I can’t believe it’s already October! This month completely snuck up on me. Having such a weird work schedule this last week really threw me off, and I was shocked when I woke up this morning and checked the date. Last weekend (9/26-9/27) was pretty quiet for me, compared to the last few. I got really paranoid because it seemed like every single one of my friends was getting sick, so I’ve been making sure to get plenty of sleep. I went out for dinner and drinks both Friday and Saturday night, but was home and in bed by midnight.
As I mentioned before, my school didn’t have any classes on Monday or Tuesday because the students had midterms. Monday morning I ran some errands around town, and finally took the subway by myself for the first time! It’s a little sad that it took me a month to do it, but that’s one of the drawbacks of living in the middle of everything – I’ve never had to go very far for anything, except when Carrie was there to drive me around. I was really glad that I could read in Korean – some signs underground are in English but not all, and I would never have found the right place if I couldn’t sound out the words. My subway stop is the big downtown transfer station, so I was nervous even though there are only two lines in Daegu!
Anyway, I met all the other teachers at school around lunchtime (everyone except me had to come in at the normal time) and every teacher in the school went out for lunch. It was delicious and huge – we had galbi with duck meat. As far as I can understand, eating galbi in a restaurant is usually beef, and at a restaurant it’s grilled right at your table. I’ve had beef and chicken galbi, and the duck was really good too. As I said, the meal was huge – we grilled two different types of duck, and then there was something that tasted like ham, and then a type of rice stew, a beef soup, a bowl of cold noodles, and finally dessert. The waitresses just kept bringing out more and more trays of food. Afterwards three of my co-teachers and I went out for coffee at an Italian restaurant. Then Carrie and I drove downtown and she helped me pay my bills. In Korea you don’t send checks to companies or receive paychecks; it’s much more common to either have automatic withdrawals and deposits (I do for my cell phone bill and my paycheck) or to go to one of your bank’s ATMs and electronically transfer the funds yourself using account numbers the companies give you.
So Carrie helped me do that for my gas bill, and then we drove out to Woobang Land. It’s the amusement park here in Daegu, and also the site of the Daegu Tower. We wandered around Woobang Land for awhile, not going on any rides but just enjoying the views (it’s a little higher than the rest of Daegu) and the scenery. It was actually a little creepy; since it was a Monday night very few people were there, and so even though it was getting dark only a few rides and stands were lighted up and operating. When it got darker we went into Daegu Tower and rode the elevator up 80+ floors, and there we could walk around and see a 360 degree view of the city at night. The lights were pretty but I don’t think the skyline is as scenic as most big cities in America – even though Daegu is the 3rd or 4th largest city in Korea, it has very few skyscrapers or architecturally fancy buildings; most condos are 20-30 floors and the clusters of them are pretty much the biggest buildings. Most others that I’ve seen or been in aren’t higher than 3-4 floors, even downtown.
On Tuesday I made lesson plans in the morning and met Carrie at school around lunchtime again. We drove to the “guarding mountain” of Daegu, Palgongsan, which, according to Carrie, is famous for three things: food and restaurants, hotels, and cultural or historical sites. We ate a really delicious lunch with two types of soup/stew, rice, rice water, and more than 15 side dishes, eaten on the floor, all for $10-11 apiece. Then we drove to Donghwasa Temple. It was similar to the Buddhist temple we visited in Jeonju with EPIK, but I liked Donghwasa better because it was up on a mountain and a lot cooler, there were far fewer people around (Tuesday afternoon), and the statues were amazing. The temple was founded in AD 493 and is still active – monks live and study there. The best part of the temple was “The Great Pharmaceutical Stone Buddha for Unification,” built in 1992. I’m not really sure what the ‘pharmaceutical’ in the name means or if that’s the best translation, but the statue was amazing. It’s a huge standing Buddha, 33 meter’s high, standing in the middle of a sort of circular courtyard. It’s hard to find a straight answer, but some websites I’ve searched through say it’s the largest standing Buddha in Korea, and some say it’s the largest in the world. It’s meant to represent hope for the reunification of North and South Korea. Some people were praying or taking pictures, and we walked around it three times to look at all the smaller stone carvings that surround the main statue. You could see the mountains and trees in the background and it was so beautiful.
After Donghwasa Temple we drove to Bongmu Park, also on Palgongsan Mountain. It’s just a recreational area around a small lake, Bongmu Lake; I saw people picnicking and hiking, and there are outdoor playgrounds and tennis courts. It sort of reminded me of a campground – there was even someone water skiing on the lake! We walked around for a few minutes and visited a small museum that was all about butterflies; they had hundreds of different species of butterflies pinned in cases with maps about where they were from; some of them were really big and beautiful. There was also a small greenhouse – lots of plants, obviously, and some more (live) butterflies, as well as a few cases full of gigantic scary beetles. It was a very long day with a lot of walking but I saw so much in one afternoon!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
One Down, Eleven to Go
I’ve been in Korea for five weeks now, and tomorrow will be the one-month milestone for my time in Daegu (as well as my first payday). It’s incredible to me that I’ve already fulfilled 1/12 of my contract. I’m feeling pretty comfortable here these days; I know where to go to buy anything I need, and I think I finally have most of the little quirks of my studio figured out, or at least the ones I can’t ignore (the latest issue was last weekend when I thought my washing machine was broken. My landlords happened to be wall-papering next door, so I called them in and we all had a good laugh when they discovered that the water valve going into the machine had been turned off. They blame me, and I blame the hot-water mechanic). Now I need to work on expanding my comfort zone – I have yet to use the subway by myself, and I also want to figure out the country-wide bus and express-train system so I can start moving around and see a bit more of Korea outside of Daegu.
For the first time, I’ve been feeling a little homesick over the past few days. Since my Internet is working I talked to some people from home for the first time last weekend – my friends Michele and Erika, my sister Jessica, and my parents. School this week was also difficult and just dragged on. The kids are stressed about mid-terms next week and don’t feel like listening to me just now, and while sometimes I really like my lesson topics and it’s easy to think of explanations and activities, sometimes I’m just at a loss for interesting things to do – and that happened with every one of my classes this week. So I’ve just been trying to get more sleep (it’s a constant game of catch-up from the weekends) and stay active – I had dinner with Hyun Joo last night, and tonight a bunch of the EPIK teachers are meeting downtown for Indian food. There’s also talk of visiting an amusement park this weekend, which by definition should cheer me up J
My school schedule for the next few days is also sure to cheer me up. As I mentioned before, next week the students have midterms on Monday and Tuesday. Even though there aren’t any classes, all the teachers have to come to school until around noon, except me (this has happened to me before – a few weeks ago I had a random Friday off, because the students were being tested for physical fitness all day instead of having normal classes. All the other teachers had to be at school to help with the testing, except they told me not to come. I’m not sure really sure why, but I’m telling myself that they’re just being nice). Anyway, so I have Monday and Tuesday off, and then next Friday and the following Monday schools are closed for Chuseok. Chuseok is a Korean harvest festival – like Thanksgiving – and most Koreans eat a big traditional meal and visit their families and ancestral hometowns – again, like Thanksgiving. I’m really looking forward to having the time off and maybe traveling somewhere over Chuseok. I have no ideas yet, but since most places will be closed, and most people will be gone, I’d rather not sit at home alone for four days.
My fellow EPIK teachers are really fun and awesome support, but I owe my non-EPIK friends so much for making me feel comfortable and welcome here. All the teachers at Jeil, even the ones who don’t speak English or that I don’t teach with, are so friendly and considerate, and bring me little treats or coffee and try to include me in things. My co-teachers have been wonderful – Carrie and Bosun are so helpful all the time, even with stuff that falls outside their job duties like making phone calls for me, driving me around, or helping me with my studio. And all four of my co-teachers are very patient with my attempts at teaching and creating lesson plans – I learn so much just from watching them and taking in their feedback.
Hyun Joo, or Jessica (her English name) has also been amazing. I’m so, so glad I met her. She’s taken me around to different restaurants and tea/coffee shops, shown me a market near our building that gives you a free garbage bag if you spend \10,000, shown me another big bookstore with a great English-language section, introduced me to some of her friends, and overall has been very thoughtful, kind, and a great source of information. She told me that she worries about me – when I mentioned that I don’t like to cook she brought me some sweet potatoes and yogurt, and when I mentioned that I had been feeling homesick this week she bought me a little miniature tree from a florist!
Thanks for reading and stay in touch! Email or message me on Skype if you want to set up a time to talk – I can also call land-line phones for about 2 cents a minute, so don’t hesitate to ask!
For the first time, I’ve been feeling a little homesick over the past few days. Since my Internet is working I talked to some people from home for the first time last weekend – my friends Michele and Erika, my sister Jessica, and my parents. School this week was also difficult and just dragged on. The kids are stressed about mid-terms next week and don’t feel like listening to me just now, and while sometimes I really like my lesson topics and it’s easy to think of explanations and activities, sometimes I’m just at a loss for interesting things to do – and that happened with every one of my classes this week. So I’ve just been trying to get more sleep (it’s a constant game of catch-up from the weekends) and stay active – I had dinner with Hyun Joo last night, and tonight a bunch of the EPIK teachers are meeting downtown for Indian food. There’s also talk of visiting an amusement park this weekend, which by definition should cheer me up J
My school schedule for the next few days is also sure to cheer me up. As I mentioned before, next week the students have midterms on Monday and Tuesday. Even though there aren’t any classes, all the teachers have to come to school until around noon, except me (this has happened to me before – a few weeks ago I had a random Friday off, because the students were being tested for physical fitness all day instead of having normal classes. All the other teachers had to be at school to help with the testing, except they told me not to come. I’m not sure really sure why, but I’m telling myself that they’re just being nice). Anyway, so I have Monday and Tuesday off, and then next Friday and the following Monday schools are closed for Chuseok. Chuseok is a Korean harvest festival – like Thanksgiving – and most Koreans eat a big traditional meal and visit their families and ancestral hometowns – again, like Thanksgiving. I’m really looking forward to having the time off and maybe traveling somewhere over Chuseok. I have no ideas yet, but since most places will be closed, and most people will be gone, I’d rather not sit at home alone for four days.
My fellow EPIK teachers are really fun and awesome support, but I owe my non-EPIK friends so much for making me feel comfortable and welcome here. All the teachers at Jeil, even the ones who don’t speak English or that I don’t teach with, are so friendly and considerate, and bring me little treats or coffee and try to include me in things. My co-teachers have been wonderful – Carrie and Bosun are so helpful all the time, even with stuff that falls outside their job duties like making phone calls for me, driving me around, or helping me with my studio. And all four of my co-teachers are very patient with my attempts at teaching and creating lesson plans – I learn so much just from watching them and taking in their feedback.
Hyun Joo, or Jessica (her English name) has also been amazing. I’m so, so glad I met her. She’s taken me around to different restaurants and tea/coffee shops, shown me a market near our building that gives you a free garbage bag if you spend \10,000, shown me another big bookstore with a great English-language section, introduced me to some of her friends, and overall has been very thoughtful, kind, and a great source of information. She told me that she worries about me – when I mentioned that I don’t like to cook she brought me some sweet potatoes and yogurt, and when I mentioned that I had been feeling homesick this week she bought me a little miniature tree from a florist!
Thanks for reading and stay in touch! Email or message me on Skype if you want to set up a time to talk – I can also call land-line phones for about 2 cents a minute, so don’t hesitate to ask!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
I Live for the Weekends
The weekends here are so much fun, and so busy. I’ve met a really cool core group of people, and we usually meet downtown Fridays and Saturdays to eat, drink, dance, unwind and talk about how fun/strange/annoying Korea can be. We always find other people we know too, since most of us foreigners tend to hang out at a lot of the same places. The downtown area in Daegu is awesome because 1: It’s a ten-minute walk from my studio and 2: It’s very concentrated. Hundreds of bars, clubs, shops, restaurants, karaoke places and department stores are crammed into a few square blocks, and it’s busy every day and night of the week. This makes it very easy to move around but very difficult to find anything specific – it’s like a maze in there, and all the streets still look the same to me. I have to constantly keep in mind which direction I came from, and which way is out, so I can find my way home! There are a lot of expats in Daegu, so there’s always something happening like beer pong tournaments or a bar crawl or a band playing somewhere; it’s like going to college in a small town, where everyone has the same social life as everyone else and you can be sure of running into people you know. I also sometimes see my co-teacher Carrie on the weekends – she invited me to lunch with her husband, son, and in-laws on my first Sunday in Daegu, and last Sunday while they were all out hiking, we went to lunch again.
This past weekend I actually had Friday off, and during the day I was wandering around in the subway (sounds weird, but the subways here are like underground malls – they have multiple floors with food courts and every imaginable kind of store; people here also cross the main streets underground, because the traffic is so heavy) and I actually met a Korean girl that is close to my age and lives in my building. Her name is Hyun Joo, and she just graduated from university and is studying English full time. I was so happy to get to know her – weekdays I’m busy at school, and weekend nights I’m with my Western friends, but anytime I’m in my studio I feel really isolated and even lonely – my landlords don’t even live here, so I didn’t have anyone. It’s so nice to know now that if anything were to happen, there’s someone living down the hall that I can run to. Hyun Joo and I went out Friday and I introduced her to some of my friends. Hopefully I’ll see a lot more of her!
Last Saturday several of the EPIK teachers headed to Duryu Park for the International Bodypainting Festival. It was really cool. We arrived in the late afternoon, paid 10,000 won ($8-9) entrance fee, and wandered around for several hours, watching the models get painted in their tents and enjoying the freebies (a tee shirt, face-painting, henna, manicures, and makeup). We watched the show (each of the models just walked around to music for about a minute), got some supper, and headed downtown again.
Just wanted to throw something in here about my landlords. They’re a very nice older couple, and they’ve been very apologetic about all the mess with my hot water. They speak a few words of English and have brought in their son, Thomas, a few times because he's fluent. Thomas even gave me his cell phone number and told me to call or text if I have any problems so he can tell his parents. Thomas told me that his parents are very happy to have me, because the wife actually taught at Jeil Middle School for four years and also because they’re Catholic. The first day my landlords met me they asked my religion and were really happy to hear that I’m Catholic too. They immediately asked me my Catholic name, and now they call me Victoria! Last Monday they came over and brought me a gift-wrapped crucifix, and on Tuesday they brought tools over and nailed it to the wall! Thomas told me that they want me to come over to dinner sometime and also go to church with them.
I have Internet in my apartment now, so add me to Skype if you have it! Looking forward to hearing from everyone, so keep in touch and thanks for reading!
This past weekend I actually had Friday off, and during the day I was wandering around in the subway (sounds weird, but the subways here are like underground malls – they have multiple floors with food courts and every imaginable kind of store; people here also cross the main streets underground, because the traffic is so heavy) and I actually met a Korean girl that is close to my age and lives in my building. Her name is Hyun Joo, and she just graduated from university and is studying English full time. I was so happy to get to know her – weekdays I’m busy at school, and weekend nights I’m with my Western friends, but anytime I’m in my studio I feel really isolated and even lonely – my landlords don’t even live here, so I didn’t have anyone. It’s so nice to know now that if anything were to happen, there’s someone living down the hall that I can run to. Hyun Joo and I went out Friday and I introduced her to some of my friends. Hopefully I’ll see a lot more of her!
Last Saturday several of the EPIK teachers headed to Duryu Park for the International Bodypainting Festival. It was really cool. We arrived in the late afternoon, paid 10,000 won ($8-9) entrance fee, and wandered around for several hours, watching the models get painted in their tents and enjoying the freebies (a tee shirt, face-painting, henna, manicures, and makeup). We watched the show (each of the models just walked around to music for about a minute), got some supper, and headed downtown again.
Just wanted to throw something in here about my landlords. They’re a very nice older couple, and they’ve been very apologetic about all the mess with my hot water. They speak a few words of English and have brought in their son, Thomas, a few times because he's fluent. Thomas even gave me his cell phone number and told me to call or text if I have any problems so he can tell his parents. Thomas told me that his parents are very happy to have me, because the wife actually taught at Jeil Middle School for four years and also because they’re Catholic. The first day my landlords met me they asked my religion and were really happy to hear that I’m Catholic too. They immediately asked me my Catholic name, and now they call me Victoria! Last Monday they came over and brought me a gift-wrapped crucifix, and on Tuesday they brought tools over and nailed it to the wall! Thomas told me that they want me to come over to dinner sometime and also go to church with them.
I have Internet in my apartment now, so add me to Skype if you have it! Looking forward to hearing from everyone, so keep in touch and thanks for reading!
Monday, September 14, 2009
So I'm a Teacher Now...
The 2 ½ weeks since I arrived in Daegu have just flown by; I’m still a little bewildered by the fact that I’ve moved into – actually settled into – a new apartment in a new city, as well as started a new job. I still find it hard to believe that I’m really doing this, really going into middle-school classes every day with my own lesson plans, and then coming home to this apartment every night.
My first day at school was Monday, August 31st, but for the first three days I didn’t teach. I sat at my desk in the teacher’s room (teachers don’t have their own classrooms at Jeil. They move around to different rooms for each period and have desk space in a common room), started putting some lesson plans together, tried to familiarize myself with everything, and met my co-teachers. Jeil Middle School has three grades (in Korea they say middle school grades 1, 2, and 3, but it’s the same as grades 7, 8, and 9 in the States). Grades 1 and 3 are divided into three levels for English classes, with C being the lowest, B being intermediate, and A being the highest. Grade 2 English classes have mixed levels. I teach several of each type of class each week, as well as two after-school conversation classes (I didn’t have a choice about doing them, but I do get paid extra because it’s outside normal working hours). So in total I have 22 class hours each week, of nine different types or levels, and I see over 440 different students every week.
Carrie is my co-teacher for all the A-level students; my B-level co-teacher is Um Soo; my C-level co-teacher is Bosun; and Sook Hee is my co-teacher for all the grade 2 classes. They’re all very nice and helpful women. They tell me what topic or chapter to teach, I make the lesson plans, and they help me in class with discipline, translating directions or phrases, and modeling games or activities. I have a lot less interaction with all the other teachers at Jeil, but they also seem very nice. The P.E. teacher sits to my left and knows a few words of English, and a man who teaches Korean sits across from me. He’s always working on his English, and I often look up to see him reading the grade 1 English textbook and listening to the textbook’s CD! Sometimes I get questions from other teachers (and even the principal once) about how to say something correctly in English, or requests to proofread something. I don’t mind doing it at all – it’s nice to be the expert on something when I can’t even do basic things like read the ‘on/off’ button for the printer or operate the water filterer.
Bosun sits right next to me in the teacher’s room, and she is the closest to my age. She also helps me outside of school – she went with me to the Immigration Office to apply for my Alien Registration Card, and is coming over when the Internet/cable guy comes to my studio to set up the Internet this week. The ARC is just an ID card for foreigners, and you generally can’t transfer money or get cable TV, Internet, a cell phone or a bank account without it. EPIK very conveniently took care of our cell phones and bank accounts for us at orientation, and for some reason the cable/Internet guy came to my studio two weeks ago and agreed to hook up the cable without an ARC, but not the Internet. But I just got the ARC today, so the plan is to have Internet by Wednesday. And the hot water is FINALLY fixed, after three visits from the mechanic and two weeks of cold showers (luckily the weather’s been hot!). I continue to kill a lot of strange insects but overall I am very satisfied with my studio.
Teaching is REALLY hard work. At first I thought I would just set up a few lesson plans at the beginning of each week and then do them over and over again, but it definitely does not work like that. I’m still trying to get a handle on all the different grades and levels that I’m responsible for, what each class is capable of, what is possible within a forty-five minute period, and what activities work or don’t work. Some of my lessons have gone really well, and others have totally bombed. I find myself making adjustments after almost every class, until I finally feel like I have it down and then it’s the last day of the week and I’m already behind in planning lessons for the next one. It’s draining and time-consuming – I often take work home with me nights and weekends – but I’m already beginning to feel how rewarding this can be. I really like the challenge of appealing to the different demands that go along with the varying abilities of the students, and when a class goes really well and the kids have fun and actually understand me, it’s so empowering.
I know it’s been a while since I’ve written, and since my original goal was to write once a week and I still have quite a bit to say, I’ll try to write a few more shorter posts over the next few days to catch up on everything. So keep coming back! And please email me, Facebook me, leave comments here, or whatever – I do have Internet at school and I can’t say enough times how much it means to me to hear from everyone.
My first day at school was Monday, August 31st, but for the first three days I didn’t teach. I sat at my desk in the teacher’s room (teachers don’t have their own classrooms at Jeil. They move around to different rooms for each period and have desk space in a common room), started putting some lesson plans together, tried to familiarize myself with everything, and met my co-teachers. Jeil Middle School has three grades (in Korea they say middle school grades 1, 2, and 3, but it’s the same as grades 7, 8, and 9 in the States). Grades 1 and 3 are divided into three levels for English classes, with C being the lowest, B being intermediate, and A being the highest. Grade 2 English classes have mixed levels. I teach several of each type of class each week, as well as two after-school conversation classes (I didn’t have a choice about doing them, but I do get paid extra because it’s outside normal working hours). So in total I have 22 class hours each week, of nine different types or levels, and I see over 440 different students every week.
Carrie is my co-teacher for all the A-level students; my B-level co-teacher is Um Soo; my C-level co-teacher is Bosun; and Sook Hee is my co-teacher for all the grade 2 classes. They’re all very nice and helpful women. They tell me what topic or chapter to teach, I make the lesson plans, and they help me in class with discipline, translating directions or phrases, and modeling games or activities. I have a lot less interaction with all the other teachers at Jeil, but they also seem very nice. The P.E. teacher sits to my left and knows a few words of English, and a man who teaches Korean sits across from me. He’s always working on his English, and I often look up to see him reading the grade 1 English textbook and listening to the textbook’s CD! Sometimes I get questions from other teachers (and even the principal once) about how to say something correctly in English, or requests to proofread something. I don’t mind doing it at all – it’s nice to be the expert on something when I can’t even do basic things like read the ‘on/off’ button for the printer or operate the water filterer.
Bosun sits right next to me in the teacher’s room, and she is the closest to my age. She also helps me outside of school – she went with me to the Immigration Office to apply for my Alien Registration Card, and is coming over when the Internet/cable guy comes to my studio to set up the Internet this week. The ARC is just an ID card for foreigners, and you generally can’t transfer money or get cable TV, Internet, a cell phone or a bank account without it. EPIK very conveniently took care of our cell phones and bank accounts for us at orientation, and for some reason the cable/Internet guy came to my studio two weeks ago and agreed to hook up the cable without an ARC, but not the Internet. But I just got the ARC today, so the plan is to have Internet by Wednesday. And the hot water is FINALLY fixed, after three visits from the mechanic and two weeks of cold showers (luckily the weather’s been hot!). I continue to kill a lot of strange insects but overall I am very satisfied with my studio.
Teaching is REALLY hard work. At first I thought I would just set up a few lesson plans at the beginning of each week and then do them over and over again, but it definitely does not work like that. I’m still trying to get a handle on all the different grades and levels that I’m responsible for, what each class is capable of, what is possible within a forty-five minute period, and what activities work or don’t work. Some of my lessons have gone really well, and others have totally bombed. I find myself making adjustments after almost every class, until I finally feel like I have it down and then it’s the last day of the week and I’m already behind in planning lessons for the next one. It’s draining and time-consuming – I often take work home with me nights and weekends – but I’m already beginning to feel how rewarding this can be. I really like the challenge of appealing to the different demands that go along with the varying abilities of the students, and when a class goes really well and the kids have fun and actually understand me, it’s so empowering.
I know it’s been a while since I’ve written, and since my original goal was to write once a week and I still have quite a bit to say, I’ll try to write a few more shorter posts over the next few days to catch up on everything. So keep coming back! And please email me, Facebook me, leave comments here, or whatever – I do have Internet at school and I can’t say enough times how much it means to me to hear from everyone.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
First Days in Daegu
On Thursday, after months of waiting, we were finally given more details about our future jobs and homes. I was assigned to Jeil Middle School, a co-ed school very close to downtown Daegu. I wasn't particular about what kind of school I wanted to teach at, but I was very happy to hear that I would be so close to the downtown area, and also that I only have one school so far - it's not uncommon for teachers to have to commute between two or three schools.
Our last evening and morning at Jeonju University included some more cultural performances (really beautiful fan dances and drumming, I'll try to put up links to some videos), a closing banquet, and a closing ceremony. Friday morning we loaded our luggage into buses and set out for our respective cities and provinces. The Daegu buses stopped at a wayside for an amazing lunch of bibimbap, eaten in the traditional Korean style of sitting on the floor at a low table (which, with eight people at a small table, takes some practice and flexibility!). We arrived at the Daegu Provincial Office of Education, and were brought up on a stage and introduced to our co-teachers.
My main co-teacher (or handler, as one of our lecturers in Jeonju put it) is Carrie. I'll be teaching English with several other Korean co-teachers, but Carrie is in charge of me and my go-to person for any problems. A lot of English-speaking Koreans choose English names for themselves, and she told me later that she loves the show "Sex and the City" and that's how she chose her name. She was with another employee of the school who works in administration, and the three of us managed to load up all my luggage into Carrie's tiny car. We stopped at Jeil so we could follow some superintendent to my apartment, and he helped us haul everything up to my room.
My apartment is on the second floor of a small building. It's one room, with a bathroom, a small scary-looking boiler room, and a tiny little enclosed patio with a washing machine. The room itself is big but there isn't any storage area at all - just a small table with two chairs, a shallow musty-smelling closet, a bed against one wall and the kitchen against the opposite wall. One thing that I do like about Korean storage is the fact that there is usually a big cupboard or rack for shoes right next to the door, because shoes are never worn inside the apartment - so that's one thing I do have enough room for! There are cupboards in the kitchen area, so I think a lot of my clothes and books will end up going in there! The bathroom has a very common type of Korean shower - just a shower head hooked to the wall and a drain on the floor, with no specific, designated shower area. The shower head sits at about chest-level, so you have to hold it in your hand to use it, and aim very carefully so you don't spray water everywhere. It's very efficient as far as the use of space and water goes.
I wasn't very happy with the room at first - the whole thing smelled very musty and old; almost everything was dirty and mildewy (I have to scrub out every cupboard and line it with paper before I put anything in it); the refrigerator smells awful; there's no hot water, Internet, or cable; I have nowhere to put my stuff; and I've killed one cockroach so far. However, as I've been unpacking and moving around it a little, the smells are starting to go away (except in the refrigerator) and the whole thing is starting to grow on me. I haven't found any more bugs so far, there is air-conditioning, and you can't beat the location - I'm within easy walking distance of both my school and the downtown area.
Carrie has also been awesome in helping me get settled. After we dropped off all my stuff on Friday, we walked to Jeil Middle School so I would have a rough idea of how to get there and what kind of shops are around. Then we drove to a giant E-Mart, which is kind of like Wal-Mart only a little nicer. I bought cleaning supplies, garbage cans, kitchen stuff like a pot, pan, cutting board and knife, a few groceries and some other basics. Carrie gave me a bunch of stuff out of her own house - laundry detergent and fabric softener, toilet paper and paper towels, clothes hangers, some kitchen supplies, and probably other stuff I'm not remembering. She also bought me some flowers and Mandarin oranges at the E-Mart, as well as dinner that first night. Carrie's English is really good, and she mentioned that she studied for two months in San Diego and was really confused about how to do things like order at restaurants or shop, so she knows just how I feel! I'm so lucky to have her helping me out.
I slept in on Saturday, and then spent most of the day cleaning and organizing my apartment. A lot of my clothes are still just sitting in my suitcase, where they will stay until I'm ambitious enough to finish scrubbing out the rest of those nasty cupboards or break down and buy some sort of shelving unit. I also haven't figured out what to do with my garbage yet - in Daegu you have to buy specific garbage bags depending on the district you live in, and separate out paper, plastics, food garbage, and garbage to be burned. That's all fine, except that I haven't actually seen a dumpster or large trash cans outside where I can take my garbage. Carrie bought me these little plastic bags for food waste, and I'm just keeping that stuff in my freezer until I figure out what to do with it!
Carrie met me again Saturday night and we walked downtown. I told her that I liked reading and books, and she showed me a huge bookstore, Kyobo, which is famous in Daegu. It has a big English-language section and a Starbucks, and I think I'll be spending a lot of time there. I've already bought one book and signed up for a frequent-buyer card! Carrie bought me dinner again, which was excellent - I'm liking the food here more and more every day.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Internet, cable television, and hot water sometime in the next few days. I'm also going to work on finding the other native English teachers that are around here, and get involved in some activities or classes of some sort; the lecturers at orientation told us that we should be able to get all of our lesson planning and school stuff done during the work day, and I really don't want to just go home and sit in my tiny apartment every night! Carrie told me that the local YMCA offers Korean classes, so I might look into that, or into taking online classes of some sort.
Sorry for the long post! For those of you who've read the whole thing, thank you and please keep in touch!
Our last evening and morning at Jeonju University included some more cultural performances (really beautiful fan dances and drumming, I'll try to put up links to some videos), a closing banquet, and a closing ceremony. Friday morning we loaded our luggage into buses and set out for our respective cities and provinces. The Daegu buses stopped at a wayside for an amazing lunch of bibimbap, eaten in the traditional Korean style of sitting on the floor at a low table (which, with eight people at a small table, takes some practice and flexibility!). We arrived at the Daegu Provincial Office of Education, and were brought up on a stage and introduced to our co-teachers.
My main co-teacher (or handler, as one of our lecturers in Jeonju put it) is Carrie. I'll be teaching English with several other Korean co-teachers, but Carrie is in charge of me and my go-to person for any problems. A lot of English-speaking Koreans choose English names for themselves, and she told me later that she loves the show "Sex and the City" and that's how she chose her name. She was with another employee of the school who works in administration, and the three of us managed to load up all my luggage into Carrie's tiny car. We stopped at Jeil so we could follow some superintendent to my apartment, and he helped us haul everything up to my room.
My apartment is on the second floor of a small building. It's one room, with a bathroom, a small scary-looking boiler room, and a tiny little enclosed patio with a washing machine. The room itself is big but there isn't any storage area at all - just a small table with two chairs, a shallow musty-smelling closet, a bed against one wall and the kitchen against the opposite wall. One thing that I do like about Korean storage is the fact that there is usually a big cupboard or rack for shoes right next to the door, because shoes are never worn inside the apartment - so that's one thing I do have enough room for! There are cupboards in the kitchen area, so I think a lot of my clothes and books will end up going in there! The bathroom has a very common type of Korean shower - just a shower head hooked to the wall and a drain on the floor, with no specific, designated shower area. The shower head sits at about chest-level, so you have to hold it in your hand to use it, and aim very carefully so you don't spray water everywhere. It's very efficient as far as the use of space and water goes.
I wasn't very happy with the room at first - the whole thing smelled very musty and old; almost everything was dirty and mildewy (I have to scrub out every cupboard and line it with paper before I put anything in it); the refrigerator smells awful; there's no hot water, Internet, or cable; I have nowhere to put my stuff; and I've killed one cockroach so far. However, as I've been unpacking and moving around it a little, the smells are starting to go away (except in the refrigerator) and the whole thing is starting to grow on me. I haven't found any more bugs so far, there is air-conditioning, and you can't beat the location - I'm within easy walking distance of both my school and the downtown area.
Carrie has also been awesome in helping me get settled. After we dropped off all my stuff on Friday, we walked to Jeil Middle School so I would have a rough idea of how to get there and what kind of shops are around. Then we drove to a giant E-Mart, which is kind of like Wal-Mart only a little nicer. I bought cleaning supplies, garbage cans, kitchen stuff like a pot, pan, cutting board and knife, a few groceries and some other basics. Carrie gave me a bunch of stuff out of her own house - laundry detergent and fabric softener, toilet paper and paper towels, clothes hangers, some kitchen supplies, and probably other stuff I'm not remembering. She also bought me some flowers and Mandarin oranges at the E-Mart, as well as dinner that first night. Carrie's English is really good, and she mentioned that she studied for two months in San Diego and was really confused about how to do things like order at restaurants or shop, so she knows just how I feel! I'm so lucky to have her helping me out.
I slept in on Saturday, and then spent most of the day cleaning and organizing my apartment. A lot of my clothes are still just sitting in my suitcase, where they will stay until I'm ambitious enough to finish scrubbing out the rest of those nasty cupboards or break down and buy some sort of shelving unit. I also haven't figured out what to do with my garbage yet - in Daegu you have to buy specific garbage bags depending on the district you live in, and separate out paper, plastics, food garbage, and garbage to be burned. That's all fine, except that I haven't actually seen a dumpster or large trash cans outside where I can take my garbage. Carrie bought me these little plastic bags for food waste, and I'm just keeping that stuff in my freezer until I figure out what to do with it!
Carrie met me again Saturday night and we walked downtown. I told her that I liked reading and books, and she showed me a huge bookstore, Kyobo, which is famous in Daegu. It has a big English-language section and a Starbucks, and I think I'll be spending a lot of time there. I've already bought one book and signed up for a frequent-buyer card! Carrie bought me dinner again, which was excellent - I'm liking the food here more and more every day.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Internet, cable television, and hot water sometime in the next few days. I'm also going to work on finding the other native English teachers that are around here, and get involved in some activities or classes of some sort; the lecturers at orientation told us that we should be able to get all of our lesson planning and school stuff done during the work day, and I really don't want to just go home and sit in my tiny apartment every night! Carrie told me that the local YMCA offers Korean classes, so I might look into that, or into taking online classes of some sort.
Sorry for the long post! For those of you who've read the whole thing, thank you and please keep in touch!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
EPIK Orientation
Well I made it to South Korea in one piece! After some issues with my luggage in Chicago (each of my bags did end up being 15 lbs overweight, and rather than just pay a fine they had me pack all the extra into a cardboard box and then pay $130 to ship the box), I found out that my business class ticket had been upgraded to first class because the flight was overbooked! I got to use the lounge before I boarded, I boarded first, and the 14-hour flight went by really quickly - I even managed to sleep for almost seven hours.
We landed in Incheon around 4:30am on Wednesday, and luckily all my luggage made it through and I was even able to exchange my money for Korean won at that time in the morning. I checked in at the EPIK desk, and there was a four-hour wait for a bus and then a four-hour bus ride to Jeonju University (their awesome slogan is "The Place for Superstars") in the city of Jeonju, where our orientation is based. It made for a very long day, but I was finally registered and in my dorm room by 3:30 or 4pm. After a shower and a little unpacking I was asleep by 5pm! The next night I only made it until 7pm, but even with going to bed that early I was able to sleep through the nights.
I've been in South Korea for about five days now, and have settled into the routine of our orientation here. I'm even sleeping normal hours now! It's going really well and I'm amazed at how well-run and efficient it is, and how considerate everyone here is of us teachers. They helped us set up bank accounts, recommended a cell phone plan and provider and then even brought in the vendor, and organized a full medical exam for us, because one is required of all new teachers in the country. I was expecting to have to do all of that myself and was so relieved to have it all organized for me.
We also have Survival Korean lessons and Korean movies every night. These are optional but I've been to every one. The Survival Korean is really helpful - I've already learned how to properly introduce myself to my future principal and co-teacher as well as the Korean names for several school facilities. And the movies are a really cool, unique way to learn about the culture (the film industry here is huge, if you ever have the chance you should check out some Korean films!). Besides Korean lessons and movies, we learned a little history through a field trip to a traditional village and Buddhist temple. I'll try to put up pictures soon!
The weather here has been somewhat difficult to get used to - it's very hot and humid, and this isn't even the hottest part of the summer (that's in July). Air conditioning does exist here, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my apartment will have it. The food also requires a little bit of an adjustment, but I like it for the most part - a lot of spicy vegetables, a lot of interesting and mysterious seafood, and a lot of rice. It's very healthy and my chopstick skills are slowly improving.
However, for the most part I haven't really experienced culture shock or homesickness yet, and I think that has a lot to do with the atmosphere here at the orientation. I'm surrounded by 700 Westerners, attending lectures at a university, eating meals in a cafeteria and even sleeping in a dorm; it's like being back at college again. It's very comfortable, but after we leave here on Friday and go off to our various schools around the country, I'll be entering the 'real world' - I'll be on my own in another strange city, with a much, much smaller support system and a brand new job.
So overall I am definitely nervous for orientation to end, but I'm really enjoying it so far! I love hearing from everyone at home, so keep the emails, comments and Facebook posts coming!
We landed in Incheon around 4:30am on Wednesday, and luckily all my luggage made it through and I was even able to exchange my money for Korean won at that time in the morning. I checked in at the EPIK desk, and there was a four-hour wait for a bus and then a four-hour bus ride to Jeonju University (their awesome slogan is "The Place for Superstars") in the city of Jeonju, where our orientation is based. It made for a very long day, but I was finally registered and in my dorm room by 3:30 or 4pm. After a shower and a little unpacking I was asleep by 5pm! The next night I only made it until 7pm, but even with going to bed that early I was able to sleep through the nights.
I've been in South Korea for about five days now, and have settled into the routine of our orientation here. I'm even sleeping normal hours now! It's going really well and I'm amazed at how well-run and efficient it is, and how considerate everyone here is of us teachers. They helped us set up bank accounts, recommended a cell phone plan and provider and then even brought in the vendor, and organized a full medical exam for us, because one is required of all new teachers in the country. I was expecting to have to do all of that myself and was so relieved to have it all organized for me.
We also have Survival Korean lessons and Korean movies every night. These are optional but I've been to every one. The Survival Korean is really helpful - I've already learned how to properly introduce myself to my future principal and co-teacher as well as the Korean names for several school facilities. And the movies are a really cool, unique way to learn about the culture (the film industry here is huge, if you ever have the chance you should check out some Korean films!). Besides Korean lessons and movies, we learned a little history through a field trip to a traditional village and Buddhist temple. I'll try to put up pictures soon!
The weather here has been somewhat difficult to get used to - it's very hot and humid, and this isn't even the hottest part of the summer (that's in July). Air conditioning does exist here, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my apartment will have it. The food also requires a little bit of an adjustment, but I like it for the most part - a lot of spicy vegetables, a lot of interesting and mysterious seafood, and a lot of rice. It's very healthy and my chopstick skills are slowly improving.
However, for the most part I haven't really experienced culture shock or homesickness yet, and I think that has a lot to do with the atmosphere here at the orientation. I'm surrounded by 700 Westerners, attending lectures at a university, eating meals in a cafeteria and even sleeping in a dorm; it's like being back at college again. It's very comfortable, but after we leave here on Friday and go off to our various schools around the country, I'll be entering the 'real world' - I'll be on my own in another strange city, with a much, much smaller support system and a brand new job.
So overall I am definitely nervous for orientation to end, but I'm really enjoying it so far! I love hearing from everyone at home, so keep the emails, comments and Facebook posts coming!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Here I Go!
This is it! In a few short hours my family is leaving for Chicago, and in just a few more I’ll be on a direct flight for South Korea! Almost exactly eight months ago I signed up for an online TEFL course, and at each step along the way it was still hard to believe that I was really going to do this until I actually had a plane ticket with my name and tomorrow’s date on it. Between working several times a week and preparing for this move, the summer has really flown by…and I still can’t believe that I’m actually going to do this.
I’ve been learning to read and write the Korean alphabet, Hangul, with the help of this website: http://www.learnlangs.com/RWP/Korean/index.htm I still don’t know how to speak any of the language, but now at least I’ll be able to read menus and signs in the streets or subway stations. The alphabet was surprisingly easy to learn – the characters are very logical and everything is arranged by syllable, so it’s easy to sound out and pronounce words. Not to mention that Hangul actually is an alphabet, with only 20-something characters, rather than thousands like with the Chinese or Japanese scripts! We have two or three survival-Korean classes at orientation, and one I’m settled in Daegu I’d like to sign up for more – or maybe I can find someone who’s willing to exchange English lessons for Korean!
The whole last week, when I wasn’t working, was dedicated to packing and re-packing my two suitcases and carry-on, over and over. I’m pretty sure that I’ll have to pay airline fees for breaking both weight and size limits on both suitcases, but with only two of them to last a whole year I didn’t have much choice. I have to have one suitcase packed for our nine-day orientation, and then the rest of our luggage will be stowed away until all of use EPIK GETs (Guest English Teachers) are bused away to our various locations. I think this is because we’ll be staying in dorms for the orientation, so space will be limited. I’m pretty satisfied with how much I was able to cram into my two suitcases; I didn’t have to sacrifice too much. I would take more books if I could, and more knick-knacks or decorations for my apartment, but I’m sure I can find everything I could need or want in Daegu. I also couldn’t fit my heavy winter coat in, but I’ve heard that Korean winters are somewhat milder, so I’m counting on all the layers I’ve packed and my thick Wisconsin skin!
I’m really anxious to have all the airport/airplane stuff over with, and I’ll try to update as soon as possible after I arrive. Next time any of you hear from me I’ll be in another hemisphere! Don’t be afraid to contact me through Facebook or email, it might take me a little bit but I will get back to you!
I’ve been learning to read and write the Korean alphabet, Hangul, with the help of this website: http://www.learnlangs.com/RWP/Korean/index.htm I still don’t know how to speak any of the language, but now at least I’ll be able to read menus and signs in the streets or subway stations. The alphabet was surprisingly easy to learn – the characters are very logical and everything is arranged by syllable, so it’s easy to sound out and pronounce words. Not to mention that Hangul actually is an alphabet, with only 20-something characters, rather than thousands like with the Chinese or Japanese scripts! We have two or three survival-Korean classes at orientation, and one I’m settled in Daegu I’d like to sign up for more – or maybe I can find someone who’s willing to exchange English lessons for Korean!
The whole last week, when I wasn’t working, was dedicated to packing and re-packing my two suitcases and carry-on, over and over. I’m pretty sure that I’ll have to pay airline fees for breaking both weight and size limits on both suitcases, but with only two of them to last a whole year I didn’t have much choice. I have to have one suitcase packed for our nine-day orientation, and then the rest of our luggage will be stowed away until all of use EPIK GETs (Guest English Teachers) are bused away to our various locations. I think this is because we’ll be staying in dorms for the orientation, so space will be limited. I’m pretty satisfied with how much I was able to cram into my two suitcases; I didn’t have to sacrifice too much. I would take more books if I could, and more knick-knacks or decorations for my apartment, but I’m sure I can find everything I could need or want in Daegu. I also couldn’t fit my heavy winter coat in, but I’ve heard that Korean winters are somewhat milder, so I’m counting on all the layers I’ve packed and my thick Wisconsin skin!
I’m really anxious to have all the airport/airplane stuff over with, and I’ll try to update as soon as possible after I arrive. Next time any of you hear from me I’ll be in another hemisphere! Don’t be afraid to contact me through Facebook or email, it might take me a little bit but I will get back to you!
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