Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Family in Korea
Things have been terribly busy lately. I know I promised some pictures, but I haven't had time at all. My parents are currently visiting so we've been busy roaming about Seoul. It feels good to finally check some places off my "to see" list. I also found out that my schedule has changed once again. I was off today so I'll see tomorrow what damage has been done.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
No Water Joy
Well, the water park idea didn't really pan out. We wanted to go because it was only about $10 after 4; we thought it would be a great way to unwind after work. I was really looking forward to it for days. We basically run there to get there before 7pm. As soon as we run through the mall and make it through the maze of elevators and stairs, we discover that all the lights are off and no one is around. Talk about some major disappointment!!
We did hang out for most of the night, but it was still a little sad that we missed out on some water delight. We are going to try it out again today hoping that it was closed just because it was mid-week.
We did hang out for most of the night, but it was still a little sad that we missed out on some water delight. We are going to try it out again today hoping that it was closed just because it was mid-week.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Things Are Warming Up
I noticed tonight that I wasn't freezing my behind off as I walked home. Oh, it feels like Spring is heading to Korea! It couldn't come any sooner!
The yellow dust has certainly made its way here. Annually, yellow dust/sand from China makes an invasion into Korea and kills everyone's lungs. I've heard that China has undergone major deforestation so there are fewer trees to catch the dust/sand that blows in from the desert; it makes its way to Korea. I've noticed some mucus build-up going in me. Hopefully, it won't get too bad. If you are so interested in my health, here is a website where you track yellow dust levels in Seoul.
Tomorrow, I'm heading to a water park in town. The tickets are 10 bucks after 4pm. Some coworkers and I are going to head over there after work (about 6:30) and see what we can do in 2 hours.
The yellow dust has certainly made its way here. Annually, yellow dust/sand from China makes an invasion into Korea and kills everyone's lungs. I've heard that China has undergone major deforestation so there are fewer trees to catch the dust/sand that blows in from the desert; it makes its way to Korea. I've noticed some mucus build-up going in me. Hopefully, it won't get too bad. If you are so interested in my health, here is a website where you track yellow dust levels in Seoul.
Tomorrow, I'm heading to a water park in town. The tickets are 10 bucks after 4pm. Some coworkers and I are going to head over there after work (about 6:30) and see what we can do in 2 hours.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Adventures in Teaching English: Bathroom Visits
In my previous kindy class, I had a problem with kids wanting to go to the bathroom way to much. They were constantly asking me to go. I knew that it wasn't possible that they needed to go so much. If one kid asked, they all asked. I talked about it with my Korean co-teacher, and she said I really needed to limit. I implemented a system where a sticker would be taken away if they had to visit the bathroom. It worked. Kids would go between classes (with my helpful reminder) and wouldn't ask. One day, a very smart boy named Jack asked me to go to the bathroom. I told him he could but that meant he would lose a sticker. He just stared at me with an intense glare. I could tell he had a huge internal struggle between bathroom and sticker. After a minute or so, I could see some water gathering in his eyes so I told him just to go and I wouldn't erase his sticker. He just sat there with his hand in his mouth. I walk over there to try and convince him to just go. But it was too late! Pee was all over the seat and floor. The lengths these kids will go in order to keep their stickers!
White Pi
Last Saturday was sort of a big date. First, it was White Day in Korea. This is similar to Valentine's Day. On VDay in Korea, the women will give chocolate to guys. On WDay (Mar 14), men will give chocolate to the girls. It's really another holiday made up by the chocolate companies. I'm not dating anyone so I really didn't give a flip. Except my lady co-workers got plently of candies while I was left empty handed.
It was also Pi Day. Think back to middle school math and the pi symbol. Remember what it equals? Pi = 3.14 = Mar 14 I was supposed to have pie, but I totally forgot to buy some.
Some friends and I did head to Seoul for Lotte World, a half indoor half outdoor theme park. It was pretty awesome. We took the subway there so we didn't walk outside for outdoors (there's an entrance gate in the station). It was almost like the Magic Kingdom except on a much smaller scale. Our first ride was a hot-air balloon that circled around the indoor part. We rode a few other rides but nothing too exciting. Some of the people I was with didn't really want to ride anything too extreme so we really spent most of the day walking around. We did get to ride the Gyro Swing, which is this huge spinning wheel that swings up over all of the buildings. Needless to say, I really want to head back sometime with some fellow thrill seekers. I was pretty beat when I got home that night.
On Sunday, I headed to Namdaemun market with some of the newbie teachers. They wanted to buy some Korean things. I ended up buying some things myself. I bought a traditional Korean game called yut. I really didn't want to go; my stomach and my body ached. I had a good time, anyways. When we walked around looking for a place to eat, our Korean manager called us because he wanted to cook dinner for us. Perfect timing! His Korean friend came over later to play yut with us. He distracted us Americans by bringing ice cream with him. Consequently, we failed in our mission to bring down the Koreans.
Pictures will be forthcoming.
It was also Pi Day. Think back to middle school math and the pi symbol. Remember what it equals? Pi = 3.14 = Mar 14 I was supposed to have pie, but I totally forgot to buy some.
Some friends and I did head to Seoul for Lotte World, a half indoor half outdoor theme park. It was pretty awesome. We took the subway there so we didn't walk outside for outdoors (there's an entrance gate in the station). It was almost like the Magic Kingdom except on a much smaller scale. Our first ride was a hot-air balloon that circled around the indoor part. We rode a few other rides but nothing too exciting. Some of the people I was with didn't really want to ride anything too extreme so we really spent most of the day walking around. We did get to ride the Gyro Swing, which is this huge spinning wheel that swings up over all of the buildings. Needless to say, I really want to head back sometime with some fellow thrill seekers. I was pretty beat when I got home that night.
On Sunday, I headed to Namdaemun market with some of the newbie teachers. They wanted to buy some Korean things. I ended up buying some things myself. I bought a traditional Korean game called yut. I really didn't want to go; my stomach and my body ached. I had a good time, anyways. When we walked around looking for a place to eat, our Korean manager called us because he wanted to cook dinner for us. Perfect timing! His Korean friend came over later to play yut with us. He distracted us Americans by bringing ice cream with him. Consequently, we failed in our mission to bring down the Koreans.
Pictures will be forthcoming.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
March Brings Winds of Change
Wow, it's been quite a while since I last updated. I guess the winter blues got to me, and I didn't have much motivation to write something. That's so jealous of me! Anyways, I've seen many changes in the past week at my school. Not very good changes, though.
First of all, March is the start of the new school year in Korea. Don't ask me why. Actually, it's a bit strange. The kids have a huge break from public school from December until February. They go back to school for a couple of weeks, have a couple of weeks off, and then go back to move up to the next grade. Keep in mind that I work at an afterschool academy so I don't get that time off...sadly. With kids moving to different grades, that means that their schedule changes because some go to school later now. That means our school's schedule has to change. Kids are all mixed up, and most of the teachers are moved around.
On top of this, 3 of the 4 foreigners (westerns) left the school at the end of February because their contracts expired. The school hired 4 more foreigners to replace those 3. Two came from the UK, one from Ireland, the other from Cali. These teachers have never taught before and have never been to Korea before. Luckily, all of them are really nice and easy to work with (so far). Understandably, it's just been a tad confusing for them starting at an already confusing time of the year.
My schedule totally changed. Before March, I came to school at about 12 (noon); now, I have to come in at 9am to prep and teach 4 kindergarten (kindy) classes in the morning. I usually enjoy teaching kindy, but not now. My kids in the past were awesome. They only spoke English, and we had a good time together. However, my kids now can only speak Korean and don't really want to be there. I try to act crazy and get them laughing, but it is such a struggle. They even have difficulty repeating me. I can't even play games with them because they don't understand my instructions. Oh, I don't want to go to work in the mornings. I have one class of 5-year-olds (4 in US age); they can't do anything. There is one kid in there that is deathly afraid of me. She always cries when I come in and wants her mommy. However, I'm starting to think that she just hates English. She will hug me and play around with me, but she hates it when we do English work. She runs out of the classroom for a Korean. The help teacher has to sit with her out in the hallway so she can listen to us. My kindy class from before was awesome (as I mentioned); all of them are still here so they still run up to me and hug me and try to tickle me. It's sort of taunt; it just reminds me of how good I used to have it.
My afternoon/elementary classes have gone pretty good. Most of them are pretty excited and energetic, which I like. They're having fun so far so that makes me happy. Actually, I would be totally satisfied if I came in and just did afternoon classes that would be so much better. Even though it requires more planning, it's not as frustrating as kindy. I just hope it stays that way once they are all comfortable in their new classes.
First of all, March is the start of the new school year in Korea. Don't ask me why. Actually, it's a bit strange. The kids have a huge break from public school from December until February. They go back to school for a couple of weeks, have a couple of weeks off, and then go back to move up to the next grade. Keep in mind that I work at an afterschool academy so I don't get that time off...sadly. With kids moving to different grades, that means that their schedule changes because some go to school later now. That means our school's schedule has to change. Kids are all mixed up, and most of the teachers are moved around.
On top of this, 3 of the 4 foreigners (westerns) left the school at the end of February because their contracts expired. The school hired 4 more foreigners to replace those 3. Two came from the UK, one from Ireland, the other from Cali. These teachers have never taught before and have never been to Korea before. Luckily, all of them are really nice and easy to work with (so far). Understandably, it's just been a tad confusing for them starting at an already confusing time of the year.
My schedule totally changed. Before March, I came to school at about 12 (noon); now, I have to come in at 9am to prep and teach 4 kindergarten (kindy) classes in the morning. I usually enjoy teaching kindy, but not now. My kids in the past were awesome. They only spoke English, and we had a good time together. However, my kids now can only speak Korean and don't really want to be there. I try to act crazy and get them laughing, but it is such a struggle. They even have difficulty repeating me. I can't even play games with them because they don't understand my instructions. Oh, I don't want to go to work in the mornings. I have one class of 5-year-olds (4 in US age); they can't do anything. There is one kid in there that is deathly afraid of me. She always cries when I come in and wants her mommy. However, I'm starting to think that she just hates English. She will hug me and play around with me, but she hates it when we do English work. She runs out of the classroom for a Korean. The help teacher has to sit with her out in the hallway so she can listen to us. My kindy class from before was awesome (as I mentioned); all of them are still here so they still run up to me and hug me and try to tickle me. It's sort of taunt; it just reminds me of how good I used to have it.
My afternoon/elementary classes have gone pretty good. Most of them are pretty excited and energetic, which I like. They're having fun so far so that makes me happy. Actually, I would be totally satisfied if I came in and just did afternoon classes that would be so much better. Even though it requires more planning, it's not as frustrating as kindy. I just hope it stays that way once they are all comfortable in their new classes.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Christmas in Korea
I woke up to find my cookies left for Santa were gone. Santa had came! He even left out some kimchi...who would have thought it?
I started out my Christmas morning with a call back home, where the family was celebrating our annual Christmas Eve dinner. After talking to everyone back home, I then opened the presents that my family had sent me. I got plenty of Christmas Story ornaments to add to my tree. It was great to have something from my family for Christmas. Even though I was alone, I felt they were near.
After watching A Christmas Story, I then headed over to the apartment of one of the teachers at my school. She had a big Christmas brunch for everyone at our church. It was very nice to hang out with everyone and have a great breakfast. I was pretty stuffed afterwards; I felt the grease slowing moving through my body.
After watching Christmas Vacation, I then headed back to my place to meet a good friend of mine. We watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas because my other Christmas movies were not working at well. After that, he was pretty hungry so we headed out for dinner. He asked me what I wanted, and I instantly thought about the Chinese Peking Duck Christmas dinner in A Christmas Story. I said, "duck!" So he took me to a duck restaurant. Even though a whole duck wasn't served to us and I didn't get a "fa-ra-ra" rendition of Deck the Halls, it was still great. The duck was cut up a, mixed with vegetables and a spicy sauce, and prepared right at our table. We also had some duck-bone soup and fried rice.
After that, we headed over to West Sea and Incheon's Wolmido. There, we were greeted by a small amusement park where we slammed into each other with bumper cars and then tried a go on a DDR rip-off. We then walked along the boardwalk while at the same time freezing our butts off from the frigid air blowing in from the sea.
We couldn't stand the freezing air for very long so we headed back to my apartment in Bucheon. We listened to Christmas music and the only light shining was the twinkling lights from my Christmas tree. We ate some Christmas cake and just hung out. I then called my family back home, where they were just waking up and starting their Christmas morning. After wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, my friend and I watched A Christmas Story; I thought I needed to share it to other cultures. We then hung out for the rest of the night, and he spent the night here. It was great to have someone with me on Christmas night; otherwise, I might have been pretty sad.
Even though I was away from everyone that I love, I still had a good Christmas. It was especially nice since I was able to share the day with friends that I've met while here in Korea.
Here are more pictures:
I started out my Christmas morning with a call back home, where the family was celebrating our annual Christmas Eve dinner. After talking to everyone back home, I then opened the presents that my family had sent me. I got plenty of Christmas Story ornaments to add to my tree. It was great to have something from my family for Christmas. Even though I was alone, I felt they were near.
After watching A Christmas Story, I then headed over to the apartment of one of the teachers at my school. She had a big Christmas brunch for everyone at our church. It was very nice to hang out with everyone and have a great breakfast. I was pretty stuffed afterwards; I felt the grease slowing moving through my body.
After watching Christmas Vacation, I then headed back to my place to meet a good friend of mine. We watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas because my other Christmas movies were not working at well. After that, he was pretty hungry so we headed out for dinner. He asked me what I wanted, and I instantly thought about the Chinese Peking Duck Christmas dinner in A Christmas Story. I said, "duck!" So he took me to a duck restaurant. Even though a whole duck wasn't served to us and I didn't get a "fa-ra-ra" rendition of Deck the Halls, it was still great. The duck was cut up a, mixed with vegetables and a spicy sauce, and prepared right at our table. We also had some duck-bone soup and fried rice.
After that, we headed over to West Sea and Incheon's Wolmido. There, we were greeted by a small amusement park where we slammed into each other with bumper cars and then tried a go on a DDR rip-off. We then walked along the boardwalk while at the same time freezing our butts off from the frigid air blowing in from the sea.
We couldn't stand the freezing air for very long so we headed back to my apartment in Bucheon. We listened to Christmas music and the only light shining was the twinkling lights from my Christmas tree. We ate some Christmas cake and just hung out. I then called my family back home, where they were just waking up and starting their Christmas morning. After wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, my friend and I watched A Christmas Story; I thought I needed to share it to other cultures. We then hung out for the rest of the night, and he spent the night here. It was great to have someone with me on Christmas night; otherwise, I might have been pretty sad.
Even though I was away from everyone that I love, I still had a good Christmas. It was especially nice since I was able to share the day with friends that I've met while here in Korea.
Here are more pictures:
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| 2008.12.25 Christmas Day |
Monday, December 29, 2008
Christmas Eve in Seoul
A fellow teacher and I decided to head to Seoul to spend Christmas Eve. What a great decision that was! We started off at City Hall, where the city has installed a giant skating ring for the citizens and visitors of Seoul. A person can skate for an hour and rent skates all for 1 buck. Talk about amazing! The ring, however, wasn't the greatest quality. The skates slipped around pretty easily and hurt the side of my ankle; the ice was also pretty chopped up. It made skating a tad difficult, but I got the hang of it after a while. My fellow teacher can't really say the same thing, though. Before skating, we bought some reindeer antlers. So being white people, we stuck out like sore thumbs. It was a good thing, though. Everyone was cheering us on, waving at us, giving us high fives, and cheerfully yelling Merry Christmas. After our hour was up, we decided we had a very successful skating run considering we didn't fall down once.
After skating, we walked around downtown Seoul and looked at all of the Christmas displays. We came up on Lotte Department Store, where we found an awesome display. The trees were covered in lights with icicle lights. The building was covered with snowflakes, ornaments, and icicles. There was even an Alice in Wonderland display. The best part was the snow! They had many snow machines (that produced soapy snow) on top of the building so the snow fell down on the sidewalks and streets...so awesome! We then went inside to find the Krispy Kreme, where we were greeted with free original glaze doughnuts. Oh, so yummy!
We then headed over to the Cheonggyecheon Stream, where a crowd met us. There was a huge wall of lights around the stream that was synchronized to pumping Christmas music. There were also huge snowflakes that hung above the stream. Although there were fewer lights than I expected, it was still pretty amazing. It really felt like Christmas was upon us. Everyone was so cheery, the music was spirity, the weather was nippy, the lights were shiny. It was awesome!
My friend and I were actually struck by how people were more focused on Jesus. There were lots of crosses used as decorations around town (including atop the tree at city hall). The Christmas music was mostly all Christian Christmas music (some of it was even just Christian and not Christmas).
We were actually almost like celebrities. Everywhere we walked, people were waving at us, wishing us a merry Christmas, and even wanted to take pictures with us. I guess being white, wearing a big white cap, and wearing matching reindeer antlers probably helped some. They probably all thought we were a couple considering Christmas is usually spent with a boyfriend or girlfriend; we saw couples everywhere, especially couples with matching attire.
After that, I had to go home a little early to meet up with a friend that had ordered a Christmas gift for me. I also thought another friend would come over so I bought a cake at a bakery near my house; it even came with a nice elfish hat. Unfortunately, my other friend didn't come so I had a lot of cake left over. Actually, that is what most Koreans do to celebrate Christmas - they buy a Christmasy looking cake.
After finishing my gift wrapping, my magical Christmas Eve finally came to an end. It was time for Santa to arrive!
More pictures:
After skating, we walked around downtown Seoul and looked at all of the Christmas displays. We came up on Lotte Department Store, where we found an awesome display. The trees were covered in lights with icicle lights. The building was covered with snowflakes, ornaments, and icicles. There was even an Alice in Wonderland display. The best part was the snow! They had many snow machines (that produced soapy snow) on top of the building so the snow fell down on the sidewalks and streets...so awesome! We then went inside to find the Krispy Kreme, where we were greeted with free original glaze doughnuts. Oh, so yummy!
We then headed over to the Cheonggyecheon Stream, where a crowd met us. There was a huge wall of lights around the stream that was synchronized to pumping Christmas music. There were also huge snowflakes that hung above the stream. Although there were fewer lights than I expected, it was still pretty amazing. It really felt like Christmas was upon us. Everyone was so cheery, the music was spirity, the weather was nippy, the lights were shiny. It was awesome!
My friend and I were actually struck by how people were more focused on Jesus. There were lots of crosses used as decorations around town (including atop the tree at city hall). The Christmas music was mostly all Christian Christmas music (some of it was even just Christian and not Christmas).
We were actually almost like celebrities. Everywhere we walked, people were waving at us, wishing us a merry Christmas, and even wanted to take pictures with us. I guess being white, wearing a big white cap, and wearing matching reindeer antlers probably helped some. They probably all thought we were a couple considering Christmas is usually spent with a boyfriend or girlfriend; we saw couples everywhere, especially couples with matching attire.
After that, I had to go home a little early to meet up with a friend that had ordered a Christmas gift for me. I also thought another friend would come over so I bought a cake at a bakery near my house; it even came with a nice elfish hat. Unfortunately, my other friend didn't come so I had a lot of cake left over. Actually, that is what most Koreans do to celebrate Christmas - they buy a Christmasy looking cake.
After finishing my gift wrapping, my magical Christmas Eve finally came to an end. It was time for Santa to arrive!
More pictures:
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| 2008.12.24 Christmas Eve in Seoul |
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Deck the Good Morning Officetel
Now that Christmas is over, I thought I would share some decorations in my apartment.
More photos:
My front door:
"Merry Christmas":
The tree (provided by a teacher at the school):
The living room:
My winter wonderland kitchen:
Snow!:
More photos:
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| Deck the Good Morning Officetel Fa la la la la |
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
5-Day Christmas Holiday
Today, I have started my "winter vacation," which includes Christmas Eve, Christmas, the day after Christmas, and the weekend. The teachers at my school get much for break time for Christmas than any other school. I know another school that was going to open on Christmas, but after many complaints, they decided to take Christmas off and make it up on Saturday. Hello, Christmas!!
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