So I hit the one-month mark tomorrow. Time flies. I really can’t believe that I have already been here that long. One month by itself is nothing, but if I think of it in terms of the possible 12 months that I will spend here in Korea it is actually a significant little chunk of time.
When I look at the larger picture it hardly feels like I have accomplished anything significant thus far, but when I sit back and reflect on all that has been done in a month’s time I am pleased. Accomplishments of month one include:
· Learning to live alone. (Loving it by the way.)
· Meeting lots of new people and some good friends.
· Successfully figuring out the subway system.
· Staying with a Korean family and celebrating a Korean holiday.
· Getting to know my co-teacher, colleagues, and my school.
· Enjoying Seoul’s nightlife.
· Obtaining an alien registration card, bank account, cell phone, and gym membership.
· Mastering the use of chopsticks.
· Climbing two mountains. (Think more like large hills.)
· Making peace with the fact that life as I knew it at home does not exist here in Korea, but that I can substitute many things and some are even better than ones I left behind.
Teaching has been improving. I began a small unit on East Africa with my sixth graders this week. I think that at one point in each class this week I actually had all eyes on me, and they were all listening to what I was saying, or at least doing an excellent job of making me believe they were listening. It was a really wonderful feeling. The other grade levels are coming along too. The fourth graders have been behaving especially well and are so dang cute!
Hye-sun and I have a great understanding of one another and what I want to do here while teaching. She is very supportive of me choosing new topics and veering away from the watered-down English lessons found in the textbook. My other co-teacher, Lisa, however, does not feel that way. She wants me to stick to the book. I am going to have to slowly convince her to let me be more creative and fun with my lessons because the lessons in the book do not cut it. To put it bluntly, they are ridiculous- all this singing and chanting things that don’t even make sense. It is just frustrating because there has to be a better way to teach English as a foreign language than to have 10 and 11 year olds repeat immature songs and chants. I actually went to a workshop last Friday where the speakers talked about combining English with the content areas to make it more meaningful to the students. I totally agree and am hoping to be able to put this concept into practice. It will definitely make my job a little more difficult (which I welcome!) and I think the students will be more challenged as well.
The other day I finally bought myself a new big girl bedspread. It was really cute and a little overpriced, so of course I purchased it.
Big girl bedspread
I went hiking with my co-teacher and some other people from school including my male vice principal, who is slightly intimidating, this past weekend. The climb was really steep and rocky and I of course was exhausted from another 5AMer the night before. When we reached the top of the mountain one of the male teachers pulled out a flask and in true Korean fashion they started ripping shots. He turned to me with a gesture and asked “alcohol?” and I was like ‘are you kidding me??’
The Cabala says, “women understand the world more than men, therefore they weep more often.” If this is true, then Korean women must understand the world more than anyone. I am always getting into the elevator at my apartment building with some Korean woman weeping. Sometimes they are alone and sometimes they are with a man. This has happened to me several times now. I also see women in public here weeping all the time. I’m not sure if it’s because they are ultra-sensitive or just don’t mind the public display of sadness. At home women always seem to try and save face and let the tears flow when they are behind closed doors. You would think it would be the same here in Korea judging by Korean culture and their public demeanor, but no. All I know is that whenever I see a woman so upset, I always want to give her a hug.
All of the teachers from school got together tonight for a big dinner. We drove almost an hour outside of Bundang up to Namhansanseong Mountain and ate at a traditional Korean restaurant. The drive up was beautiful with the autumn colors of the leaves changing. All of the buildings in this part of town were constructed in the old Korean style, which is not something I see in Bundang because it is a relatively new city, so I was admiring the sloping rooftops tiled in assorted shades of reds and blues. Just stepping out of the car and smelling the crisp clean air was so refreshing. The food was delicious and I had some good conversation with one of my co-workers and my vice principal that each speak a little English. Overall it was a really enjoyable evening.
Korean co-workers at dinner
I must add that I found my Halloween costume and I am getting really excited about dressing up this year. For some reason I get more excited dressing up in a foreign country (Kenya two years ago, Korea this year) rather than dressing up at home. I think it’s because finding a costume is more of a challenge and forces me to be more creative. I am going to be Mother Nature. I found the idea online and am eager to see how I can pull it all together.
Namaste
