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!