Happy (un) St. Patrick's Day!

On Wednesday, I gave a lesson to three middle school classes on the meaning of St. Patrick's Day. It was a typical simplified powerpoint show with some simple sentences to read along. I made it more interesting by having them pinch each other every time I said the word "green." And there is lots of love, so they pinch each other hard. At the end we sang the first verse of "The Wearing of the Green" and I explained the sad meaning of the lyrics. The students connected with the independence movement and symbols because of their own country's struggle against Japan. It is interesting that both countries have been unified under conquering powers and divided after their independence; both have strong indigenous cultures and have exported their sports to the world (rugby and taekwondo); and both drink, a lot. When I asked the Korean students if they have a "drinking" holiday, they laughed and said, "everyday!" Unfortunately, my back-up music on youtube didn't work in one classroom, so I had to dance and sing for them. I am glad no one from Ireland saw me! They were fascinated by the green dye in the Chicago River and the fact that Seoul has a parade as well. During lunch I tuned up a guitar in the teacher room and played some of my classical material. Then I played ping-pong against most of the boys; they mostly won, but I got in some good hits. On my way to school, I somehow missed my bus and I had to get a taxi. I told the driver Sannae Middle School, but he heard "Samae" Middle school. So about 50 minutes and almost $40 later I got to school. He did drop the price $10 because he felt bad, but it was a white-nuckle ride through a windy mountain highway, passing anything that moved less than 75 mph (the driver even turned on his hazard lights and blew through a red light in the shoulder lane).

Yesterday, I feared that I had eaten dog, but the teacher was saying "duck." I guess dog meat is a delicacy and they wouldn't likely serve it at a country school cafeteria. Needless to say, I was feeling a little guilty and sick that I had devoured man's best friend, though it was tasty. I am not crazy about the common fish parts soup broth, ususally with octopus and other weirdness. As far as teaching goes, I am getting the hang of working with my co-teachers. I now have an English translation of the teacher's book, which I got from a friend. It turns out that many of the Korean English teachers didn't know that it exists. This is sad because it is a such a useful tool for bridging the communication barrier. So next week, I will be armed to the teeth with lesson planning preparedness. Today I ran out of activities for my last 4th grade class, so I taught them "Simon says" and they ate it up, especially the "pick your nose" part.

In other news, I now have a cell phone. It gets free TV, where signals are available and it has a English-Korean dictionary that saves words so you can quiz yourself. The same day I got it, my internet and cable was shut-off. Fortunately, cable internet is fast and cheap (less than $30/month) so I will be making some Skype calls soon. The owners of my apartment installed a keyed entry on the door downstairs, so it has been fun getting locked out and helping others get in the building. Another priviledge of being on the first floor is the aroma from my bathroom drain (which I keep covered with a bucket). Mildew is a real problem so I am keeping my windows open as much as I can stand the cold and drying my towel with a space heater. I have been cooking more stir-fry dishes with rice and ramen, and occasionally meat. I scored a huge bag of fresh ginger root for $7.50 and I use lots of garlic, mushrooms, peppers, onions and whatever else I can find. Sometimes my neighbors invite me over for curry and fried donuts.

Taekwondo is going well. I am learning the forms (pronounced poom-says) and avoiding injuries, though I bruised the top of my foot while kicking some pads the other day. Mostly we just follow the leader's actions because we can't understand much of what they are saying. It is great to have a fun group of people with a shared common enemy, namely, pain. The training is sometimes strenuous, but they goof-off a lot, so it keeps things fun, "and it's a great way to stay in shape" (Family Guy). I have been teaching the kids how to play "thumb wars," the hand slapping game, "mercy" and various handshakes. It is impossible to remember all of their names and faces, but when one of them comes up and shakes my hand a certain way, I know which class he/she came from. Tonight, after training, I am going to drink with the two "masters" from taekwondo and some others, which may lead to more body language and a pool of shared meanings. Surprisingly enough, this will be my first drinking excursion in Namwon.

A more challenging day

I didn't know how to get to my last new school or the exact name of it this morning. When I got to Nowan Elementary, nobody knew to greet me, so I wandered around the cold building with my socks because I couldn't find any sandals. I finally went to the English classroom and got settled in. I taught six classes, two each of 3rd, 5th and 6th grades. For my first ever 3rd grade class, the teacher left me alone in the classroom for some reason unknown to me, and I played survivor with a group of 30 wild kids screaming and running around. I don't know how I am supposed to discipline them yet (or what I can do), so I just encouraged them to behave and focused on the attentive children that wanted to learn. I did miming with flash cards and they went along with that ok, and the kids that were wanting my attention lost it, so some of them even joined in. Also, I couldn't figure out how to turn on the heat in the room so I froze most of the day (one teacher tried to help me, but I couldn't understand her). I can tell that I have my work cut-out at this school, winning over the respect of my co-teachers and adjusting to the environment. Fortunately it is only one day each week. I really loved most of the kids and I think they enjoyed me, and possibly learned something.

Tonight in taekwondo, I received my white belt and got my bum toe taped up. It was a fun practice, doing some light drills. We played this game where two people stand abreast, holding each other's belts and they try to tag people with the kicking pads. Whenever they get someone, that person has to join up, gradually forming a larger chain until everyone is in. It's fun to run behind them and try to dive between the center of it.

Third times charming

Today I went to Noam Elementary School, where I will be teaching on Tuesdays and Fridays. It is closer to the city, so the class sizes are larger (5 classes of 30 students). My "team-teacher" at this school is also my "co-teacher" (the person that helps me with everything basically). She let me teach the classes on my own and only intervened for any discipline problems or to help students during the study phase. Sometimes she would have to quiet down the class or explain directions, but that happened less throughout the day as I improved. The classes got a real kick out of me juggling 4 pieces of plastic fruit for them, a great ice-breaker. I feel like I am swimming in a sea of wonderful and lively little foreign beings. They giggle when I try my best to pronounce their names; when their friends tell me each others' name, I can only imagine the dirty words I am unwittingly uttering. One kid was shooting paper bullets with a rubber band, a boy and girl started pushing and punching each other, and some kids were running and hiding. My co-teacher uses a points system and group seating to channel their competitive nature, which mostly works. I am trying to get them to raise their hands and not yell all at once, "HAY HAY HAY HAY...." Basically, karma is biting me in the ___. When I want them to fill in the blank I say, "blah blah blah," and they love that. When they were leaving they said goodbye and bowed, while others would hang onto me, play paper-rock-scissors (kouwi, bouie, boo?) high-five me, or say, "you good teacher, you beautiful, you know my teacher, thank you..."

For lunch we ate rice with kimchi soup, kimchi, chicken with some spicy sauce, bean sprouts, and lukewarm barley tea - much more tasty than it may sound. The whole school progressively lined-up and walked past me as I ate, which was fun. In Korea, their are no janitors because the children clean the classrooms and cafeteria by shifts. The food waste is composted and there are no plastics or paper used during lunch - a very green operation. This school is unique because it has a state-of-the-art "English Zone" where I do all of my teaching. It is a colorful and well-labeled classroom equipped with a huge flat-screen monitor, a blue screen wall with a mounted camera, 2 student computers, a puppet booth and lots of video and book teaching materials. These people are dead serious about teaching English, but they are laid back at the same time. On Tuesday, I will team-teach in a Kindergarten class, which is very rare because usually Guest English Teacher conversational classes begin in the 4th grade. So I feel both lucky and honored to have this opportunity.

On my bus ride home, there was an 18 year-old female student just staring at me, trying to think of stuff to say, which was incredibly awkward. I can only think that she thought I was the bees-knees, but I was to tired to really try to interact. Later, I decided to join taekwondo and pay my dues. I didn't know that would include kicking my foot into the wall when I missed the toy soccer ball. Ouch, throb. Being a small city, I met some of my students from two different schools at the dojang (Korean dojo). We were happy to meet again.

A lively second day

Today I went to my second school, Sowan Elementary School. I taught three classes and worked on the internet the rest of the day. Two of the classes had less than ten students, which made our discussions go quickly. I just introduced myself and showed them on a map where I am from, being careful to distinguish between Washington State and D.C. I asked them what their names were, and tried to pronounce them, which was very funny to them. They mostly said that they liked computer games and chicken. When they ask questions, they always want to know if you are single, how old you are, why you are in Korea and do you like kimchi. I made them guess my age, which is a fun game. When we are asking names we throw a ball around the class to keep it interesting. Well, for the first class, we only had a basketball with a group of 4th graders. It was OK until, to my shudder, one kid threw it across the room at an unsuspecting kid and it smashed into his head. He had a quick angry look but didn't cry. So next class I made sure I had something softer at hand. One girl in the back spoke English better so I approached her with a question. She got nervous and started pounding the inside of her arm with her fist, which I hear is common.

Another thing I enjoy are the lunches, which are a nice mix of Korean dishes. The best part is that the teachers eat in a group at tables with the students, like a community. I love that feeling. And Koreans like to eat quietly so you don't worry about any awkward silence. I rode home in a school bus full of young sweet chatterbox voices, which made me smile inside in some undefinable way. At the stop before mine I saw a child try and cross a busy street and half-carelessly almost get hit by a car. Cringe! A teacher on the bus helped him cross thankfully. On my way home I stopped at the E-Mart (grocery, clothes, household items) and then unintentionally wandered home. For some reason I haven't gotten my bearings with this place yet, but I always somehow find my apartment.

Tonight I cooked up some rice with fried garlic, mushrooms, peppers and spices, together with some mystery-meat patty the former tenant left in the freezer. Grub. Then my neighbor invited me to taekwondo practice and I went. The class is designed specially for the Westerners in Namwon, but they speak little English. Fortunately, they are patient and have a good sense of humor, but there is a lot of shouting and guttural "EEEIIIII"s. I did well with the stretching and kicking and I may start going, but it is a big decision. They meet every weekday at 7:30 PM and it costs about $70/month plus the uniform cost, but they don't charge for testing at least. This school also promotes very quickly, but the goal is ability and character, not rank anyways.

First day of classes: A+

Today I taught at Sannae Middle School, grades 7-9. It is an hour's bus ride from Namwon up a windy and steep countryside into the mountains. Lots of rice fields and memorials. The school is small and I only teach three classes a day, once a week, of about 20 students. The rest of my time is spent on the internet, planning lessons, which is surprisingly fun. My team-teacher is very friendly and open to my ideas in the classroom. My job is to supplement her English class with authentic conversation and motivating materials. Today I introduced myself and met my students and tested their language abilities. When the students don't understand me, I think of simpler ways to explain my meaning, and the other teacher translates. Many of the students are very shy and speak quiet. I felt as nervous as they did for the first class, but I got over that and had two better classes. I am like a rock-star to them, some alien from the movies that they can touch and feel for a short time. "He IS real!" The cafeteria food was a mixture of a Chinese topping on rice, kimchi, clear soup with spinach and strawberries. The other teachers have been friendly to me and the principal gave me a hearty handshake. That alone means everything in this work environment; I will make them proud. My only complaint is having to take off my shoes to enter the school and put on these uncomfortable sandals. It helps to wear slip on shoes, because they are not worn in schools, shrines, homes, and traditional restaurants.

The bus driver on the way back "home" seemed to be really interested in me and he gave me his phone number. I think he was indicating that if I needed a place to stay, that I could call him, but I was trying to say that I lived in some apartments. The streets are confusing in this city, and I think people use landmarks more often. I still don't have a good map for touring here, and it seems like I just walk out of my apartment and I am getting lost. Walking around in a tweed-like jacket, new shoes and a tie made me self-conscious on the way to work (in the frigid early morning), but proud on the way home (or just too tired to care). I have three more elementary schools yet to visit. I get a travelling compensation for working at multiple schools and the other ones are not nearly as far away.

Yesterday I went to Jeonju (1 hour) to apply for my Alien Registration Card, which will arrive in the post in a week and will allow me to get a cellphone. The day before, I rode the bus to Gwangju (1 hour) with my neighbors to get some bed sheets. The sea of last-minute holiday school shoppers was remarkable. I bought one of the most essential items: an umbrella.

Getting lost in Namwon, Jeonbuk

Well, after much ado and mystery, I have arrived at my new hometown for the next year. The name of the city is Namwon in Jeonbuk province, aka the "city of love" after a famous Korean opera set here. Yesterday I went to the closing ceremony at Jeonju University (Jeonju tae hakyo) and was greeted by two pretty Korean school teachers who drove me around and treated me to lunch, while we talked about the Korean figure skater Kim Yeona. It is both difficult and humorous trying to communicate through gestures and creative language to people who don't get many opportunities to speak English. I am learning some basic Korean phrases and getting quicker at reading the Hangul script, both of which really impress my new friends. (When in doubt, just eat some kimchi, take another shot of soju and smile and bow!)

I finally met my "co-teacher," a nice lady named Lee YoungHwa. She is basically my first point of contact for all of my teacher needs and legal issues. Next week I will meet with my "team-teachers," who I will co-teach with at all times. As far as I know I will be travelling to 2-3 elementary schools on different days of the week, teaching about 5 hours per day. Finally, I was dropped off at my apartment and I briefly met the landlord. It is on the first floor of a 3 story, 12 unit villa. It has a bedroom with a large closet, a small living room with a kitchenette, and a bathroom with a washing machine. Korean bathrooms are fully tiled and don't have shower doors or even stalls sometimes, just a shower wand and some plastic sandals. Lucky for me, some other people were moving out of this building, and they had to leave a bunch of things behind. So I inherited 2 comforters, 2 pillows, some dishes, junk food, comfy slip-on shoes, a book case, a table and 2 chairs, seat cushions and a low-level table, a clothes drying rack, an infrared space heater, some cleaning supplies, and a bunch of teaching books and materials. The apartment also comes with a computer and a decent flat screen monitor that works with cable, etc. Only 6/80 of the stations are in English, which play some cool movies - the rest is full of wacky game shows and reality TV, soaps, religious stuff, buying networks and some news. I live in a city full of street vendors, back alleys with character, and lots of people traveling around at less-than-safe speeds. Occasionally I see a chained-up dog or a cat dodging about and I have to look twice. I guess I just miss my furry friends.

Most of my roommates are from South Africa and they are like a family here (they call themselves "colored," having both African and European ancestors). The first night I helped one family move into a different unit because of a serious mold issue and they came to my place and we sat on the floor and had delivery bbq chicken (which is tough to eat with chopsticks). They have some little children which are taking to me and their accents and expressions are fun to keep up with. Tonight I went with them to a bi-weekly English service church, translated by the husband of my co-teacher. The pastor teaches anatomy so he went to town bashing evolutionary thinking, which was quite interesting. We sang some hymns, listened to a singing performance by some young children and ate some food to celebrate the first lunar holiday of the year. Also, I stood up and introduced myself, my nationality and said "nice to meet you" in Korean and they were dazzled. Some of the kids I saw tonight will be my students actually, which is very exciting. Today I walked around town and came across groups of young kids who would yell, "teacher, teacher" and giggle. And I will be a celebrity because I was the only person out of 331 EPIK teachers to come to this city (Only 6 stayed in Jeonbuk).

Mid-orientation update

I have been going to four 1.5 hour lectures on teaching and a 1 hour survival Korean class these last few days. It has been a little bit tiring at times, but generally I am getting some great ideas on how to help plan lessons for the classes that I will be co-teaching soon (more on that later). Sunday we all went on a field trip to a hanok village (traditional clay arched roofs) and learned some history, played new games and made some crafts. We got to take short lessons on dancing with masks, drumming, and learned about the wedding ceremony. Also toured a local market where you can haggle prices if you can speak a little Korean, but these old ladies are tough! My group ran across a band of masked Harley riders cranking their engines.

Tomorrow is my last day of classes, then I will get to present a lesson plan the next day and meet my provincial organizers and maybe my co-teacher. This person is responsible for helping me get everything I need. Then Friday, I will get on a bus and head to my new apartment, which will be somewhere in Jeonbuk province. Monday is National Independence Day, so Tuesday will be my first day of teaching.

Today was my last day of Korean classes here, but I heard that the bigger cities offer free classes to EPIK teachers. I am crossing my fingers that I will get to stay in Jeonju, a nice-sized city so full of old and new culture. Soon I will be posting pictures or links to them on this blog so stay tuned!

Made it!

After a long flight and slightly less long bus ride I made it to Jeonju University, where I will be staying for the next week or so. It was about 7AM before I finally got settled in last night for bed, so I am feeling pretty burned out now, fighting the urge to nap so I can ween myself into the new schedule. Unfortunately, none of my bags had wheels, so I was dragging at the airport until I found an abandoned cart. The food is exotic and flavorful, the people are very kind, the beds are hard, the shower wand goes all over the completely tiled bathroom and the internet is fast. I believe there are around 300 teachers (from the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) at this EPIK orientation, meeting together for meals, but divided for classes. There are a lot of tall domino-style buildings surrounded by a mountainous countryside full of mystery. Near the campus are streets of colorful windows written in Hangul, advertising for the internet, coffee and small convenience stores.

Getting ready to travel

All of the puzzle pieces have fallen into place. Today I got my passport back in the mail with a visa stamp. My plane leaves Seattle on Feb. 16 at 1PM and arrives in Incheon, South Korea on Feb. 17 at 5:35PM. The flight is non-stop for over 10 hrs and they are 17 hrs ahead of our time. I will be meeting with some EPIK people at the airport and they will give me a ride to wherever. The first week I will spend in orientation at Jeonju University in Jeonju, South Korea (my new home). This will most likely be followed by two teacher training days at my new school. As far as I know, I will begin teaching on Feb. 26. My contract is for 1 year and that includes 18 vacation days, so I hope to travel some in the area.

Still waiting...

Soon I will begin teaching English in Korea for a year, but the details are still pending. I have been waiting for a NOA (Notice of Arrival) from EPIK (English Program in Korea http://www.epik.go.kr/) since Christmas. Apparently they are hiring more teachers than ever and are simply backed up on writing the contracts. All I know is that I will be living somewhere in the province of Jeonbuk (Jeollabuk-do http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeollabuk-do). I will be leaving the third week of February, will spend a week in Seoul for orientation, and begin teaching in early March. I don't know what age level I will be teaching or what my living situation will be like.

I plan on taking my classical guitar, lots of journals, art pencils, some tai chi books, my laptop full of ebooks, some chopsticks, a handmade philosophy mug, and some nice clothes. I hear it is difficult to find deodorant and large shoes there.