his son Joshua, and we all went out to their favorite Korean restruant. I was dehydrated and half-starved, and the food was so good.
Jason and I went shopping for house supplies, and then he went back home. I wandered over to an internet cafe next door, which is where I am now. Korea is a pretty neat place so far. Everyone is Korean. Most signs include an English translation.
I don't realize that this is my home yet, but I'm sure I'll freak out whenever that happens.
By the time I got in my apartment, I was ready to collapse. I ate an apple, made my bed, and fell asleep for some amount of time. The guy who hired me, Jason, came by this morning. He introduced me to his Korean wife Jinna, and his son Joshua, and we all went out to their favorite Korean restruant. I was dehydrated and half-starved, and the food was so good.
Jason and I went shopping for house supplies, and then he went back home. I wandered over to an internet cafe next door, which is where I am now. Korea is a pretty neat place so far. Everyone is Korean. Most signs include an English translation.
I don't realize that this is my home yet, but I'm sure I'll freak out whenever that happens.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)