Fall

ops, it’s been over a month almost two since I blogged. I started working on my Masters, so I couldn’t justify writing a blog when I should be writing a paper. So, now I will sum up the last month or so…..

My favorite thing about October was our trip to the Persimmon Wine Tunnel. The wine tunnel is located in Cheongdo about 2 hours away by train and bus. Two hours was worth it. It was so nice to get out of the city and into the beautiful countryside surrounded by traditional Korean homes and persimmon orchards. The wine tunnel was originally a train tunnel built during the Japanese invasion. In 2006, the Cheongdo Gam Wine Company opened it as a wine cellar and café. We enjoyed taking pictures and tasting the wine. It tastes like white wine, but it has a strong alcohol taste. It was good, so we bottled our own wine with our own label. It was a great trip. Check out their website http://gamwine.koreasme.com/

One of Jayson’s favorite things about October was zip lining in Daegu. We went to a small outside amusement park called Herb Hillz to go zip lining. Our friend told us how fun it was and she did the hardest course and it was a little challenging, but fun. So we took her advice. We got a 20 min crash course in Korean about how to hook up and hang on. Then the guy showed us the translation on his iphone. I didn’t seem to worry because I figured I would just watch and learn. Well, it didn’t work that way. He took us to the hard King Kong course and shook his head and walked away. Our first obstacle was climbing a 50 foot wall. That was ok, but then we had to swing between these rope-foot things to get from one 50 foot tree to the next. Jayson glides across. I try, but I don’t have enough upper body strength to hold myself up, so I am just hanging on the rope stuck like a V. So I go back to the platform. I try about 3 times and each time I fail. So now I am stuck on one platform 50 feet high and Jayson is on the other. So, we figure we will wait for the guy to come back. 30 minutes pass and Jayson and I are just hanging out in the trees (funny now that I think about it). Finally we decided to climb back down and do the Tarzan course. I can’t believe they let us go through a hour long course by ourselves. It was still hard but the zip lining part was so fun and we survived!

I celebrated Halloween with my extra class students. It was so much fun, the kids had a blast. Koreans don’t celebrate Halloween, but they sure did have a whole lot of decorations and costumes for sale. The kids dressed up and trick-or-treated in the school. They bobbed for apples and had a mummy wrap competition. It was a nice break from studying hours upon hours. The kids have so much school and are so serious, it was nice to see them let loose. They had a blast.

I also went on a day trip with all of the teachers at my school. We drove out to the countryside and hiked. We enjoyed lunch and dinner together. At school most teachers avoid me or just say hi, but after a few shots of soju everybody was talking to me. It turns out they really do know English. Haha. I think they just are scared to make a mistake. After hours the portable karaoke machine came out. I swear those things are everywhere; children’s arcade, trains, bars and now restaurants. The principal tried to get me to sing, but my co-teacher helped me by saying “She’s a bad singer.” It worked

In November, we celebrated Thanksgiving. The local foreigner bar hosted the event. They had all the traditional Thanksgiving fixins. We played games and enjoyed spending time with foreigner friends. Even some Canadians attended even though their Thanksgiving is not in November.

We are enjoying our last few months in Korea and planning many trips. So much to look forward to!

Adjusting to Teaching in Korea

Adjusting to teaching in Korea has been a long process and continues to change daily. From the beginning we were given the friendly advise “every situation is different.” We were told not to compare our school situation with our friend’s school situation. So, with that in mind I was expecting nothing. I ran into my school with my arms wide open ready to embrace any situation. I am a teacher with experience and was ready to apply my knowledge to the Korean school system. Uh, bad idea.

I am not a teacher in Korea. I am an aid. I co teach. I speak English so the students can repeat after me. At times I feel like a talking robot. I don’t practice any of my classroom management skills because Korea has a different system of punishment. I respect that, even if I don’t agree, I am willing to follow what works. It is very difficult to plan lessons with my co teachers for multiple reasons. I have three co teachers and finding time to plan with them is almost impossible because our schedules conflict. So, we resort to what we know. We use the same routine every time.

The hardest thing for me is to sit back and watch teachers teaching mistakes. Sometimes they will pronounce words incorrectly or have students playing a game before they understand the sentences. I have told my co teacher my thoughts and concerns, but she does not listen. Maybe because she doesn’t understand my English or she simply refuses to try something new.

After months of struggling with this system, I have stopped. Now, I just sit back and stay out of the way. I don’t want to make enemies, so I will try to make suggestions while keeping mind they may not be used. I don’t feel like a teacher and the students don’t view me as a teacher. So, now I will enjoy the students. I will teach them as much as I can about my culture. My goal is to make them comfortable when talking to a foreigner. And it’s working. I am much happier with this method. Maybe I am not a classroom teacher, but I am still teaching the kids confidence and helping them practice their English outside the classroom.

So, through this process I have learned something about myself. Even though I was told not to expect anything I still expected something. In the end I was let down. I am proud of myself for overcoming it even if it took a few months. But, even though I think I understand the school system, I am ready for any possible changes.


Extra Class

During my after school classes is when I feel my biggest achievement. Every day I teach 2 classes of students. One advanced class for one hour and a beginning class for another hour. I do not have a co teacher. The students have to understand my directions in English and my goal is to teach them conversational English. This was a challenging task at first. The students didn’t understand me, they just gave me that lost puppy look. Overtime, the students develop enough English language knowledge to understand me. I also developed a routine that is easy to follow.

Even though this class is an extra two hours of work a day, I look forward to it. I have developed a relationship with these students and I look forward to teaching them everyday. Each day focuses on a different element of English; conversation, reading, writing, and listening. I stick to the same routine so students know what is expected of them each day. I put a lot of effort into my lessons. I want the students to be engaged and have fun. This means a lot of visual aids and games. I know I have said this before but, youtube and powerpoint are my best friends.

During the day I am a teacher’s aid and in the evening I am a real teacher. In both cases I have learned so much in the process. I have a lot of tools to bring to my classroom in California. In the past I have had a handful of English Language Learners in my class. ELL students are very challenging for teachers. But now, I understand the process of learning a foreign language as a child. I understand what helps them learn. I also completely understand what it’s like to live in a foreign country.

I have about 4 more months to learn more techniques and grow. I am learning so much about myself as well as teaching tools to use in the classroom.

Lotte Giants

It was the Lotte Giants vs. the Samsung Lions. The game started at 5pm. Jayson and I didn’t have tickets, but we decided to buy some there. Actually, there were some nice young chaps selling on the street on the way there. How nice of them, not. We were suckers and bought tickets for $13. Wow, these tickets were in the front section. So, we found our seats, which is mighty difficulty because there are 10 B sections, you just have to find the correct number. So, we did and about 10 minutes later here comes a guy with the same ticket as mine, huh that’s weird. So, we move to another empty seat. I was scared to be kicked out. Jayson thinks it’s funny has no problem moving from seat to seat as people arrive late to the game. I am so embarrassed. I needed a beer, but I couldn’t because we just got Lasek and couldn’t drink for a month.

Finally we landed in some seats that were open and it was half way into the game and we figured nobody would come to the game this late. Once I could finally relax, I had a great time. We sat next to a guy who spoke English and he walked us through the game. He taught us that one of the Lotte Giants players holds the most homerun record. There was also an American and a Mexican on the team. The Mexican’s name was Garcia and the Korean fans loved him and they would chant songs to his name Korean style “Gar a see ya!”

Lotte Giants fans are compared to Red Sox fans because of their loyalty and team spirit. Boy did these fans have spirit. There was a song/cheer for everything. They even had a stage with 5 cheerleaders, a mascot and an announcer. It was a performance. We did the wave, there were people roaming the aisles selling hot dogs, ice cream and kimbab. No popcorn, peanuts or red vines though. We did find a “New York” hot dog stand and enjoyed 2 hot dogs for 5 bucks. You could also stop buy the market around the corner and bring in as much snacks and beer as you wanted.

Near the end of the game they pass out orange trash bags so everyone can help clean up. Well, the fans use these bags to show their spirit. Everybody blows air into the bag and ties the bag on top of their head. I heard about this and couldn’t wait to join the fun. It was fun, but I couldn’t see around the people. Oh well.

The game went into extra innings, but the Lotte Giants won. I am happy we found some seats. Even though Jayson still thinks to this day we read the ticket wrong, I will never buy a ticket off the street again.

Thailand

Well it took us 16 hours 2 taxis, one bus and 3 flights to get there, but it was all worth it. When we finally arrived to our luxurious hotel we were blown away. It was 7pm, the sun was down, but we could feel the warm breeze and see the moonlight glow on the water. Our hotel was set in a mountainside where every room, restaurant and pool had a view. We stayed at the Westin and it just open in July, so we got a big discount. In the morning we decided to explore the island of Phuket. The downside of our hotel, it is so far away from the popular Potang beach. So, we spent some money on taxi’s everyday.

Potang beach is full of umbrella chairs, shops and Thai food. We rented umbrella chairs for $6 for a whole day. The worker would move our umbrella when the sun moved and brought us beer when we were empty. Sellers roam the beach trying to sell you anything from dresses to fruit to “designer” watches. One day a dog named Bobo slept under my chair. He was so cute and it made me miss Max so much. We did get off our butts and go shopping. We bought dresses, shirts, souvenirs. Everything was priced under $12. So cheap!

My favorite part was the day we decided to go Elephant Trekking. The taxi picked us up on the beach and first took us to an overlook where we could take pictures over looking Potang Beach. Then we continued to the jungle. Jayson and I started on a bench and the guide sat on the elephant’s head. After 20 minutes the guide jumped off and let Jayson sit on the elephant’s head. The guide led the elephant by loud “Ya!” and “Ma Ma!”. He also carried a poker stick, just in case (he never used it). Every once in a while the guide didn’t turn around and the elephant would begin to go down the hill for food. We didn’t know what to do. It was so hard to hang on while you are leaning forward on a 6,000 pound cow. Eventually the guide would yell, “Ma Ma” and we continued moving.

We made it safely to Potang Beach and enjoyed some Mexican food. Yes, I know not Thai food. We did enjoy a lot of Thai food and I wish I could eat Thai food everyday, but Thailand has a lot of restaurants that Korea does not. I mean, we were able to eat Subway for breakfast. It was so amazing to set my teeth into a delicious deli sandwich. I never imagined I would miss sandwiches so much. Anyway, the food was great!

Thai people are so friendly. Granted, they are trying to sell you something every chance they get, but if you say no, they walk away. They speak English very well. I think even better than Koreans. It’s sad but true, especially since Korea spends so much money on the English Education System. I think Thai people and find pleasure in learning English and they are not forced, tested or compared to other English Learners. Anyways, my point. We were able to hold conversations with most taxi drivers and restaurant owners. Everyone came across so happy. Another great example that money doesn’t buy happiness.

We also went snorkeling and enjoyed some “Ladyboy” entertainment. Phuket is known for their ladyboy population. A ladyboy is a transgender from male to female. Our snorkeling tour guide was a ladyboy. She was so funny and entertaining. She sang Beyonce to us and said, “Ladies I know your room number and I can take your man off your hands anytime, ok?” I’m pretty sure she was joking. The nightlife was full of ladyboys. I wanted to see a show, but there were so many in the street, that we just ordered a drink at the bar and “people watched” the street. I don’t think prostitution in legal, but I don’t think it is well enforced. Jayson went to get a massage and I stayed on the beach, his masseuse offered him some extra services for a low price. He pretended like he didn’t understand her English.

All of these weird experiences made our Thailand trip eventful. After all we were in a foreign country and we expected to experience things that were not comfortable to us. But the beach and Subway was comfortable and I am ready to go back.

Lasek Eye Surgery

Over a week ago, Jayson and I got Lasek Eye Surgery. This is something we always wanted to do. Especially on the days when our contacts didn't go in right, or my hairstyle didn't fit my glasses, or having to take out contacts before swimming or sleeping. These were our main reasons for choosing the surgery. Jayson had worn glasses since he was 2 years old, although there were some cute pictures of him as a kid, he is ready to throw the 25 year old eye style in the trash. I have only worn glasses since high school, but my eyesight got worse over time. So, the decision was easy.

We heard our friends talk about Lasek eye surgery in Korea and at first thought it was crazy, but we quickly proved ourselves wrong when we looked into it. Every friend we talked to went to the same doctor, Dr. Yun. Dr. Yun (at I Yun Eye Hospital) is a reputable surgeon who has performed more than 40,000 surgeries. He’s had 11 years of experience and graduated from the top university in Korea, Seoul University for his doctorate. So, we decided to go check this guy out.

OK, the truth is I was scared out of my wits to get the surgery done. Just going to the hospital to get some information had my stomach in knots. All I could think about was laying there and watching them operate on my eyes. Was I able to do that? Well, I was and I did. So, yay for me. haha. Ok, what helped the most was the hospital. They made us feel so comfortable and with the amount of pretests they did on our eyes, I knew they were going to be very thorough. So, on Aug 14th we had our first appointment and scheduled our surgery for the next week Aug. 21st.

Surgery day I was freaking out. Our appointment was at 2pm, which left me with the whole day to worry. Well, I got the apartment all clean and I cooked about 3 meals to last us for a week. Once we arrived to the hospital, I had to focus on my breathing. They did a few more tests to make sure they were going to correct our eyes correctly. Good idea. Then we had to wait. Once I put my head between my legs, was when the nurse came with my happy pill. Oh, that was the magic pill I was waiting for all day. I demanded that I was first, so I wouldn't chicken out.

So, I was first..... I was in la la land now and just going through the motions. They didn't speak very much English so I just followed their hands. Set your purse here, put on this robe, put on this hair net, and now follow me into the operating room. Now, lie down on this table and hold this pink, stuffed hippo (right like that was gonna calm me down). Finally, the doctor came in and spoke English to me. He talked me though the whole process. He put anesthesia drops in my eye, picked at my eye for a few minutes and the then I stared at the laser for 9 seconds. They did one eye at a time. My hands were gripping that hippo and my feet were going crazy. But, they said the most important thing to remember was look at the red light. And I did. I'm pretty sure they all thought I was crazy for freaking out so much. I could hear them say something in Korean and then they all laughed. This happened several times during the procedure. But, looking back I would have laughed at me too because there was nothing to worry about. There was no pain.....until after.

Jayson and I had Lasek not Lasik. Our eyes had hyperopia, so we needed the Lasek procedure. With Lasek, the procedure is painless, but the recovery is longer and more painful. We knew that, they warned us. Oh man, was that first day and night a nightmare. Jayson and I both couldn't open our eyes, nor did we want to talk or eat. This is where the idea of us both getting the surgery done at the same time seemed like a bad idea. Oh well, you live and you learn. During day 2 I could open my eyes a little. Jayson's laser was 27 seconds (triple mine) so he had more recovery then me. It took about 5 days to go outside with sunglasses on comfortably. Now, I can see pretty well. It will take a few weeks for our eyes to reach 100% of their potential. The doctor is very good with us. We have frequent appointments, which makes feel really comfortable.

So, after all the worrying and the pain, I would do this again in a heartbeat. So, anybody considering it should do it if they have the money. We saved $3000 each doing it in Korea. I think this experience has made me stronger :) haha we'll see

Summer Camp PinishE

Wow, summer has gone by fast. As you know we went to China for 1 week, taught summer camp for 3 weeks and got lasek and recovered for a week. For this blog post I am going to talk about summer camp and next post I will talk about our Lasek eye surgery.

Ok, summer camp. The schedule was one group of students come to school from 9am to 12pm and the next group of students came to school 1:30 to 5:30. There are six classes of students and they rotate through each native teacher, which means I had other native English speaking people at my school. It was a nice treat to be able have a regular conversation with someone everyday. I volunteered to teach Drama in the morning and then I taught the text book to the afternoon kids.

Drama was a lot of work and responsibility, but still a lot of fun. I went into it thinking I had to teach each class of students a play and after 3 weeks they would perform in front of all of their family and friends. After one week I realized the difficulty of teaching each class a different play, so I had some classes perform the same play. The class that was the least motivated (class 5) just learned songs. These kids were out to get me, but I won and stuck to songs instead of torturing them with memorizing lines of English they did not understand. BUT, my most proud teaching moment was when the lowest class (class 6) decided to take on the task of memorizing a play. The did “Jack and the Beanstalk.” They worked so hard and actually had fun. They made teaching Drama an easy choice for me.

Afternoon classes I taught 3 lessons out of the book and 3 lessons of my own. The book was way over their head and I had to alter the lessons anyway. It seems similar to the states. I guess it’s true, no matter where you are it is difficult to choose a textbook program that fits all teachers/students needs. But, through experience I have learned just pull from it what you need and go from there (but stick to the standards haha). I felt my own creation of lessons were more effective because I stuck to one English concept and ventured from there. I also taught a lot of games. Everyday the kids would walk in and say, “teacher game?” I caved and realized it was English CAMP and was meant to be fun. Can you believe a parent actually called and complained that their child was not completing their text book? So, the last day of school the kids had to just finish pages out of their workbook. One parent and every camp in the area had to finish workbook pages. Come on parents, you need to trust us teachers. UHG! I guess that’s another similarity to the states. There will always be parents who think they know better then the teacher:)

All in all, Summer Camp was a good experience. The kids were cute and I met some new English teachers. We had a sports day, a market day and a performance day. The performances were not perfect, but pretty good for 3 weeks of work.

China

Wow China! We had an amazing time. I have to admit I am a bit naive. Since we are living in an Asian country, I didn’t think visiting China would have be much different. It even sounds wrong witting that and I can’t believe I thought that at first. I think it was due to exhaustion. I was so ready for a vacation and I got so much more. First was Beijing. We met up with our friend Melvin and our first stop was the Temple of Heaven. The Temple was closed, but we were able to cruise the park. It was a beautiful shaded park filled with ancient architecture, people and fresh cut grass. Ya, I haven’t seen fresh cut grass for a few months. First Shocker: Beggars. They will ask you to buy anything and you name your price. They follow you, complement you, lie to you. Anything for some yuan. In the hot sun filled with hundreds of people, it gets annoying, but if you want to name your price on a souvenir, it’s helpful. We also were asked to take our first picture with locals. I was being followed by these two girls. I smiled and said Hello and walked away. Jayson told me they looked so sad and he thought they wanted to take a picture with me. I couldn't believe it. Sure enough, he was right. Their eyes let up when I posed with them to take a picture. This happened all over China. It made us feel like movie stars.

The next day we joined a tour that took us to the Great Wall, Ming Tomb, Jade Factory and Tea House. On our 2 hour ride to the Great Wall we learned how over populated China is. Our tour guide explained to us that every hour is rush hour. There are only designated days that people can drive their cars. And, it’s true you can only have one child if you live in the city. If you live out of the city and your first child is a girl then you can have one more child. This policy has helped their growing population and they have seen no population growth for a consistent amount of time. Second Shocker: Population. Third shocker: Heat. Once we reached the Great Wall my eyes grew big by the amount of people I saw. It was packed from top to bottom and side to side. And the umbrellas, oh the umbrellas. We hiked thousands of stairs to reach the top. I was hit by umbrellas, shared sweat with some shoulders and locals still wanted to take pictures with my drenched self. This Great Wall experience was not as enchanting as I thought it would be. The rest of the tour was great, but I was left a little disappointed. So, a few days lated Jayson and I got a private driver and he took us to another part of the Great Wall. We got there early before the crowed and heat. We took a ski lift up, danced on the Great Wall and took a toboggan down. That was the magical, enchanting experience I was looking for. I still get chills thinking about it.

In Beijing, we also visited the Forbidden City and Olympic Park. Of course, the Forbidden City was filled with crowds of people and their umbrellas and the scorching sun. But, we were able to skip away to the quiet and serene side rooms. We took beautiful pictures and was able to take in the history and feel like we were there hundreds of years ago. Once again....magical. Olympic park was amazing too. I love watching a location on TV and then actually being able to go there. The Aquatic Cube was closed, so we were only able to go inside the “Birds Nest,” but we walked around the whole park and took pictures. Our nights in Beijing were filled with Beer Gardens in downtown and along the river. Live music was always playing and good people watching too.

Our next stop Shanghai. Shocker number 4: Shanghai is truly Paris of the East (like they say). This city is beautiful, the temperature was bearable and there were less beggars. Our first night we found a fabulous mexican restaurant. I know Mexican in China, but we have been living without it for several months and it was a real treat. The next day World Expo. Oh, wow was this place filled with people. They said 500,000 people visit the World Expo each day. There were so many people that we only went in 3 pavilions: China, USA, and Africa. But, we took a bus around and saw every country’s pavilion. I didn’t expect the Expo to be so big. Each country builds a pavilion to represent their county and their view of the future. China used a lot of technology and also had replicas of famous architecture of China. Africa was pretty much the same. But, USA a little disappointing. The building structure was your typical square and inside we watched 2 videos. The videos did focus on the future and explain how a little goes a long way. The message was nice, but the structure wasn’t that impressive. After a long day at the Expo we decided to visit that wonderful Mexican restaurant for some margaritas and a delicious bite. Bad idea, the next day we were both stuck in bed with food poisoning. We should of just kept to one day of Mexican. We are still recovering to this day.

We did make the best of our last day. We took the double decker tour bus around Shanghai. We visited the Jade Buddhist Temple, Yu Garden, and completed our shopping. In he evening we took a river cruise and tried to enjoy our last “real” Chinese dinner. 10 days was a long time and I wouldn’t of changed anything. Our experience was amazing. I hope we can go back someday.

Just a Boring Day, So I’ll blog….

It is in the middle of summer and it is raining. Huh? Oh ya summer is the rainiest season in Korea. On Saturday it was a very rainy day. We couldn’t go on a bike ride or go hiking, but we wanted to get out of our little box. So, Jayson decided to go bowling and I decided to go shopping. BAD IDEA! It wasn’t just raining; it was a non stop downpour. I thought I planned it right. I wore Capri’s and high heels in case I step in a puddle. I wore dark colors because water doesn’t show up as much. And I had an umbrella, of course. All of this pre planning did not matter. The streets were flooded, the people were pushy and water was flying from all directions. My adventure only lasted 2 hours and now I know to stay inside when it is raining like that.

Today is another rainy day, but luckily I have to stay inside and get paid for it. It is also one of the quietest days at school. It is so quite, that I could hear a pin drop (or that annoying screeching bird outside my window). The sixth graders are taking a very important test. So important that there are 2 teachers per room and a hall monitor. My job is to guard the answer sheets in my office. I think I can handle that. Hehehe

8 days until China! Yahoo!

Oh Teaching in Korea

Many people ask, "How do you teach a student English, when you don't know Korean.” There are many answers. First, I have a Korean co-teacher during my regular day classes. We plan lessons together. I explain activities in English and she translates if needed. We also sing songs, chants, play games and use lots of hand motions to make English class exciting. After school classes I teach by myself. The first hour I teach advanced kids who have a strong base of English. The second hour I teach students who barely know the alphabet. I use simple sentences and repetitive phrases for classroom management. It was very important to teach them key comprehension questions and phrases the first week of class. The Korean teachers taught them "Do you understand?" "Teacher help me please." Teacher I need more time." They also taught them the famous, "May I use the toilet?" These sentences were first over used because the students were eager to practice their new English sentence. So for the next two weeks I heard: "Yes I understand the meaning" even if I didn't teach them the meaning. Then they shortened the sentences to "Teacher help" "Teacher time" and they asked the toilet question any time they could. Even though these sentences were slowly abused, I understood what they were trying to say and it helps with the flow of the lessons.

When it comes to teaching lessons, I feel like I am one big song and dance act. I don't know what I would do without technology. Our computer is hooked up to a huge TV. I am able to show youtube videos and PowerPoints are my best friends. At first you wouldn’t think youtube would be so helpful, but it is an important tool for every English teacher in Korea. On youtube, you can find learning songs, books made to songs, short animation with translations. I use youtube for motivation. Usually I show a clip and then I say, "Ok, what do you think we are doing to learn today?" and the conversation begins. I also use youtube to teach songs. There are songs about everything, especially for kids. Songs teach kids new vocabulary and sentence structure and the kids enjoy it. Now, PowerPoint. The things you can do with PowerPoint are endless. I use PowerPoint for hidden picture, scramble sentences, and Jeopardy/Bomb games. If you have a PowerPoint prepared you don't have to waste time writing things on the board or flipping through pages. The Jeopardy and Bomb games are a fun way to review a lesson and to check for understanding.

My favorite part about teaching is when I teach 3 third graders the alphabet 30 minutes a day. I volunteer this time because I could tell they were sitting in class not understanding a word I said. I couldn't imagine being it that situation. I would probably quit the class. So, I decided to make English more enjoyable for these guys. It's so nice because it's with a small group of three kids, so there are no discipline problems. They hardly know English and I hardly know Korean, but I am still able to teach them the alphabet and phonics with flashcards and go fish. I think the small group learning environment took the pressure off and their brains were able to learn. It has been about 2 months and they can read 3 letter words. I think it is so amazing because I barely know the Korean alphabet. This is my most rewarding time.

Although being away from my family and friends is difficult, I realize what I am gaining in Korea. I am making new friends, experiencing a new culture and becoming a better educator. I can't wait to get back in a California classroom and use everything I have learned here. I have 8 more months to learn, yahoo!

Hiking and World Cup - I love Korea

Wow, It’s been a long time since I wrote. A lot of new exciting adventures. Let’s start with Buddha's birthday in May. Jayson and I joined about 75 foreigners to a private island called Deok Jeok Do. A hotel was arranged for us to sleep in. There was 5 of us to a room and we slept on the floor. The weekend consisted of ultimate Frisbee, hiking, BBQ and campfires. Some travelers were more interested in drinking and at times I felt like I was caught in the middle of a MTV Spring Break. Jayson and I stuck to ourselves. Enjoyed a little drinking and some cards. It was a humid rainy weekend. We made the best of it, but our trip was cut short because a storm was coming and there was only one ferry leaving the island in the morning.

Since Deok Jeok Do, Jayson and I have been bit by the hiking bug. We love it so much. Korea has so many beautiful mountains. We hiked up Mt. Munsu. It took us about 4 hours round trip, but once we hit the top we could see beautiful Ulsan (our hometown). We hiked up Jansam. This hike had a river with waterfalls along the way. Last weekend we hiked up Boemoesa. This was my favorite hike so far. We started at the temple where we experienced daily life of monks and visitors that came to bow and meditate. The top of Boemoesa was amazing. At first we were stuck in fog, but after 5 minutes the clouds parted and we were surrounded with beautiful greenery. We are always planning a hike. It is good exercise and it forces us to explore Korea.

The World Cup has also been an amazing experience. I have never been interested in the World Cup, but the Korean spirit moved me. Jayson and I did not think soccer was such a big deal, but the first Korean match we found we were in for a real treat. We geared up in our red and white. We enjoyed some chicken and beer with some friends. The people in the streets were all wearing Red and shouting “dae han me guk.” Which means Republic of Korea. The best part was when we arrived at the river. There was a huge Jumbo Tron set up with a stage. Hundreds of Koreans gathered to watch the game together. They were yelling, singing, cheering, and booing as if they were at a live game. Luckily the Korean’s won and everybody was happy. The next game we watched at a soccer stadium and the final game we watched at a bar. They lost, so now it is over, but it was fun while it lasted.

There is so much more I could write, but this is all I have for now. I need to write more often. I will post some pics Love everyone and miss you soooo much!

May is a great month for teachers in Korea!

May is a good month because there are a lot of holidays and there are also special events at school. Two weeks my school had Sports day. Every school in Korea holds this event once a year. At my school every grade practiced one special event like circle tug-o-war, relay races, jump rope, dancing and running. For weeks before the event the classes would practice. The classes would also practice marching. The teachers began to stress out and I didn’t understand why. I just thought it was going to be a fun relaxing day like a jog-a-thon or something. It was fun for me. They would cancel classes, so they could practice. And once the day came, I understood what all the commotion was about. All the students wore matching gym outfits. All the teachers wore matching gym outfits (even me). There were tents set up along the perimeter. Flags hung all around. And there was a head table for the principal, the vice principal and top district big wigs. All the teachers were praying for a smooth event because all the eyes were on them and their class. There was an opening ceremony with flag waving, songs, speeches and choreographed exercises. And then, finally the games began. It was a long day and only my pictures can describe the rest. The teachers are much more relaxed because the event is over.

Last week my school had their birthday on Tuesday, so there was no school. On Wednesday it was Children’s Day, so there was no school. Children’s Day is a day where kids get presents, and a day off school. Some businesses are also closed for this holiday. Since we had the day off, we went to Haeundae Beach in Busan. The weather was perfect! Good friends, good Frisbee, and you are even allowed to enjoy a drink or two on the beach. I should have worn a little more sunscreen though. Ouch!

Today is Midterms, so I don’t teach. On Thursday and Friday we are going to a conference about 1 hour away. Next Friday is Buddha’s Birthday, so no school. We are going to Deok Jeok Do for that 3 day weekend. It is a private island near Seoul. About 60 English teachers will attend. There are sleeping facilities, but we have to bring our own food. So, it’s kinda like camping on the beach. Bring on the SUN! So, in conclusion (haha), May is a great month for teachers in Korea!

Korea in the month of April

Since we don’t want to spend time in our small apartment box, we explore as much as possible. Sometimes we feel like we are living college life again. We spend many late nights in bars or dance clubs hanging out with friends until 3am. Last weekend we ventured to Busan. After enjoying a delicious Mexican meal we followed our friends through the subway system to foreigner row. Ok, not really foreigner row, but once we arrived there were so many English speakin folk, that it didn’t feel like we were in a foreign country. We were able to share our teaching experiences withe each other and then we got our dance on! I love my space to dance and I get a little crazy sometimes. The few Koreans that were there didn’t know what to think. Their dance club style involves bouncing and step tapping. It was fun!

Once we were tired we wanted to take a taxi adventure back to Ulsan (little did we know how adventuress it would be). Ulsan is about 45 minutes away from Busan. At 3am there are no buses or trains running. So, we bargained with a taxi driver to drive us home for about $60. Everything was fine until he missed the exit! Apparently, highways in Korea have no turn offs once you’re on them. For miles we were stuck on this highway with no exits. Then we turned around, had to pay a toll booth. The taxi driver asked how to get to our location. He got directions and went. Then he got lost again. We ended up turing around 4 times, hitting 4 toll booths and adding 25 minutes to our 3am adventure. Once, we were on the correct road, the taxi driver was running red lights and kept on saying “sorry.” We were so happy to see our apartment and no to mention our toilet (boy did we have to pee).

Although our weekends can be crazy, we also take time to enjoy the outdoors. We love our bikes. We biked along the Taehwa River. We enjoyed a peaceful ride with beautiful flowers surrounding us. I also attended a wedding last weekend. Korean weddings are very different from American weddings. The wedding was at this huge facility where many weddings are held in huge decorated conference rooms. They just shuffle the weddings through. When we first arrived we entered a room where we took pictures with the bride. After 20 minutes the wedding began. The room was generically decorated for any wedding. People were talking during the ceremony. I had no idea what was said, but it was pretty short. There were two dressed up kids that walked down the aisle in the middle of the ceremony. I don’t know the purpose. There were no bridesmaids or groomsmen. There was an announcer and a priest. It was very cute when the groom sang to the bride. Lets just say he will not be a singer when he grows up, but his effort was very adorable. After the ceremony we went to a buffet. The bride and the groom did not attend because they had their traditional wedding with immediate family. There are no presents or cards, just money. I decided to exercise my American and I gave the bride and groom a good ‘ol fashioned hand written card. They liked it!

During the week we teach, teach, teach and go to the gym. Last week I only went to the gym twice and they freaked out. I have made friends in my K pop aerobics class and now they expect me to attend class everyday. Well, at least they keep me motivated. K pop is really fun. There’s no instruction, they just turn on the music and go. The ladies know all the dances and I am stumbling two counts behind. After a few weeks, I finally have a few down.The ladies (all ages) come decked out in disco outfits. I mean neon, bellbottoms, booty shorts, fishnet, you name it. I just wear my given gym outfit and call it good. This weekend I went out with my new K pop friends. They do not speak English except for one girl. Except her Spanish is better then her English, so we speak spanish to each other. The instructor made sure my glass was full. We were hugging and laughing and taking pictures. We can’t speak to each other, but who needs language when you can dance;)

Although we miss home ALOT!!!!! This is an experience we will never forget and we challenge ourselves to go on as many adventures as we can. Seize the moment!

Busan/Orphanage/Soccer/Cherry Blossom Festival

We have been doing a lot of touristy stuff lately. We finally feel comfortable getting around, so each weekend we venture out more and more. The culture shock is starting to wear off. We have been here for almost two months and things are starting to feel natural. We love our new friends because every weekend is very eventful and we get to share it with them.

Last week we went to Busan. Busan is a city just south of Ulsan. It takes about an 1hour and 1/2 by train to get there. Jayson and I checked out Shinsegae, which is the biggest “department store” in the world. So, they say. It’s pretty big, but it reminds me more like a mall rather then a department store. There are a lot of stores, a movie theater, an ice skating rank, and a spa. Then we took a subway to Haeundae Beach. It was very beautiful. In the summer the beach will be filled with umbrellas and thousands of people. We met up with some friends ate Mexican food (it is the closes place to eat mexican, oh it was so amazing). We then went to a bar to drink and play pool. Good times. That day we took a train, a bus, the subway and a taxi.

This weekend I went with a church group and went to the Busan Orphanage. It was a lot of fun. It was explained to me that the kids are not adoptable because they have family near them (like aunts and uncles), but they cannot afford to take care of them. There are about 90 kids living at the orphanage ages form 2 to high school. The kids were really fun. We brought paper, pens and chalk for arts and crafts. Someone brought ingredients for no bake cookies. I ended up teaching a dance class, of course. The kids did not speak much English, but it doesn’t take much to share a game or draw with a child:) Very rewarding.

Jayson went with some friends to a soccer game. It was the Ulsan Tigers versus the Jeju Pride. The score was 1-0. They were the only group of foreigners. A stadium guy took a picture of them and put it on the jumbotron(sp?). During halftime they had people kick American footballs into the gaol. Why? We don’t know. Soccer is very popular and they had a great time.

Today we went to see Cherry Blossoms in Geyongju. They were so beautiful. The cherry blossoms will only last a few weeks, so even though the weather was questionable, we still went. We met up with our South African friend Melvin and took some beautiful pictures. We enjoyed some delicious Italian food in the cutest restaurant. Funny story: We were taking pictures of each other and all of a sudden a Korean man offers to take a picture of us. That was nice but then he proceeds to follow us for the next hour or so. He said he was at Geyongju to meet foreign english people. He wanted to be our tour guide and practice English with us. He was very nice, but hard to talk to. He did explain the tombs, fortress ruins, ancient ice house and various locations that we walked to. I think we will run into that a lot. There are a lot of Koreans that want to practice English with a foreigner. Pretty cool, I guess.

Anyway, my stories are not very interesting this time. So, take a look at the pics and enjoy:) Until next time....

Korean School System

Korean students and American students share a lot of similarities and differences. For the most part, if I ever hear an American student complain about too much school I will slap them silly (ok not really). This country is school crazy, but in a good way. Teachers care about their students success and parents push them even further. Although school is mainly academic driven they still go on field trips, have sports days and teach creative and inventive lessons. There are a lot of opportunities for students to become successful and everybody is pushing them every step of the way.

Ok, let’s start with elementary school (1st to 6th grade). Kids will attend school Monday though Friday from 9am to 2pm. They will also attend school 2 Saturdays a month. After 2pm, most students will attend a hogwon (Korean Private School). Or, some students will attend after school classes provided by their school. Some students will be in school as late as 10pm. After school classes and hogwons cover many subjects, but I think most student receive extra English instruction.

Middle school students (7th to 9th grade) will attend just as much school if not more. Some Middle school students will even live on campus during the week because they chose a school for a certain specialty (like sports or mechanics) that is far a away from their home. Their day schedule is very similar to Elementary students, but I believe they will attend more hours of school and the discipline is more intense. High school students (10th to 12th grade) most likely live on campus. High schools are aimed to a certain specialty like science, or math or language. Students will pick their high school accordingly and they also have to take an entrance exam. A lot of pressure. Their school days are long. They have regular classes from 9am to 4pm, then extra classes, then they have mandatory study time form 8pm to 10pm. The teachers observe them studying. And sometimes students will attend more class after that.

Classroom management is at a whole different level in Korea. I am a firm believer in positive reinforcement, but Korean teachers think otherwise. It also amazes me what Korean teachers decide what’s punishable and what they will look the other way on. I will see so many students (mainly boys) pushing, slapping, hitting, pinching, punching, you name it during break time and the teachers will do nothing. I will even catch it a few times in class and nothing. But if the student is disrespectful or not participating then that is when the punishment begins. Since I do not understand Korean language, I don’t always understand why the students are being punished, but I do understand that my Korean co teacher is frustrated. A lot of times the whole class will have to close their eyes and put their hands on top of their heads. She will begin to lecture them and then they will have to raise their hands straight up. Their hands get heavy and begin to shake. The teacher will lecture them for as long as she feels necessary, then they put their hands down and we continue instruction.

If one student or a few students are disrespectful then the punishment is more intense. Many times students will have to stand facing the corner during class time in humiliation. Other times students will have to write letters or sentences. Another time a few students did a series of push ups and squats until they could barely move. This is just elementary students. In Middle school the teachers walk around with a stick and use it as necessary. Some students will have to squat against the wall with their hands out for an extended period of time during class. Jayson has seen students completing work in the hall on their knees. If a student gets sent to the principal’s office, I hear it’s brutal. I don’t know much about high school, but I imagine it’s pretty similar. Since high schoolers have to earn their way into the school, I would imagine they behave a little better, but I don’t know.

Anyway, these are just generalizations and not facts. This is just a bunch of examples that I have witnessed in my school or heard from my friends. But still I find it all to be pretty interesting. I take it for what it is and try not to judge. This system works for Korea. So, if you are a teacher or a parent in the States and your kids are being little sh*!s you can share this story with them. Enjoy!

Pay day

So, payday finally came. We were barely scraping by for a few days, but now we are millionaires (in won). Since we got paid, we bought a few things that make life a little easier. First we bought a coffee pot. The coffee pot cost about $100! Everybody drinks instant coffee here. Yuck! It’s full of sugar and it has no pep. Now, we can start our day right. It was a good investment. Next, we bought bikes. They too cost about $100 each. Funny how a bike and a coffee maker costs about the same. Since we got the bikes, we have been all over town and we have discovered new stores and restaurants. Finally, we both got a gym membership. We’ll just say expensive, but worth it. There are group exercises, a big work out room, sauna, and bathing room. You check in by your finger print. They give you clothes to work out in and then you work out. Everyone wears the same outfit.

Korea is feeling more and more comfortable. I know very little Korean, so every time we want to do something (buy bikes or gym membership) there is a lot of pointing and sign language. It’s quite entertaining and everything takes a lot longer. Usually people talk to me and ignore Jayson. Someone told us once it’s because he is big and a male. The one guy who did actually talk to Jayson asked him to help him push his cart full of garbage up hill. I wish I had taken a picture. Again there was a lot of sign language, but Jayson understood and helped the guy. Ah, my prince charming:)

Teaching is still going good. We started after school classes, so we have long days, but the week flies by because we are so busy. During after school classes we do not teach with a korean co teacher. So, there is no one to translate, it’s all up to us. This is very difficult for my beginning class. I am teaching them phonics and the alphabet, but they know very little English. I teach like a clown. I act out a lot of things, use a lot of pictures and youtube is my best friend for videos and songs. Thank God for technology. California Schools need to get on it.

The funniest day of my life was when a boy brought a hamster in his pocket to school. I came around the corner to his group and saw him look inside his jacket and I saw a little rodent head pop out. I told my co teacher, “I think that kid has a mouse.” She freaked and said, “A mouse?” She talked to the boy. The rest of the class was playing a game we taught them and had no idea this was going on. My co teacher came back to me and said, “Oh, it’s just a hamster. He said he didn’t know it was in his pocket when he put on his jacket this morning.” I thought No Big Deal?!? I could not stop laughing. I had to turn away from the class, pull myself together and teach the class the next activity.

Like I always say, everyday is adventures!

Chungsol Elementary School

We have completed 2 weeks of school so far. My school day is 8:45am to 4:45 pm. I only have students from 9:10 to 1pm or 2pm. I teach 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade English classes. I see the 6th grade classes 2 times a week and the other grades I only see once a week. I have a Co- Korean teacher who speaks English teaching with me. I have 3 different Co-teachers that I have to plan lessons with. It will take me time to get use to teaching with another teacher in the classroom. Right now the co teacher leads the lesson, I explain directions or introduce dialogue in English. The Korean teacher can then translate if the kids need it. Next week I will start after school classes for extra money (I will make half of my salary extra, yahoo). After school classes will be from 4pm to 6pm Monday through Friday. These classes are for any students who want extra English instruction (or if their parents make them go).

The students are pretty well behaved. Some of the sixth grade students are over English class. The third grade students are so excited because it is their first year in English class. For the most part these students are better behaved then American students. If they act up in class, my co-teacher makes them stand in the corner facing the corner. Then she reprimands them after class and they are on the verge of tears. I’m glad I don’t have to be the bad guy:) My favorite part about Korean School is that the kids clean the school. Everyday there is a designated class to pick up trash, sweep, mop, and wipe every room. It is so funny to walk into a classroom and see a bunch of Korean kids working their butts off to make a class sparkle. I think American schools can learn something from this:)

I eat lunch in the cafeteria with the kids, but I sit at the teacher table. The food is pretty good. It is totally Korean. I have had as much rice these past two weeks as I have had for my whole life! The lunches are made fresh everyday with fresh (not frozen) ingredients! So, at least I am eating healthy. I eat very slow too because I am still getting use to chopsticks. Koreans don’t usually drink a beverage while they eat. They eat all of their food, clean their tray and go to the drinking station. I think that is why soup is served with every meal. I get quite thirsty when I eat, but I learned that drinking while you eat is bad for digestion. I don’t know if that is true or not, but that is what they believe:)

It is taking some time to get use to the school. It is hard to plan lessons with another teacher, but I am learning. The language barrier is very difficult too, it takes twice as long to communicate. The teachers at my school are strict during school hours, but off hours they have a lot of fun. Every Wednesday is Volleyball practice with the teachers. We even bought new uniforms. I guess there are tournaments against other Elementary school staff. I better practice:) Everyday is an adventure and this city is starting to feel more and more comfortable to me.

Our New Home

Well, we are in our new apartment. Finally! It is small, but it is new and clean. So, I am happy. I am at my school, but I will not start teaching until next week. The first day was very interesting. Once you walk into the building you take off your shoes and wear the slippers that are provided to you, I met my new Co-teacher. Her name is Jeong Jung. She is very nice, but I don’t think she knows what to do with me, so she makes me stay in the 6th grade teacher room while she runs around and sets up the classroom.

Since it was the first day of school for the year there was a Welcoming Assembly. So, I was called up in front of all the kids and introduced. I have no idea what the principal said about me, but I just smiled and noddedJ In the middle of the day there was a staff meeting. I had no idea what they said, and once again I had to stand up and be introduced. I said I was from California and they laughed. I said I was a teacher and they cheered. But when I said I was only staying for a year they grunted. The principal was saying things about me when I was standing there and everybody was laughing (I felt like I was in my awkward stages of middle school again).
After the meeting the school staff went out to lunch. We had spicy duck soup and other spicy side dishes. We sat on the floor. There was soju. The principal wanted to make sure I was drinking. Luckily my co teacher poured water into my shot glass when the principal was not looking. He said something and we cheered. Then the principal called me over to sit with him. He poured me a shot in his shot glass (there was no getting out of this one). I drank it. Then I was guided to pour him a shot and he drank it. He said, “Soju make you happy.” I guess it is a common Korean custom. It means we are friends now and we respect each other. I think???

Jayson actually had to teach the first day. On Friday his co teacher gave him the address to his school and told him to take a taxi there. This made him a little nervous, but he made it there alright. Soon he will learn the bus system or maybe even walk to or from school. For now he will stick with the Taxi. He has rowdy middle school boys. The old English teacher is still there, but he still made Jayson teach. Jayson did an introductory lesson about himself and made a game out of it. He quizzed the kids at the end of each class. Good Job Jayson. He ate cafeteria food. For the teachers it’s kinda like buffet style, where you get to pick what you want to eat. He liked the food, but we were both very hungry when we got home, so we had McDonalds. Bad bad bad.

Like I said our apartment is small. There is just one room for bedroom and living room. There is a very small kitchen, with a mini fridge/freezer and there is no oven. Koreans do not have ovens in their homes. The first day we had to share a twin size bed because they were in the process of getting a new one. So, yesterday they took the twin bed, but we didn’t get our new bed, so we had to sleep on the wood floor. Most Koreans sleep on the floor, so they didn’t see it as any problem. So, we just smiled and nodded. Hopefully we will get a bed today.

So, all is good and I think we have had some major culture shock. We will get use to it. I can’t wait to start teaching. I am so bored of staring at a computer all day. All in all, everyone we meet is very nice and helpful and it is a great experience!

Korean Faux Pas

Well we made another culture faux pas in Korea and it had to do with a bar. But let’s sum up the past few days first. We finished our orientation successfully. I am healthy now, so it made the last few days of orientation pleasant. We had to work with a group and deliver a mock lesson. Jayson was a little nervous, but we both did very good. The group work reminded me of American Idol, we were all running around late the night before collecting materials and props to create the best lesson. It was funny seeing people totally stressed out and running on little sleep.

On friday we packed up our bags and took a 4 hour bus ride to Ulsan. On the bus ride we found out that we have to stay in a Motel for a few days until our apartment is ready. A local informed us that we are put up in a “Love Motel.” I am very disgusted and can’t wait to get out. There are no sheets and the place smells like cigarettes. The ceiling is neon purple and there are supplies laying around. I will not go into anymore detail. We try to stay out of our little “Love Motel” as much as possible.

So, my Co Teacher picked us up at the district office and took us to the “Love Motel” and said, “see ya Monday”. She also advised us to go to Bars. So, we took her advise and located a nice looking bar the first night. I guess we should have been a little more careful. Luckily the bar owner speaks English. He shook his head and laughed at us. He said “You English Teacher.” I guess we had it written on our face. There were no other customers in the bar. So, he poured us some coffee and started chatting with us. He reminded me of Rev. Mau. Very friendly, knows everybody and is willing to help a stupid foreigner. He explained to us that he had once lived in Japan and remembered being so lonely because he didn’t know the language or had any friends. After 30 minutes we hopped in his car and he took us to his foreigner bar. We had a lot of fun there and we met some other English teachers. Once the night was over he walked us to a Taxi and he explained to the Taxi driver where our motel was and we got there safely.

The next day Mr. Kim picked us up and gave us a royal tour of Ulsan. He took us up country and we saw an amazing view of the whole city. He took us around the Hyundai factory and ship yard. He took us to one of the 12 wonders of Ulsan and we saw amazing views of the ocean. We are so lucky we ran into Mr. Kim. It’s almost like someone is watching over us. Hmmmm???

Today is Sunday and we have been very American. We went to Starbucks for breakfast, fast food for lunch and Outback for dinner. We even watch “Percy Jackson and the lightning Thief.” It was in English with Korean sub titles. We had a fun day. Tomorrow we will move into our apartment. We need to do laundry (no dryers), go shopping and prepare for our first day of school. Wish us luck!

Orientation and Field Trip

We are on day 5 of orientation and we have 5 more days to go. They threw us a great Welcoming Ceremony and Dinner. The Ceremony consisted of traditional Korean dancing and inspirational speeches. It was very motivating and confirmed our decision on moving here. The dinner was amazing. The tables were dressed as if we were at a wedding. Beverages galore and the buffet was beautiful and delicious. We were able to relax and enjoy ourselves as well as converse with our new friends from all of over the world.

The next day we had our medical checks. They checked our height, weight, eyes, hearing, blood pressure, 3 viles of blood, urine test and a chest x ray. In the evening we had a guest speaker and survival Korean class. Our Korean class is very entertaining because our teacher speaks very little English and she is teaching us Korean. She gets embarrassed easily, but in reality she knows more English then we know Korean. We will have 4 lessons in Korean and then it is up to us to learn the rest. Wish us luck:)

The rest of our time here we have classes all day. Each class in 1 1/2 hour and we learn about Korean culture, possible classroom scenarios, lesson planning and how to adjust to daily Korean life. They are all very interesting and helpful. Yesterday we had a field trip day. It was the first time we felt like we were in Korea. We went to Jeonju village witch is a couple hundred years old. We toured the area and saw some street venders and locals walking around. A lot of kids stopped and starred at us. They made us feel like we were movie stars. They would say "Hello" and smile and stare at us. It was funny.

We also saw a mock Old Traditional Korean Wedding. There was a lot of bowing and beautiful clothes. On our field trip we learned how to make a paper picture frame and korean knotting. We also learned a drum dance. That was pretty funny because the instructor talked only in Korean and he would just laugh at all of us. We were horrible.

For the next 5 days we will continue our classes, deliver our practice lesson and then meet our co teacher. On Friday we will be off to our new home. We are very excited!

We Made it!

We made it to Korea safe and sound. Everything has gone so smoothly. Our luggage was a little over the weight limit, but we told the guy we were leaving for a year and he let it go. Our 13 hour flight was really nice. The guy next to me moved to another seat, so Jayson and I got 3 seats to ourselves. We had our own movie screen in front of us. I watched about 4 movies, played a few games and learned some Korean on it. The airport in Incheon was very nice. We just followed people off the plane to find our luggage and our way out. Once we got to the main area everything was in Korean and English. A lot of people speak English too. By the time we got to the Hotel, we were exhausted. We checked in, but we wanted a bite to eat. We stayed at the Hyatt and they had a restaurant that had food from all over the world. So, we had a Caesar Salad and a Margherita Pizza. Yum!

The next day we woke up from a good night rest and had some nice showers. We got some coffee, and guess what, there is a Casino in the Hyatt. Yes Jayson could not refuse the urge. He played a little bit. I almost went to jail. Apparently you are not allowed to take pictures in there. 6 people swarmed me when the flash went and started to speak Korean to me. I quickly showed them the picture and I erased it in front of them. We didn’t stay much longer after that. “Stupid American”

We got back to the airport and met Jessa from Teach Away. What a sense of relief, finally the traveling is out of or hands and we just follow EPIK. We took a 4 hour bus ride to Jeonju University. At first, I was excited to be able to see a big stretch of Korea, but there wasn’t much to see. The highway sights were full of dirt land, no buildings or amazing greenery.

The University is pretty funny. We checked in, got some welcoming goodies and a sweatshirt. Got our temperature check, we passed! The funny part is the elevators and our luggage. One elevator goes to even floors and the elevator goes to odd floors. Nobody knew that at first. Jayson and I took the wrong one. We went all the way up to nine and was very confused why the 14 button wasn’t working. We went all the way down and found more people confused. So we took out all of the luggage and waited for the “even elevator.” We also have a couples dorm, so we don’t have to share with anyone. Which is good because the dorm room is small and the bathroom is all in one. The shower is right next to the toilet. So, when we take a shower the whole floor gets wet. Everyone says, “That’s asian life, everything is small.”

There are a lot of interesting people at the orientation. We have met someone form, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and New York. When we say we’re from California, their eyes get big. Jessa even couldn’t believe that I owned a heavy coat. So, we are all teaching each other about our home countries. It is very exciting.

We got our contracts!

We are so excited to have our contracts and now our departure is 3 weeks away! So much to do, so much to do. Jayson's cousins will be renting our house and they will take of Max. I will be teaching up until the friday before we leave. I am going to miss my class. The five year olds are so cute. I wonder what age group I will be teaching in Korea? We will fly out of San Francisco on Monday the 15th and arrive in Incheon. We will attend a week of training and then we will move to our new home, Ulsan. We don't know our exact address or the age group we are teaching until we get there. We are so excited. Everyone we talk to that has been to Korea absolutely loves it!

Here are some websites that we have been looking into for our adventure:

http://www.teachaway.com/

http://www.epik.go.kr/

http://www.gone2korea.com/popular-destinations/ulsan.html

http://english.ulsan.go.kr/