Korean Adventure: September 2005

Time Flies!!

I can hardly believe it but as of this past Sunday I have been in my apartment for 1 month and I left Canada for Korea 6 weeks ago today. Time surely does fly!!

I meant to write this on Sunday after I had had the bus ride of a lifetime. I was going to entitle it "Ride 'em Cowboy!" This bus driver was a MANIAC. He was passing anyone and everyone, blaring his horn all the while, flying over speed bumps, slamming on his brakes - I had doubts we would make the 1 hour bus ride but since I am writing this now, obviously we made it. Hopefully, I won't have to endure too many of those.

Life here in Korea continues to be a journey. Every day is different. I have now graduated to being comfortable to take the bus into Gwangju by myself which I did yesterday to go to an acupuncturist about my "tennis elbow" (for lack of a better word). This malaise started about a month before I left Canada and has continued to plague me, so on the recommendation of a fellow Canadian here, I have been to see Dr. Han who practices Chinese medicine including acupuncture and gives me the most nasty tasting "tea" to drink. YUCK!! I'm hoping that this will be a swift healing process because I am not sure which is worse, feeling like a human pin cushion or having to hold my nose to swallow this horrid tasting concoction. This too shall pass!!

Teaching continues to be a challenge - what with schedules constantly changing, holidays,and the lack of motivation of many of the students, sometimes I just want to throw my hands up and say "what's the use". HOWEVER, I am not a quitter and anyway, Shawna wouldn't let me quit even if I wanted to because I never let her quit when she wanted to (right Honey!!) Sheilagh keeps telling me that it takes time to get into the groove and get your stride. So, I take encouragement from the pro!!

We have another holiday this coming Monday (October 3) and I am considering taking a short trip maybe to Jeju Island which is supposed to be very beautiful. It is right off the south end of the peninsula (get out your atlas!!) Hopefully, I can find someone to go with me.

Well, there's not too much else to tell at this juncture. So I will bid you all adieu!!

More pictures

Yesterday was the official opening of English Town in Yeonggwang. It is a "mock" town set up in the elementary school where students will come and learn English vocabulary and conversation in various locations e.g. airport,home, hospital, store, fast food restaurant, etc.

The "powers that be" had a TV crew come and they took some footage of me with the kids. Apparently they aired it this morning and a few of my kids said they saw me on TV. A star is born!! This town is for students who are at a higher level of English which is a good thing because most of the kids I teach are at a very low level. Sometimes I feel like I am hitting my head against a wall because it seems like I am not getting through. Today with one of my classes, I sat down and refused to continue until they settled down. They are really cute and got very apologetic but it is frustrating considering the fact that they really don't understand and need to be paying attention. In their defense, I guess it's hard to pay attention when you don't know what the geek at the front of the room is saying!! I guess it can only get better. Hopefully!

Thought I would include some more pictures - not necessarily in any order.

Enjoy!

All good things must come to an end - Korean style!!

Last night of orientation - good times!

Eating again!!

Shona and me - it was a long climb but we made it

I'm the Queen of the World

Come on in!!

Korean pottery

More Korean food - silkworms - very interesting taste!

Korean food - BiBimBap - rice with vegetables

Eating - Korean style

Hope I can get off my knee!!

I paid for a roof tile at one of the temples

Don't I look angelic??

Chuseok

Happy Chuseok! This week-end has been Chuseok - Korean Thanksgiving - somewhat akin to our Thanksgiving and Christmas combined. They give thanks and remember their departed ancestors, even visiting their graves. They also give gifts to the kids specifically. Tomorrow I will ask my students to tell me the differences between Chuseok and Canadian Thanksgiving.

The roads around Yeonggwang were quite busy on Friday with everyone in a panic to get food and gifts for Chuseok. Traditionally the women cook (tons of food) and clean to welcome people (relatives) to their home in the case of parents or young families bring food and gifts to parents homes. So there is a lot of traffic on the roads with people travelling to hometowns etc.

I went to Gwangju with Sheilagh to visit with some of her friends for the week-end. We had a delicious dinner of garlic mashed potatoes, bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, grilled vegetables, homemade bread and homemade apple crisp. It was great and I didn't have to cook. That's a very good thing.

Tomorrow I do a demonstration lesson at English Town. This is a "mock town" set up with different locations so the students will speak English in an airport location, home, hospital, store, fast food restaurant, etc. Seoul started this idea and it seems every county wants to have their own English Town. I will be teaching there from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. I will teach Grade 6 boys and girls. There will be 20 students. Should be interesting.

My friend Shona (from the Canadian group I came over with) came to visit me yesterday and stayed overnight. Shona is 29 and is a teacher back in Canada. She is teaching in Mokpo here - a city of about 300,000 people about 1 and 1/2 hours from Yeonggwang by bus. She and I struck up a friendship during orientation so I know we will keep in touch while we are here. I want to go to visit her in Mokpo too because there is certainly more to do there than here.

She and I went in to see a couple of Sheilagh's classes today because we were off today (Tuesday) and poor Sheilagh had to teach. It was very interesting to see how Sheilagh teaches and the response she gets from the kids. They were all boys middle school - one grade 7 class and one grade 8 class. Very interesting!!

Well that's it for now. Happy Chuseok and early Happy Thanksgiving.

School Days

Monday, September 12, 2005

It's amazing to sit in a teacher's meeting when you don't understand a word of what's being said and look around at the other teachers. Some are staring out the window, some are reading, writing and one was picking his.........O.K. I know, too much information.
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Although I had no classes today because my students were on a 4 day school trip to Jeju Island, I was still required to go to school. My VP "plays by the rules" - a phrase I taught my co-teacher today. She was delighted. I also taught her the other part of "see you later alligator" - you know, "in a while croccodile". She loves to learn new words and expressions and is always asking me to correct her and give her new words, etc. I wish the students were that eager.

So I spent time on lesson plans.

I have a meeting this afternoon for the upcoming English Town where I will be teaching too - Elementary age students. I am getting out my children's songs like The Alphabet Song, Ring Around The Rosey, and finding some new ones (to me) like Days of the Week, Colours, What's this?, etc. This will be VERY INTERESTING!!

Speaking of students, I will post some pictures of my classes so far. The all girls classes are Middle School (Grades 7 or 9) and the co-ed classes are High School (Grades 10 or 11).

ENJOY!!