Okay, so I guess it's time for a blog update. A couple of interesting things have happened in the last two weeks. I was adopted by a Korean lady and I walked into the middle of the Yellow Sea.
Getting adopted happened first, so I will start with that.
There is a Catholic church 5 mins walking distance from my house. Awesome. I love it. The priest speaks a little bit of English, and is really sweet. He can hear my confession in English and give me a pennance in English (Something I was definitely not expecting, but so pleasantly surprised to find.) and he also says "The body of Christ" in English whenever I come up for communion. Sometimes he starts to say it in Korean, (because he's looking at peoples hands, not faces since they recieve it in the hand) then when my hands are still folded he looks up and realizes that it's me and he gets a little startled and immediately switches to English. It's really cute.
Anyway, so two Sundays ago I went to the 10:30am mass and as I was walking in, I noticed that there were tables set up outside across from the church. I didn't think anything of it and just went inside.
The 10:30 is usually full, but this time it was packed. I am usually a few minutes early, so I always can get a seat, but today I was a few mins late and there was nowhere but the crying room (which was full of kids/teenagers in pink windbreakers, so I wasn't about go in there. I think they were a down syndrome group or something because a few of them were down syndrome and the rest were a little strange looking)
I was just going to stand in the back, when an old lady (Ajumma) waved me over and made room next to her and her husband.
When mass was about to finish, and father was giving the last little announcements before the actual closing of mass, Ajumma turned to me asked me if I had eaten (I thought) When I shook my head no she looked a little offended and asked why.
I guessed that she hadn't asked if I had eaten, and I didn't want to offend her anymore, so just stared at her and hoped that she would either just give it up and leave, or get the message that I really had no idea what she was saying.
She tried again, in a more persuasive voice and this time I cought the words 가치 먹자. I finally realized that she had been asking me to eat together with her (Ka chi mok ja means "eat together") No wonder she looked offended when I said no the first time! I can't believe I said no to an ajumma!
Let me give you a little information about ajumma's. My friend and fellow TaLK scholar Kyla, gave the most accurate and hilarious description ever, so I will quote directly from her blog (which is really interesting, so if you want to read it then go to the link at the bottom of this post):
Ajummas: "Old Korean women who rule the Korean world, basically. The thing about ajumas is they don't speak
English because they're part of the older generation when it wasn't
importnat to know English. [My interjection: it wasn't important because they were all being forced to learn Japanese and had enough problems to worry about]They are also usually pretty unfriendly (and
mean) and don't really have to follow any rules. If they want to cut you
in line at the store or while you're buying a ticket for the bus, you
can't do anything about it. If they want your seat on the bus, you
better get up. If you're talking too loudly, they'll shush you without
hesitation. If your bus window is open and they wish it wasn't, they
have no problem acting like you're not even there, reaching over you and
closing the window."
Old Korean women that rule the Korean world is the most accurate thing ever said about an ajumma.
But, really, while a lot of ajummas are like this, a lot are not and its possible to run into some very kind old ladies as well. Koreans are also very particular when it comes to eating, so no matter if the ajumma is nice or mean, you better say yes if they want to feed you.
Anyway, as soon as I nodded "Okay" to the ajumma, she grabs my hand and smiles happily until mass is officially over. I was hoping that the tables outside meant a church lunch and that is what she was referring to. and that she wasn't asking me to come to her house and eat. I was feeling really apprehensive, but everything was fine. The tables outside were indeed for a church potluck and everyone went over after mass.
Okay, first of all, lets refer back to Kyla's description of ajummas. Its true, nice or mean, they will push you out of thier way if they want something. They will cut you in line, they will push you out of the way so they can get on the bus, and they will definitely trample you if there is a sale in the market.
So, imagine fifty ajummas and fifty other people at a potluck. You'd think they were going to run out of food or something! The ajummas of course cut everyone in line, and were constantly cutting infront of eachother, all the while loudly talking (not sure if they were angry or just loud...my guess it just loud.)
My ajumma had a vice grip on my arm and was shoving me towards the food, inbetween poeple and around other ajummas. It was insane. I've never seen such rude and uncouth behavior at a potluck. The atmosephere was like "hurry and get all the stuff you can before everyone else can get anything!" It would have been really amusing if I had just been able to watch, but since I was being shoved in the middle of it, it was much less amusing.
And if that wasn't bad enough, the food was rediculous. (Fr. Remiski's worst nightmare would be a Korean potluck) The people serving the food were using thier hands (some had plastic gloves on, while others...I'm not so sure they had gloves but I can remember for sure...) and they kept piling unappetizing looking food on top of unappetizing looking foodr onto my plate, even when I didn't want it. I had no idea how I was going to eat it all...I couldn't even find my rice by the time I got to the end of the line. The food was not potluck food, meaning, not convenient to eat. At all.
We had flimsy chopsticks and no spoon for the soup. The food was already difficulut to pick up as it was, so flimsy chopsticks made it even worse.
I really didn't like some of the things on top, but I had no where to put them so I could get to the things on the bottom, so I just ate everything. It was free at least. Some of it just made me want to puke, thats all.
Aaaaannnndddd, to top it all off, the drink section consisted of hot water, instant coffee and tea, and beer and soju.
I had coffee. But all the ajusshis (old Korean men) were drinking beer and soju. At 11:30 in the morning. Bleh.
Anyway, so of course ajumma and her husband don't speak English, and my Korean is very limited, so while we were able to communicate a little, I finally had to break out the translator on my cellphone (of which ajumma somehow confused me into giving her my number and said she would call me...uh...how thats going to work out, I don't know yet.)
Anyway, she said something about singing and I thought for one horrifying moment that she wanted to go to a norebang (a karaoke room) togther, so I used the translator on my phone to tell her that I had to go home to prepare for my class tomorrow (which was true) but of course, being an ajumma, she kept asking me to come, so I did. But, to my overwhelmingly great relief, she didn't want to go to a norebang, she wanted me to attend the events happening at church. It turns out that it was the 10th anniversary for the church so that is why they had the potluck, and they were going to have singing and dancing performances and a raffle. I stayed for about an hour and ahalf and then had to go because I was meeting a friend later that day. The performances that I saw were interesting, and amusing...but not great. I really don't like super traditional Korean music that much...it reminds me of the highpitched whiny singing of the Beijing opera, and I can't stand it.
Anyway, throughout this entire time the ajumma kept asking me about myself, and about my family and then said that since I am alone here in Korea, she wants me to be her daughter. She said it like, five times. She was so sweet. Then she told me she had a son that was single (but, not in a "i have a single sooooon!!!" way) but, guessing her and her husbands age to be about 65, I am gonna say that her son is at least 38 or 40..so, if by any chance she is thinking anything of that sort, its definitely never going to happen.
So, I think I've said enough for one post. I'll tell you about the Sea Festival next time, and post pictures!
The weather is sunny and warm on this side of the world, how is it over there?
Laters!
~TWGA
*Here's the link to Kyla's blog: http://kylaingunsan.blogspot.kr/2013/04/korean-quirks-vol-iii.html
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Wacky Wednesdays
So, I told you that my 6th grade class proved my point about not being told anything until the last minute (or not at all and I have to figure it out myself). Well, that was because last Wednesday my 6th grade class troops in at 9:20 without their teacher. Not unusual. Sometimes the class comes in early (or late) and then about five minutes later the teacher will come in. They usually have morning meetings, so they are always a bit late for the first period classes.
Anyway, after five minutes of just sitting there listening to my students talk, I asked them where Mr. Jung was.
"Oh, teacher..." one of the more proficient at English students speaks up. (I call her my Good Student) "He...um...at home."
What.
"Oh..he isn't coming at all today? Not coming?" I said.
"Yes, no coming."
"Are you sure?"
"Teacher!" my "Character girl" as I like to call her, speaks up. "He's sick! He...ooooooo!" She pantomimes squatting and looking either constipated or having serious diarrhea. I tried not to laugh.
"You mean he's sick?"
"No!" says my good student. "He has family problem. So...he not come. So, just you today."
Great. I tried to ask if another teacher was going to be coming to help me, but just then my mentor teacher comes in and informs me that Mr. Jung had a problem at home so I would have to teach the class by myself. Sorry.
Okay, yeah, I'll just teach the curriculum class...no problem. The book sort of has some English instructions...not too bad...
Yeah, no.
6th grade girls are the worst. I had one table of good students that listened and did the work. A table of boys...self explanatory. And a table of "cool girls" who just chattered and didn't listen to me at all. Two of them refused to do anything and just made plastic cord bracelets the whole time. I wanted to bang their heads together...but I refrained.
The 6th grade class has a special ed kid, and luckily he is really sweet, but he kept playing with his phone, so I had to take it away. He wanted it back so badly he tried to sneak over and get it....but I guess he didn't seem to understand that when I'm standing right in front of where I put it, you can't sneak past me to grab it without me seeing...lol.
But, Mr. Jung came to my rescue and came back for second period of class. His daughter was sick with a fever, so I guess he had to take her to the doctor or something. Anyway, I never want to teach 6th grade curriculum again. I really had no idea what to do since I didn't make up the lesson plan and a lot of the more important instructions (I think) were in Korean...so that doesn't help me much.
Anyway, Wednesday continued to be an interesting day. I get to go home after morning class on Wednesday's since there is no after school English for me that day. So I went home and ate lunch, took a shower, walked around Eunpa Lake (the lake near the university area) and just chilled out until dinner time when Laura, Emilee and Lizzie and I went to a newly opened "Mexican" restaurant. The restaurant, "Dos Mas", had its grand opening that day and was giving away free burritos and a drink from 5-7. So, we went and stood in line (it was huge!) for thirty minutes and got our free dinner. I thought it was pretty good, I would go back. Emilee and Laura didn't really care for it and Lizzie, being half-Mexican was thoroughly unimpressed. She kept saying 'Oh, these poor ignorant people! Look how happy they are eating their burritos...they have no idea." Lol...
So, Wednesday is bar night. Kyla and I always to go this bar called TLC because she met one of the guys that works there, Billy. SOOOO adorable! And he is like, the sweetest kid. He's only 22. Haha, too bad for him that Kyla has a serious boyfriend. But honestly, I think he really just want to be friends with all of us because he wants to practice his English.
Anyway, so the other girls for some reason don't ever want to come, we don't know why. Probably because the drinks are expensive. But Kyla and I always get at least two free drinks. Every time. And we always have tons of fun.
So, Kyla and I are bar buddies, and we go on Wednesdays to talk to Billy and the other bartenders there. Kyla used to be a bartender at TGI Fridays in Edmond, so she knows tons of drinks and can recommend good ones. Its so fun.
*Oh, side note...crazy thing that happened to me that day: my bus got into an accident on the way to TLC. I was looking down at the time, so I didn't see how it happened, but one second we are going along and the next we're all getting thrown forward. Not anything serious, just one of those serious break slamming kind of accidents...but he still hit the car in front. I think it tried to cut in front of the bus and the driver didn't see it. It was a smaller car, and the way we hit it was right in the middle of the passenger side. Crazy Korean drivers...
Anyway, usually the bar is pretty slow on Wednesdays, there are always a few people besides us there, but not many.
Not this Wednesday.
The place was deserted. Kyla and I were the only customers until about 9:45 or 10. There was one older guy that stole Billy away from us and talked to him for like, 30 mins while Kyla and I just watched and tried to think of a way to get him back. A couple times Billy came over to where we were to get the guy a drink refill and was mouthing something, but we didn't know what. It kind of looked like "help help help..."
But hey, gotta keep the customers happy. I thought that the guy was a little weird cause he was high-fiving Billy and then lacing his fingers with Billy's...if I didn't know about the Korean guy skinship culture over here, I seriously would have thought he was gay. But I think he was just really tipsy.
Lol..then, the "Billy Thief" asks for paper and finally lets Billy go. I was still watching him because he was entertaining. He would write something...look up...smile, bite his lip and then write something again. Then it would repeat. He did that like, 7 times. I was trying so hard not to stare and laugh...he looked absolutely ridiculous....like a middle school girl writing in her diary about a boy she likes. Kyla and I were trying to figure out what he was doing, but we weren't sure. We thought maybe he was writing a poem, or a love note to Billy...haha, we hoped it wasn't the latter.
Billy told us a little bit later that the guy was writing down a song list and they were gonna play the songs he wrote down.
LOL...
Maybe one of the most entertaining things I've seen so far is a slightly intoxicated, middle aged, kind of nerdy Korean guy listening to his favorite songs. This guy was singing along, bobbing his head, kind of dancing in his chair...everything. He looked over at Kyla and I and was like "good song! good song! You like? You like song?" and gave a thumbs up. We were like, "Uh..yeah! good song!" and gave a thumbs up back. Haha...he made my evening. Except for when he would steal Billy...that was annoying.
So I think I should go ahead and give you a list of the people that work at TLC:
Billy--> The Cutie
Autumn-->The Awesome One (She makes the best drinks. She always gives me and Kyla doubles...)
Don--> The Magician and Darts Champion (I have never seen such amazing magic tricks ever. I am totally serious!!!)
Jerry--> The Fire Shot Master
Eddie-->The Boss (He's the owner of TLC)
And two other people work there but I don't know their names. One is a manager and the other is a quite girl that doesn't speak English, so she never talks to us.
Anyway, I think that you could make a TV show with the characters that work at this bar. They are really fun people and the atmosphere is really great. They all have good people skills and know how to keep their customers happy and entertained. And, from what I've seen, they all have a good work ethic and get along well. So there is no tension behind the bar.
So, you can order this drink called a "fire shot". I had never heard of it before, but Autumn makes it and Jerry lights it. Its so awesome! They stack up a bunch of glasses on top of each other, with paper towels over them, and then the shot is on top. When its lit, the fire runs down the sides of the glasses (cause they make the shot overflow a bit so there is alcohol on the glasses) and they attach a small sparkler to the side which lights up as well. It's awesome! Most of the time, its like a show. They turn off the lights, and Jerry pours some alcohol into his mouth and on two of his fingers, then he puts it into the flames of the shot and shoots fire out of his mouth. It's amazing. I will have to video it sometime and post it. But poor Jerry, last Saturday (we went again on Saturday because Laura wanted to go and we thought Billy wouldn't be working the next Wednesday) we were sitting over by where they have the ice, and after the fire shot, Jerry was over there putting ice in his mouth and miming "hot! hot! my mouth is so hot!" haha...poor guy! But he does it almost every time...guess he just puts up with the pain. That is dedication right there.
Anyway, it is again Wednesday, and Kyla and I are going to be going the bar this evening. Maybe something funny will happen tonight and I will have another Wacky Wednesday story. :)
Right now it is rainy and humid on this side of the world. How's the weather over there?
Laters!
~TWGA
Anyway, after five minutes of just sitting there listening to my students talk, I asked them where Mr. Jung was.
"Oh, teacher..." one of the more proficient at English students speaks up. (I call her my Good Student) "He...um...at home."
What.
"Oh..he isn't coming at all today? Not coming?" I said.
"Yes, no coming."
"Are you sure?"
"Teacher!" my "Character girl" as I like to call her, speaks up. "He's sick! He...ooooooo!" She pantomimes squatting and looking either constipated or having serious diarrhea. I tried not to laugh.
"You mean he's sick?"
"No!" says my good student. "He has family problem. So...he not come. So, just you today."
Great. I tried to ask if another teacher was going to be coming to help me, but just then my mentor teacher comes in and informs me that Mr. Jung had a problem at home so I would have to teach the class by myself. Sorry.
Okay, yeah, I'll just teach the curriculum class...no problem. The book sort of has some English instructions...not too bad...
Yeah, no.
6th grade girls are the worst. I had one table of good students that listened and did the work. A table of boys...self explanatory. And a table of "cool girls" who just chattered and didn't listen to me at all. Two of them refused to do anything and just made plastic cord bracelets the whole time. I wanted to bang their heads together...but I refrained.
The 6th grade class has a special ed kid, and luckily he is really sweet, but he kept playing with his phone, so I had to take it away. He wanted it back so badly he tried to sneak over and get it....but I guess he didn't seem to understand that when I'm standing right in front of where I put it, you can't sneak past me to grab it without me seeing...lol.
But, Mr. Jung came to my rescue and came back for second period of class. His daughter was sick with a fever, so I guess he had to take her to the doctor or something. Anyway, I never want to teach 6th grade curriculum again. I really had no idea what to do since I didn't make up the lesson plan and a lot of the more important instructions (I think) were in Korean...so that doesn't help me much.
Anyway, Wednesday continued to be an interesting day. I get to go home after morning class on Wednesday's since there is no after school English for me that day. So I went home and ate lunch, took a shower, walked around Eunpa Lake (the lake near the university area) and just chilled out until dinner time when Laura, Emilee and Lizzie and I went to a newly opened "Mexican" restaurant. The restaurant, "Dos Mas", had its grand opening that day and was giving away free burritos and a drink from 5-7. So, we went and stood in line (it was huge!) for thirty minutes and got our free dinner. I thought it was pretty good, I would go back. Emilee and Laura didn't really care for it and Lizzie, being half-Mexican was thoroughly unimpressed. She kept saying 'Oh, these poor ignorant people! Look how happy they are eating their burritos...they have no idea." Lol...
So, Wednesday is bar night. Kyla and I always to go this bar called TLC because she met one of the guys that works there, Billy. SOOOO adorable! And he is like, the sweetest kid. He's only 22. Haha, too bad for him that Kyla has a serious boyfriend. But honestly, I think he really just want to be friends with all of us because he wants to practice his English.
Anyway, so the other girls for some reason don't ever want to come, we don't know why. Probably because the drinks are expensive. But Kyla and I always get at least two free drinks. Every time. And we always have tons of fun.
So, Kyla and I are bar buddies, and we go on Wednesdays to talk to Billy and the other bartenders there. Kyla used to be a bartender at TGI Fridays in Edmond, so she knows tons of drinks and can recommend good ones. Its so fun.
*Oh, side note...crazy thing that happened to me that day: my bus got into an accident on the way to TLC. I was looking down at the time, so I didn't see how it happened, but one second we are going along and the next we're all getting thrown forward. Not anything serious, just one of those serious break slamming kind of accidents...but he still hit the car in front. I think it tried to cut in front of the bus and the driver didn't see it. It was a smaller car, and the way we hit it was right in the middle of the passenger side. Crazy Korean drivers...
Anyway, usually the bar is pretty slow on Wednesdays, there are always a few people besides us there, but not many.
Not this Wednesday.
The place was deserted. Kyla and I were the only customers until about 9:45 or 10. There was one older guy that stole Billy away from us and talked to him for like, 30 mins while Kyla and I just watched and tried to think of a way to get him back. A couple times Billy came over to where we were to get the guy a drink refill and was mouthing something, but we didn't know what. It kind of looked like "help help help..."
But hey, gotta keep the customers happy. I thought that the guy was a little weird cause he was high-fiving Billy and then lacing his fingers with Billy's...if I didn't know about the Korean guy skinship culture over here, I seriously would have thought he was gay. But I think he was just really tipsy.
Lol..then, the "Billy Thief" asks for paper and finally lets Billy go. I was still watching him because he was entertaining. He would write something...look up...smile, bite his lip and then write something again. Then it would repeat. He did that like, 7 times. I was trying so hard not to stare and laugh...he looked absolutely ridiculous....like a middle school girl writing in her diary about a boy she likes. Kyla and I were trying to figure out what he was doing, but we weren't sure. We thought maybe he was writing a poem, or a love note to Billy...haha, we hoped it wasn't the latter.
Billy told us a little bit later that the guy was writing down a song list and they were gonna play the songs he wrote down.
LOL...
Maybe one of the most entertaining things I've seen so far is a slightly intoxicated, middle aged, kind of nerdy Korean guy listening to his favorite songs. This guy was singing along, bobbing his head, kind of dancing in his chair...everything. He looked over at Kyla and I and was like "good song! good song! You like? You like song?" and gave a thumbs up. We were like, "Uh..yeah! good song!" and gave a thumbs up back. Haha...he made my evening. Except for when he would steal Billy...that was annoying.
So I think I should go ahead and give you a list of the people that work at TLC:
Billy--> The Cutie
Autumn-->The Awesome One (She makes the best drinks. She always gives me and Kyla doubles...)
Don--> The Magician and Darts Champion (I have never seen such amazing magic tricks ever. I am totally serious!!!)
Jerry--> The Fire Shot Master
Eddie-->The Boss (He's the owner of TLC)
And two other people work there but I don't know their names. One is a manager and the other is a quite girl that doesn't speak English, so she never talks to us.
Anyway, I think that you could make a TV show with the characters that work at this bar. They are really fun people and the atmosphere is really great. They all have good people skills and know how to keep their customers happy and entertained. And, from what I've seen, they all have a good work ethic and get along well. So there is no tension behind the bar.
So, you can order this drink called a "fire shot". I had never heard of it before, but Autumn makes it and Jerry lights it. Its so awesome! They stack up a bunch of glasses on top of each other, with paper towels over them, and then the shot is on top. When its lit, the fire runs down the sides of the glasses (cause they make the shot overflow a bit so there is alcohol on the glasses) and they attach a small sparkler to the side which lights up as well. It's awesome! Most of the time, its like a show. They turn off the lights, and Jerry pours some alcohol into his mouth and on two of his fingers, then he puts it into the flames of the shot and shoots fire out of his mouth. It's amazing. I will have to video it sometime and post it. But poor Jerry, last Saturday (we went again on Saturday because Laura wanted to go and we thought Billy wouldn't be working the next Wednesday) we were sitting over by where they have the ice, and after the fire shot, Jerry was over there putting ice in his mouth and miming "hot! hot! my mouth is so hot!" haha...poor guy! But he does it almost every time...guess he just puts up with the pain. That is dedication right there.
Anyway, it is again Wednesday, and Kyla and I are going to be going the bar this evening. Maybe something funny will happen tonight and I will have another Wacky Wednesday story. :)
Right now it is rainy and humid on this side of the world. How's the weather over there?
Laters!
~TWGA
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Tuesday
Well, so, first real post of this blog.
So on Tuesday, I get to school at 10:15 since I usually have class at 10:40. However, 10:40 rolls around....no 4th graders. I'm thinking, that's okay, sometimes they are late. I am sure it won't be like last time where no one ever shows up and then I find out later that there isn't class at all. Right?
Wrong.
They had a special event, so they were supposed to be coming for the first period of class but leaving for second period. But, it was 20 mins past first period, and I guessed they weren't coming at all. So, I was prepared to just desk warm until my class at 3pm. I went to the break room to get coffee, checked my Facebook and started working on this blog and doing this and that. It had been about 30 minutes from the time I decided my 4th graders weren't coming, that the door suddenly bursts open and twenty-two 4th graders invade my classroom. I was so startled that I fumbled with the mouse as I scrambled to pause the "Disney song covers" station I was listening to on Youtube and clicked out of my Facebook and other open tabs. (Like I was a kid caught doing something bad..)
It was an interesting morning. The class itself went well...in case you were wondering.
So, I go to lunch and sit with the Kindergartners (they save a spot for me at their table everyday, so cute) and then I was going to head back to my classroom when the Kindergarten Unni (the head kindergarten teacher) asks me to come have coffee in the Kindergarten building (they have their own building) and Hey-bin, one of the little Kinder girls comes up, grabs my hand and says "가자" (Lets go!) I say, "가치? 가치가?" (Together? Go together?") She shakes her head yes, and pulls me out of the cafeteria towards the Kindergarten building. I thought my heart was gonna melt.
Oh my gosh. Kindergarten. These kids have SO much energy! The little boys run around all day and play so hard that they are absolutely dripping in sweat. It's hilarious. I've been to the Kindergarten building after lunch before, and we played a game where they would say an animal in English and I would make the animal noise...but it's turned into "Teacher Ginny makes a snake or lion noise and chases us while we scream and run away". It's adorable, but so tiring after while. And I still have afternoon classes, so I can't play with them too much. Haha, one little girl (her name is Ga-eun) loves butterflies, so when everyone else is screaming "Snake! Snake! Teacher! Snake!" She starts shouting "Butta-butta-buttafly!! No Teacher buttafly!" and waves her arms around like a butterfly. Its adorable.
Anyway, so hanging out with the Kinders is definitely something I look forward to every Monday, Tuesday and Friday. (Wednesday I leave school after my morning class, so I leave before lunch. And Thursday is my day off)
After school classes start around 2-3 in the afternoon. My after school classes start at 3 on Monday and Tuesday and at 2:10 on Friday. On Monday, all my after school 5th graders (except for one) come to class, so it is usually a really fun day and there are enough kids to keep the activities from becoming boring.
Tuesday is another story.
I never know who is going to show up on Tuesday. So it is difficult to know what to do for the day since I never know if I am going to have Monday kids or not. Anyway, so this Tuesday I was told by my 5th graders that they had a new classmate, a transfer student from another province. I just knew as soon as they told me that he would end up in my after school class and I would have a student that wasn't on the same page as everyone else...I just knew it.
Yep.
Three o'clock comes and Mr. Cho (my mentor teacher who is also the 5th grade homeroom teacher) brings in the new kid and says he is gonna be in my class from now on. I smile and welcome him. Great.
But, to my surprise, he knew everything I already taught my other kids, so that was a relief. His attitude towards class is a different matter though. My other kids are pretty respectful and enthusiastic about English, and even if they aren't, they at least pretend they are. But this kid...if he was bored, it was like pulling teeth to get him to do anything. I think I am gonna have to just brace myself for some difficult times ahead. But, whatever. Yolo. (You only live once)
Funny story for the day: So during a break in class, I had to go to the bathroom. There are two floors, and the downstairs bathroom is almost almost deserted, so I am used to being the only one that uses it (it feels like that anyway). But, while I was in there I heard *clip....clip* I listened.... *cli-clip* Were those nail clippers I was hearing? *rustle rustle....clip....cli-clip*
Yep.
Someone was definitely clipping their toenails in the bathroom. I almost laughed right there. Why were they doing that here? And what were they clipping their toenails over? The toilet? I hoped they weren't just clipping them onto the floor. But I still can't decide which is worse, clipping them over the floor, or over the toilet? Oh I know! There is a trash can in every stall, cause, ya know, people can't flush toilet paper here. So I bet they were sitting on the toilet and clipping their toenails over the trash....bleh...still gross.
I almost wanted to wait around to see who it was, but that would have been weird, so I didn't. But it would have been really amusing.
Well, right now it's 9:05 on Wednesday morning, and I am supposed to be having 6th grade curriculum class right now...I wonder if they are late, or just not coming. I really hope I didn't get up early for nothing. But, that tends to happen a lot here in Korea. They don't tell the foreign teachers anything...or they tell them at the last minute. The VERY last minute.
Last week there was a special event on Wednesday morning, so there wasn't any English class. When did I find out about it? When I got to school and my mentor teacher was headed off to the special event. That's when. He tells me, "Oh, Ginny, I'm sorry, I forgot, we have a special event today, so there is no English class. You can go home..or...you can stay." He definitely didn't want me to go home. I could tell. He is a bit paranoid about making sure I am at school for a full 15 hours a week, even if I am not doing anything. Lol, I stayed. It was good. They shot off water rockets that they had made from two 2-liter soda bottles taped together. It was really cool. And I got to talk to some of the 1st and 2nd graders. I never see those kids since I don't have any English classes with them. Haha, they are so funny. They just talk to me in Korean. I just nod my head and say "That's cool!" and depending on what they said (I have no idea...) they either go "Yeah! Okay!" or "모? 무라요..." (What? Nevermind)
Lolz.
Well, time to go home. My 6th grade class proved my earlier point...tell you about it another time. Lets just say that I really don't want to have to teach 6th grade curriculum by myself ever again.
Its sunny and cold again on this side of the world. Hows the weather over there?
Laters!
~TWGA
So on Tuesday, I get to school at 10:15 since I usually have class at 10:40. However, 10:40 rolls around....no 4th graders. I'm thinking, that's okay, sometimes they are late. I am sure it won't be like last time where no one ever shows up and then I find out later that there isn't class at all. Right?
Wrong.
They had a special event, so they were supposed to be coming for the first period of class but leaving for second period. But, it was 20 mins past first period, and I guessed they weren't coming at all. So, I was prepared to just desk warm until my class at 3pm. I went to the break room to get coffee, checked my Facebook and started working on this blog and doing this and that. It had been about 30 minutes from the time I decided my 4th graders weren't coming, that the door suddenly bursts open and twenty-two 4th graders invade my classroom. I was so startled that I fumbled with the mouse as I scrambled to pause the "Disney song covers" station I was listening to on Youtube and clicked out of my Facebook and other open tabs. (Like I was a kid caught doing something bad..)
It was an interesting morning. The class itself went well...in case you were wondering.
So, I go to lunch and sit with the Kindergartners (they save a spot for me at their table everyday, so cute) and then I was going to head back to my classroom when the Kindergarten Unni (the head kindergarten teacher) asks me to come have coffee in the Kindergarten building (they have their own building) and Hey-bin, one of the little Kinder girls comes up, grabs my hand and says "가자" (Lets go!) I say, "가치? 가치가?" (Together? Go together?") She shakes her head yes, and pulls me out of the cafeteria towards the Kindergarten building. I thought my heart was gonna melt.
Oh my gosh. Kindergarten. These kids have SO much energy! The little boys run around all day and play so hard that they are absolutely dripping in sweat. It's hilarious. I've been to the Kindergarten building after lunch before, and we played a game where they would say an animal in English and I would make the animal noise...but it's turned into "Teacher Ginny makes a snake or lion noise and chases us while we scream and run away". It's adorable, but so tiring after while. And I still have afternoon classes, so I can't play with them too much. Haha, one little girl (her name is Ga-eun) loves butterflies, so when everyone else is screaming "Snake! Snake! Teacher! Snake!" She starts shouting "Butta-butta-buttafly!! No Teacher buttafly!" and waves her arms around like a butterfly. Its adorable.
Anyway, so hanging out with the Kinders is definitely something I look forward to every Monday, Tuesday and Friday. (Wednesday I leave school after my morning class, so I leave before lunch. And Thursday is my day off)
After school classes start around 2-3 in the afternoon. My after school classes start at 3 on Monday and Tuesday and at 2:10 on Friday. On Monday, all my after school 5th graders (except for one) come to class, so it is usually a really fun day and there are enough kids to keep the activities from becoming boring.
Tuesday is another story.
I never know who is going to show up on Tuesday. So it is difficult to know what to do for the day since I never know if I am going to have Monday kids or not. Anyway, so this Tuesday I was told by my 5th graders that they had a new classmate, a transfer student from another province. I just knew as soon as they told me that he would end up in my after school class and I would have a student that wasn't on the same page as everyone else...I just knew it.
Yep.
Three o'clock comes and Mr. Cho (my mentor teacher who is also the 5th grade homeroom teacher) brings in the new kid and says he is gonna be in my class from now on. I smile and welcome him. Great.
But, to my surprise, he knew everything I already taught my other kids, so that was a relief. His attitude towards class is a different matter though. My other kids are pretty respectful and enthusiastic about English, and even if they aren't, they at least pretend they are. But this kid...if he was bored, it was like pulling teeth to get him to do anything. I think I am gonna have to just brace myself for some difficult times ahead. But, whatever. Yolo. (You only live once)
Funny story for the day: So during a break in class, I had to go to the bathroom. There are two floors, and the downstairs bathroom is almost almost deserted, so I am used to being the only one that uses it (it feels like that anyway). But, while I was in there I heard *clip....clip* I listened.... *cli-clip* Were those nail clippers I was hearing? *rustle rustle....clip....cli-clip*
Yep.
Someone was definitely clipping their toenails in the bathroom. I almost laughed right there. Why were they doing that here? And what were they clipping their toenails over? The toilet? I hoped they weren't just clipping them onto the floor. But I still can't decide which is worse, clipping them over the floor, or over the toilet? Oh I know! There is a trash can in every stall, cause, ya know, people can't flush toilet paper here. So I bet they were sitting on the toilet and clipping their toenails over the trash....bleh...still gross.
I almost wanted to wait around to see who it was, but that would have been weird, so I didn't. But it would have been really amusing.
Well, right now it's 9:05 on Wednesday morning, and I am supposed to be having 6th grade curriculum class right now...I wonder if they are late, or just not coming. I really hope I didn't get up early for nothing. But, that tends to happen a lot here in Korea. They don't tell the foreign teachers anything...or they tell them at the last minute. The VERY last minute.
Last week there was a special event on Wednesday morning, so there wasn't any English class. When did I find out about it? When I got to school and my mentor teacher was headed off to the special event. That's when. He tells me, "Oh, Ginny, I'm sorry, I forgot, we have a special event today, so there is no English class. You can go home..or...you can stay." He definitely didn't want me to go home. I could tell. He is a bit paranoid about making sure I am at school for a full 15 hours a week, even if I am not doing anything. Lol, I stayed. It was good. They shot off water rockets that they had made from two 2-liter soda bottles taped together. It was really cool. And I got to talk to some of the 1st and 2nd graders. I never see those kids since I don't have any English classes with them. Haha, they are so funny. They just talk to me in Korean. I just nod my head and say "That's cool!" and depending on what they said (I have no idea...) they either go "Yeah! Okay!" or "모? 무라요..." (What? Nevermind)
Lolz.
Well, time to go home. My 6th grade class proved my earlier point...tell you about it another time. Lets just say that I really don't want to have to teach 6th grade curriculum by myself ever again.
Its sunny and cold again on this side of the world. Hows the weather over there?
Laters!
~TWGA
Monday, April 8, 2013
Kickin' it in Korea
Hey there,
So, I decided to start blogging. Mostly because my mom wants me to, even though I know she will read it for about 2 or 3 weeks and then not read it anymore. Haha, sorry mom, but you know its true.
Anyway, I also feel like I need something else to do in my spare time since I haven't been able to find a ceramic studio so far, and painting is kind of out of the question as I don't have enough room in my house, nor do I have ventilation that would make it safe.
Soooooo.....to fill some time and not waste it by watching K-dramas, blogging it is.
Now, since that rather strange and random introduction is over...what should I talk about?
I don't really want to go over the first 3 months of my life here...that's all done and past, and I don't want to have to try to remember the interesting bits about it. I will just say that I definitely have mixed feelings about the first three weeks of Orientation in Jochiwon. And, considering the face that the provincial orientation in Jeonju felt like a breath of fresh air comparatively, I'd say that my mixed feelings are leaning more towards the negative side of things...but as I say, that's all over and done with, and I definitely wouldn't change a thing. I met a lot of good people in Jochi orientation, and I am grateful to have such a large network of friends in Korea now.
So...hmm...a lot of people will be entering into these posts, so maybe I should give you as "cast list" if you will. I know it can be super confusing keeping names straight as you won't really have faces to go with it. And once we get into Korean names, y'all are gonna be as lost as Easter Eggs.
So, here you go, these are the actors in the story of my life here in Korea:
Cast List: TaLK People
Oklahoma Girls (A.K.A Gorgeous Gunsan Girls)
Laura
Kyla
Emilee
Brittney (Lives in Jeonju, but still part of the GGG)
Lizzie
Kiyana (unfortunately, this friend went back home to America today. :'( she will be missed)
Jochiwon People (Ones that I might bring up)
Tevyn
Beth
Vicky
Gordon
Kazi
Brenda
Anime Girl (don't ask, just trust me...it's best to call her this)
Jeonju/Jeonbuk Province People
Brittney (One of the Oklahoma girls, as seen above but she lives in Jeonju, so I thought I would put her here just to make it clear.
Jonathan
Justin
Kimmi-)
Jaclyn -) (The three "know-it-alls)
Jazz-)
Yoda (Previous TaLK scholar, does a lot for the Provincial Education Office of my province)
Anthony (my next door neighbor)
Cast List: Koreans
Okbong Elementary School: (The school I work at, I am listing only the people I have regular contact with, these are not the only people at the school...)
Mr. Cho-5th grade homeroom teacher-My mentor teacher
Mr. Jung-6th Grade homeroom teacher-I teach 6th grade with him on Wednesdays
Mr. Song-4th Grade homeroom teacher-I teach 4th grade with him on Tuesdays
Mr. Park-3rd Grade homeroom teacher-I teacher 3rd grade with him on Mondays
Eun-Gyeong-school nutritionist (girl)
Kindergarten teacher (I have no idea what her name is But I will refer to her as "Kindergarten Unni")
Jinwoo-My Korean TaLK scholar/after school co-teacher (guy)
After school Class Students:
Kindergarten-Fridays only
Joon-ki (boy)
Ho-yoon (boy)
Hey-bin(girl)
Chey-hee(girl)
Gah-eun(girl)
And there are 2 more little boys whose names I have yet to learn.
5th Grade kids: (They all have English names)
Grant (my Korean-American buddy. Moving back to America this month. *cry*)
Anthony (Smartest boy-obviously can't compare to Grant, but Grant is a native English speaker, so he doesn't count)
Chad
Justin
Charlie (Only came once...not sure if he will come anymore)
Gina
Zoey
Alice (Smartest kid in the class)
Sarah
Pearl
Non-School Koreans: (Having an English name is popular, btw)
Mr. Im-Street food vendor near the Home mart
Mr. and Mrs. Lee-owners of the Cool mart next to my apartment building
Kevin-friend/classmate of Jinwoo's
Aaron-friend/classmate of Jinwoo's (Going to Australia in May)
David-friend of Aaron's (Also going to Australia in May)
Billy-Bartender at TLC (talked to Kyla at the movie theatre, now we visit him at the bar on Wednesdays. And he gives us free drinks, such a sweetie)
Eunhye-Lizzie's co-teacher (girl)
Sohee-Eunhye's best friend (girl)
Doyeon-Emilee's co-teacher (girl)
Sol-Brittney's co-teacher (girl)
Well, now that that's done...I guess I will sign out for now. I gotta prepare for class and...I think anymore might be an overload of information. Lol...nothing interesting in this post, I'm not very good at this blogging thing yet. But, I will get better, I hope.
Later, I'll post pics of the people I have pics of, so you can have some faces with these names.
Well, its been fun. This side of the world is sunny right now. Hows it over there?
~TWGA
So, I decided to start blogging. Mostly because my mom wants me to, even though I know she will read it for about 2 or 3 weeks and then not read it anymore. Haha, sorry mom, but you know its true.
Anyway, I also feel like I need something else to do in my spare time since I haven't been able to find a ceramic studio so far, and painting is kind of out of the question as I don't have enough room in my house, nor do I have ventilation that would make it safe.
Soooooo.....to fill some time and not waste it by watching K-dramas, blogging it is.
Now, since that rather strange and random introduction is over...what should I talk about?
I don't really want to go over the first 3 months of my life here...that's all done and past, and I don't want to have to try to remember the interesting bits about it. I will just say that I definitely have mixed feelings about the first three weeks of Orientation in Jochiwon. And, considering the face that the provincial orientation in Jeonju felt like a breath of fresh air comparatively, I'd say that my mixed feelings are leaning more towards the negative side of things...but as I say, that's all over and done with, and I definitely wouldn't change a thing. I met a lot of good people in Jochi orientation, and I am grateful to have such a large network of friends in Korea now.
So...hmm...a lot of people will be entering into these posts, so maybe I should give you as "cast list" if you will. I know it can be super confusing keeping names straight as you won't really have faces to go with it. And once we get into Korean names, y'all are gonna be as lost as Easter Eggs.
So, here you go, these are the actors in the story of my life here in Korea:
Cast List: TaLK People
Oklahoma Girls (A.K.A Gorgeous Gunsan Girls)
Laura
Kyla
Emilee
Brittney (Lives in Jeonju, but still part of the GGG)
Lizzie
Kiyana (unfortunately, this friend went back home to America today. :'( she will be missed)
Jochiwon People (Ones that I might bring up)
Tevyn
Beth
Vicky
Gordon
Kazi
Brenda
Anime Girl (don't ask, just trust me...it's best to call her this)
Jeonju/Jeonbuk Province People
Brittney (One of the Oklahoma girls, as seen above but she lives in Jeonju, so I thought I would put her here just to make it clear.
Jonathan
Justin
Kimmi-)
Jaclyn -) (The three "know-it-alls)
Jazz-)
Yoda (Previous TaLK scholar, does a lot for the Provincial Education Office of my province)
Anthony (my next door neighbor)
Cast List: Koreans
Okbong Elementary School: (The school I work at, I am listing only the people I have regular contact with, these are not the only people at the school...)
Mr. Cho-5th grade homeroom teacher-My mentor teacher
Mr. Jung-6th Grade homeroom teacher-I teach 6th grade with him on Wednesdays
Mr. Song-4th Grade homeroom teacher-I teach 4th grade with him on Tuesdays
Mr. Park-3rd Grade homeroom teacher-I teacher 3rd grade with him on Mondays
Eun-Gyeong-school nutritionist (girl)
Kindergarten teacher (I have no idea what her name is But I will refer to her as "Kindergarten Unni")
Jinwoo-My Korean TaLK scholar/after school co-teacher (guy)
After school Class Students:
Kindergarten-Fridays only
Joon-ki (boy)
Ho-yoon (boy)
Hey-bin(girl)
Chey-hee(girl)
Gah-eun(girl)
And there are 2 more little boys whose names I have yet to learn.
5th Grade kids: (They all have English names)
Grant (my Korean-American buddy. Moving back to America this month. *cry*)
Anthony (Smartest boy-obviously can't compare to Grant, but Grant is a native English speaker, so he doesn't count)
Chad
Justin
Charlie (Only came once...not sure if he will come anymore)
Gina
Zoey
Alice (Smartest kid in the class)
Sarah
Pearl
Non-School Koreans: (Having an English name is popular, btw)
Mr. Im-Street food vendor near the Home mart
Mr. and Mrs. Lee-owners of the Cool mart next to my apartment building
Kevin-friend/classmate of Jinwoo's
Aaron-friend/classmate of Jinwoo's (Going to Australia in May)
David-friend of Aaron's (Also going to Australia in May)
Billy-Bartender at TLC (talked to Kyla at the movie theatre, now we visit him at the bar on Wednesdays. And he gives us free drinks, such a sweetie)
Eunhye-Lizzie's co-teacher (girl)
Sohee-Eunhye's best friend (girl)
Doyeon-Emilee's co-teacher (girl)
Sol-Brittney's co-teacher (girl)
Well, now that that's done...I guess I will sign out for now. I gotta prepare for class and...I think anymore might be an overload of information. Lol...nothing interesting in this post, I'm not very good at this blogging thing yet. But, I will get better, I hope.
Later, I'll post pics of the people I have pics of, so you can have some faces with these names.
Well, its been fun. This side of the world is sunny right now. Hows it over there?
~TWGA
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