Another month under my belt

So you’re probably wondering…what the heck have I been doing for the last month?  Well blogging is obviously not the answer!  I promise to try and update more often.  Thanks for checking back in and not abandoning meJ

The last month has been full of many more new experiences.  Here is breakdown of some of the highlights…

Verakids Staff Meeting

One Tuesday night a couple weeks ago we had a staff meeting after school with all the teachers.  The Director went over upcoming event and we had to do a self-evaluation.  After the meeting was when the fun actually started.  We all headed out for dinner, where we had a tasty chicken stir-fry type dish.  Sometimes I get a false sense of confidence in my chop sticks ability, thinking I’ve mastered the skill.  Then I’ll have to use them to something like a chicken wing or the noodles in my soup, and I’m brought back to reality! 

After dinner we all headed to the first bar.  I quickly learned the night was a sort of initiation for new teachers, with some good old fashion peer pressure to drink!  They took it easy on me, but some of the other new Korean teachers were not so lucky.  Drinking is very big part of Korean culture.  If your boss says drink, you drink, no questions asked.  Apparently this has been toned down a bit in recent years, but Koreans still love to cut loose.  The night was full lots of beer, soju, drinking games and more food.  We went to two more bars after dinner and at each, several appetizers were ordered, even though we’d just had a huge meal.  I guess they need all the food to help them hold their alcohol.  The night finally came to an end and I got back to my apartment around 2:00 am.  Needless to say, there were lots of tired (and some hung over) teachers the next day a school!   

Stan Teacher’s Wedding

One of the highlights of my time here so far has been attending a traditional Korean wedding.  Stan, the other American teacher at my school, tied the knot this month to his lovely wife Jay. 

Jay and Stan dressing in traditional hanbok, looking stunning! 

The ceremony was held at Namsangol Hanok Village, which is a mini folk village with a number of traditional Korean-style houses.

Traditional Korean-style house

There was a translator at the wedding, which was nice to help us English speakers understand what was going on.  Since the wedding was held at a public place, there were several tourists standing around, which made it somewhat difficult to see and hear at times.  I don’t the tourist realized it was a real wedding happening, not something for their entertainment! 

In Korea, instead of giving gifts to the bride and groom, you just give money.  This helps pay for a dinner hosted after the ceremony and provides the new couple with some seed money.  The dinner was held at a nearby restaurant, and again, we had a very tasty meal.  I’ve loved all the Korean food I’ve tried so far.  I’m trying to take more pictures of things I try and will post them later…not that I can ever remember the name of the dishes.   

Another great thing about Stan getting married was his parents made the trip east.  The came into the school one morning during their visit and the kids went crazy!  The kids loved meeting them and were mesmerized.  I think one of my students, Minsang, said “Oh my God!” at least 100 times that morning in reference to our visitors.  I asked Stan’s mom to come into my homeroom class because the students were so excited to meet her.  They all introduced themselves and she asked if they had any questions.  Expecting questions about Stan Teacher or America, she got, “Why do crocodiles chomp?” 

Noraebang

The stereotype is true…Koreans love karaoke!  This weekend I went to my norabang, which is a signing room.  Stan and Jay had a house warming party, where we had dinner at their apartment, then headed to a nearby norabang.  By “nearby” I mean across the street; they are literally located everywhere!

We had quit the international crowd.  Three of Jay’s good friends were there, who were all Korean, but spoke English.  Stan’s best man from the wedding, who’s Swedish, came with his Korean girlfriend.  And lastly where three Peruvian brothers who were Stan’s old neighbors.  One of them was married to a Russian gal.         

The norabang was a good time, but not like a karaoke bar back in the states.  We had our own private room with a table and booth for sitting.  There was a big tv screen for displaying the lyrics and videos and the lights even dimmed when a song came on.  The song selection was decent, with several English songs, along with Korean.

For me, karaoke is something I enjoy watching, but not actually participating in.  On the rare occasion I do sing, I require several backup singers and plenty of liquid courage.  None of these things were available and just watching was not an option.  My signing ability is not a talent I like to lead with when meeting new people, but I had no choice.  So I put on my big girl panties and picked the first song I came to that I knew all the words…”Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey.  Whenever it is played at piano bars, I have no problem signing it at the top of my lungs, so I gave it my best.  I butchered it, but survived and made it very clear I had a one song limit! 

As always, thanks so much for reading.  I’ve listed my addresses on the page now, so cards, letters and packages are all welcomed.  The ones I’ve gotten so far have made my day and I have them displayed in my apartment.  You’ll also notice the kids at the top of the page are actually my students now, not the google image result of Asian children!   

Btw…Happy Easter!