The One Month Mark!

A month ago, I arrived in South Korea…unreal!  It really does not seem like it has been that long.  Everything still seems so fresh and each day I experience something new.  The calendar does not lie though, so it must be true. 

Some aspects of my life are starting to feel normal.  Going grocery shopping and riding the bus to work are second nature now, and my apartment feels quit cozy.  At school, the kids and I are getting into the swing of things as well. 

Being a brand new teacher, I had a lot to learn (and still do)!  I’d be lying if I said I never got frustrated; it is a daily occurrence, especially when the students are extra chatty and energetic.  It is not that my students don’t know the rules, because they do.  They would test me and at times things got a bit chaotic. 

After one week of being super nice teacher, I had to lay down the law!  We went over the rule again and I introduced the “Star Student” sticker board to reward good behavior.  Thursday my first student got to 10 stickers and earned a prize.  Of course it was the only girl in the class!  Some boys still have zero stickers.  I’ll catch them being good, and the next minute they are yelling at their friend on the other side of the room.  Sometimes I’ll give them stickers just so I have leverage to take them away when they are bad!

Pattie, my “Star Student” with her lollipop reward!

Here are some pics of my kiddos.  For more, click here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2618582&id=15907471&l=5f4a70ddfe

Brad, sitting quietly for once:P

Rex

Minsang

Noah, who is in one of my After School classes

Color, color, color

Last weekend I consumed some green beer in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.  Koreans don’t really celebrate the holiday, but of course foreigners do!  I went into an area of Seoul where all the festivities were.  From my estimates, I think every foreigner in Seoul was there!  It was honestly a bit overwhelming being surrounded by so many non-Asians.  A girl I met told me here friends were in the crowd, but she couldn’t find them.  Everyone was wearing green all the white people looked the same…this girl was from upstate New York. 

Anywhere there is a large group of foreigners, you can bet there is street drinking happening.  Koreans are not big on the concepts, but of course foreigners love it.  Who does not get a thrill out of doing something you were raised to believe as wrong, even if it is perfectly legal here.  All the gas stations and convenient stores in the area didn’t plan very well for the occasion though because they all sold out of beer.  We had to travel a few blocks, but were able to find 3 beers and a couple bottles of soju.  After the temperature dropped, I spent the rest of the night at an Irish pub.  It was packed and at times, you could easily forget you were even in South Korea.  It is funny how you have an instant trust and bond with anyone whose native language is English in a foreign land.  For example, a girl sitting next to our table offered me a taste of her beer and I of course accepted because she was from Texas.

The street full of English speakers!

Stella, who I teach with, and I at the Irish Pub

  Just a random Korean guy being AWESOME!

Today was our first field trip and we visited a transportation museum.  Of course I was nervous about losing a student, but I kept track of all 8.  And even though it was a stressful day, the kids had a good time.  We were only there for about 2 hours, but it was plenty of time for a presentation on safety and to explore the museum.    

Here are some pics from the day, but you can see more here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2618583&id=15907471&l=31d363d25f

An unsuccessful attempt at a class pic 

John going for a ride

Minho checking out some different car parts



Just Another Day...

With one full week of teaching now under my belt, I’m slowly starting to grasp my daily routine.  There is definitely room for improvement with my teaching style, but I can only hope that will come with time.  At least now I understand when, who I should be teaching.  Half the time I know what I’m supposed to be teaching and I’m working on the how. 

So what is typical teaching day like for me?  Funny you should ask…let me just tell you!

Technically I need to be at school by 9:30am, because that is when students arrive.  I try to get there earlier though to settle in a bit and prep for the day ahead.  Each morning I ride the bus to work, which takes 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how long I have to wait.  All the buildings still look the same to me, covered in Korean writing, so I remember my stop by 2 lefts, around a corner, and it is the stop before going under the bridge. 

The bus stop is only a couple minute walk to my school.  When I get to the building, I take the elevator up to the sixth floor, remove my shoes, and walk inside.  Some students get dropped off by their moms, but most get picked up by shuttle buses the school runs.  When they arrive, they come to the classroom, remove their cups and notebooks from their backpacks, and then stick their bags and folded coats in their cubby holes.  Since my home room students are the oldest in the school, most know the routine and can do it on their own.   

We start the morning off with a snack, usually porridge or fruit.  When they finish, students take their cups to get a drink of water from the water cooler, go to the bathroom and get ready to start class.  Our first class does not start until 9:50am, so we have time to go over the days of the week and update our calendar. 

Students stay in their home room class throughout the day and different teachers come to them for each subject.  I spend most my time with Red Class, my home room students, and Orange Class.  Orange class is 6 students that are 4 and 5 years old.  Subjects I teach include Sharing Time, Story, Journal Writing, Phonics, Science, Math, English Game and Arts & Crafts.  The classes are 40 minutes long and there is a 5 minute “break” in between.  I never teach the same thing twice, which keeps it interesting I suppose.  I’m working on teaching my students to use the restroom and get water during the breaks, not in the middle of class…it is a difficult concept for some to grasp! 

We don’t eat lunch until 12:45, so as you can imagine, every day I hear, “Teacher I’m hungry!” about 10 times.  There is no cafeteria in the school, so students eat in their classroom.  They each have a lunch box/tray they bring every day, and most come with a spoon, fork and little kid chop sticks.  I get the food from the kitchen, and then fill up all the students’ trays with rice, kimchi, and whatever else we’re having for the day.  Our cook is awesome and we always have tasty food!

In Korean culture, it is considered very rude to not eat all the food on your plate.  Being a picky eater is not really an option.  Because of this, I have to force all the kids to clean their plates.  Most gobble up the food with no complaints, but one boy struggles every day.  He’s always the last to finish and tries to tell me his food is too spicy.  I feel bad for him, but have to enforce the rules.  He’s becoming very familiar with the phrase, “Keep eating!”

When students finish eating, they take their cups and get a drink of water.  This is one of the things that kills me the most here…Koreans consume an insanely limited amount of liquid!  During a meal, they will give you the tiniest glass of water you’ve ever seen.  I try to have a water bottle with me at all times because otherwise, I feel like I’ll shrivel up!

After getting their water, they’ll brush their teeth.  I suppose dental hygiene is important to them.  The final step before they can start playing is to wipe down their face with a baby wipe.  Then they spend the rest of the hour playing in the classroom with legos and blocks.    

There are two more classes after lunch, then it is time to send the kids packing at 2:45.  The end of the day is spent zipping up coats and putting on backpacks.  We have to make sure the kids look presentable to go home so their crazy mommies know we take good care of them during the day! 

Some kids stay for ‘After School’ which is basically an extra English lesson.  It last an hour and on Mondays and Wednesdays I have 5 students and on Tuesdays and Thursdays 2 students. 

At 4:00 I’m done teaching, but still have a few more things to do before heading home.  First I clean my classroom, which consist of wiping down the tables, then vacuuming and mopping the floor.  This was one of the only schools that didn’t have a swine flu outbreak last year due to their cleaning practices.  Impressive huh?!?!  Then I start on my lesson plans for the next day.  Eventually I’d like to get ahead of the game a bit and plan things further than just a day in advance.  According to my contract, I can leave at 5:00, but usually end up staying later to finish up everything. 

When I do get home, I eat dinner, relax and get ready to do it all over again tomorrow!  

Here are some pics from my school:

Bulletin board in my classroom…decorated by the former English teacher

The kiddos’ tables

Front of the classroom

Cubbies and the door to our class

The lobby slash general play area

The gym

My Dogs are Barking!

Part of Korean culture is to remove your shoes before entering someone’s home.  This is the case at some restaurants as well, along with my school.  I’ve never been a fan of having my feet confined to shoes, so I was very excited about all this bare foot time.  My excitement has dwindled though. 

Anyone who has a job that involves standing all day can attest it can be challenging at times.  Well try doing it barefooted!  There are some flimsy “guest slippers” that I’ve been wearing, but today I really need to make a trip to Home Plus (aka Korean Wal-Mart) to buy some slippers with more support. 

Other than this minor discomfort, I’d say my first week here has been a success.  Still getting settled into the teaching routine at school, but I love my kids already.  I have 8 students in my homeroom; 7 rambunctious boys and 1 sweet little girl!  Even though we’ve only spent 3 days together so far, their little personalities are already starting to shine through and I’m really looking forward to our year together. 

Red class, which is my homeroom, are all 6 or 7 year old students.  That is in Korean age though…there is a difference!  Koreans start counting your age from conception, so the time you spend in the womb is a year.  Basically a new born baby is 1 years old.  Then on the Lunar New Year, which is in February, everyone turns a year older.  Complicated huh?  Most Korean are a year or two younger than their age, so my students’ Western ages would be 4 or 5.  And I’m 27…not happy about that!

Along with completing my first week of teaching, this weekend has been filled with a lot of other firsts.  Friday night I went to my first foreigner bar here with the other teacher from my school.  It was like a little slice of America being surrounded by so many English speakers!  Most people at the bar were teachers as well, so it was nice to chat with them and learn about their experiences.  While I was definitely one of the greenest people there, I did meet a guy who had just got off the plane at 4:30 that morning.  Holy jet lag!

Saturday I made my first trip into Seoul.  One of the Korean teachers at my school had invited me to go on a city tour that was being sponsored by a bike show in town.   Three of her other friends came with us too – all teachers; 1 from Ireland and 2 from California.  We rode a bus around the city, making a stop to tour Gyeongbok Palace.  We saw the changing of the guards, where the King slept, had meetings, ect and walked through the South Korean Folk Museum.  This was the first “touristy” thing I’ve done since arriving, so it was nice to learn a little something about Korean culture and history…other than what I observe day to day!  After the palace, we had lunch.  So far I’ve liked all the Korean food I’ve tried, even if I’m not always sure what I’m eating.  Following lunch we had some time to wondering around a shopping area and then had some tea.  After the city tour, the five of us went bowling.  While I failed to break 100 both rounds (I scored 99 once though) it was still a good time.     

I still have so much to learn here, but it is nice have one week under my belt.  Only 51 more to go…haha!  Thanks so much for reading.  I hope you enjoy my ramblings.  I always love to hear what is going on back in the States, so shoot me an email or facebook message sometimeJ  Jodi.Hasekamp@gmail.com  

My tour group at Gyeongbok Palace