Do you recall the Korean Student Life video I posted about three weeks ago?
Below is an interesting article on the education system in South Korea that digs deeper into the current issues. It speaks a great deal to the student masochism ideology that floods the consciousness here from student, to parent, to administration. Luckily, I don't see much of this behavior in my school besides preparing for high school exams, however I am in a rural community where many students have a lot of work to do at home. Once these students are placed into high schools in Taean, their days will follow a similar pattern to the one described in the article.
"Teacher, Leave Those Kids Alone" by Time Magazine (10/2011)
Food for Thought,
-Bets
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
You'll never believe it?!
I uploaded a few photos to the photo section of the website! You'll find a link at the top of the screen. How cool is that?! And also for waiting so patiently, I have finally gotten my address into a digital format and am happy to send it to those who want it via email. Let me know if you'd like it.
Good night,
-Bets
PS - For those who have been unable to see photos, I updated the photo page today and hope that it fixes everything. Please let me know if you still can't see images!
Good night,
-Bets
PS - For those who have been unable to see photos, I updated the photo page today and hope that it fixes everything. Please let me know if you still can't see images!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Chuseok Plus
The last week has been a blur of activity and upgrades in my small corner of the world. Chuseok went by in a flash. I opted to stay in Taean to get to know my fellow NETs (Native English Teachers) better. As luck would have it, the nasty weather blowing through Korea managed to miss us for the weekend and we celebrated by going to beaches, pseudo rock climbing, eating LOTS of seafood, and ATVing. In my short time here, I’ve already visited four beaches now: Hakampo, Mallipo, Mongsanpo, and Anmyeon beach.
I’m happy to report I’ve discovered my favorite place in Korea (for now anyway…), which my friend, Brandon, and I stumbled upon during our hiking/rock climbing adventure at Hakampo. The best way to describe it would be “Blue Lagoon-esque” (the Brook Shields version, of course). We belayed down into the small cove using some provided rope and the water was B-LUE (so blue it requires two syllables), the towering cliffs and foliage surrounding it were gorgeous, the rocks were perfect for sitting and soaking your feet for a while, and it was just still. I’ll post a video of it soon to give you a better idea of this slice of heaven (no really, I promise).
The Chuseok holiday is now done, and I am settling into my routine at school. I had a short week this past week (a day and a half) and taught the Kindergarteners about transportation (Red Light, Green Light was a big hit), and the advanced students learned about phrasing questions and interviewing. Outside of the classroom, my furniture was finally moved to my apartment on Thursday. I’m proud to say I have been living out of a genuine closet for three days now – I love it! Now that the furniture is in place I’ll be sure to take a few pictures (no seriously, you’ll see!).
My transition here is now finally in avalanche mode. Now that my ARC (Alien Registration Card) has arrived, I can do a number of moving-in finishing touches. So Thursday, I spent the better part of an hour trying to get my Korean Bank Account while stumbling through Korean, English, and Konglish with a frazzled bank clerk. I felt bad, but we got it done! My co-teacher, Grace, also took me to get a cell phone on Friday evening. I am now a legitimate iPhone owner, however my 3G data package isn’t working, so I will just add that to the list of things I have to figure out this next week. With these upgrades, I should also be able to install internet at my house soon and then I could actually Skype people.
Despite all of this commotion, I still managed to have a very fun weekend. I’m told that the weather here is going to cool down considerably so we’ve been trying to suck the marrow out of the last days of summer. Brandon and I opted to hike Baekhwasan Mountain on Saturday. Grace explained to me when I arrived that almost all cities in the mountain range are nestled right up to the mountain for natural protection – makes sense. Baekhwasan is Taean’s neighboring mountain on the North side of the city. I was told this wouldn’t be a very taxing adventure as there are nice trails that lead you to the summit. And it’s true, there are nice easy trails on one side of the mountain, but we managed to find the hardest descending paths on the East side of the mountain. I was getting a little freaked out by the steep inclines (ropes required) and would have preferred to have brought a helmet and carabineers. Luckily, a random local served as our curmudgeon white rabbit and guided us a bit to get down the mountain safely. The whole event was quite “EXTREME,” but we saw some great views and enjoyed the fresh mountain air.
I’m looking forward to a quiet week and getting into the routine of school life. This upcoming weekend a group of us are headed to Seoul for a professional soccer game and birthday festivities. We may also try to head back down to Hongseong for a Shrimp Festival and catch up with orientation friends. It should be a good time. I’ll, of course, try to keep you up to date as the adventure continues to unfold.
Cheers,
-Bets
I’m happy to report I’ve discovered my favorite place in Korea (for now anyway…), which my friend, Brandon, and I stumbled upon during our hiking/rock climbing adventure at Hakampo. The best way to describe it would be “Blue Lagoon-esque” (the Brook Shields version, of course). We belayed down into the small cove using some provided rope and the water was B-LUE (so blue it requires two syllables), the towering cliffs and foliage surrounding it were gorgeous, the rocks were perfect for sitting and soaking your feet for a while, and it was just still. I’ll post a video of it soon to give you a better idea of this slice of heaven (no really, I promise).
The Chuseok holiday is now done, and I am settling into my routine at school. I had a short week this past week (a day and a half) and taught the Kindergarteners about transportation (Red Light, Green Light was a big hit), and the advanced students learned about phrasing questions and interviewing. Outside of the classroom, my furniture was finally moved to my apartment on Thursday. I’m proud to say I have been living out of a genuine closet for three days now – I love it! Now that the furniture is in place I’ll be sure to take a few pictures (no seriously, you’ll see!).
My transition here is now finally in avalanche mode. Now that my ARC (Alien Registration Card) has arrived, I can do a number of moving-in finishing touches. So Thursday, I spent the better part of an hour trying to get my Korean Bank Account while stumbling through Korean, English, and Konglish with a frazzled bank clerk. I felt bad, but we got it done! My co-teacher, Grace, also took me to get a cell phone on Friday evening. I am now a legitimate iPhone owner, however my 3G data package isn’t working, so I will just add that to the list of things I have to figure out this next week. With these upgrades, I should also be able to install internet at my house soon and then I could actually Skype people.
Despite all of this commotion, I still managed to have a very fun weekend. I’m told that the weather here is going to cool down considerably so we’ve been trying to suck the marrow out of the last days of summer. Brandon and I opted to hike Baekhwasan Mountain on Saturday. Grace explained to me when I arrived that almost all cities in the mountain range are nestled right up to the mountain for natural protection – makes sense. Baekhwasan is Taean’s neighboring mountain on the North side of the city. I was told this wouldn’t be a very taxing adventure as there are nice trails that lead you to the summit. And it’s true, there are nice easy trails on one side of the mountain, but we managed to find the hardest descending paths on the East side of the mountain. I was getting a little freaked out by the steep inclines (ropes required) and would have preferred to have brought a helmet and carabineers. Luckily, a random local served as our curmudgeon white rabbit and guided us a bit to get down the mountain safely. The whole event was quite “EXTREME,” but we saw some great views and enjoyed the fresh mountain air.
I’m looking forward to a quiet week and getting into the routine of school life. This upcoming weekend a group of us are headed to Seoul for a professional soccer game and birthday festivities. We may also try to head back down to Hongseong for a Shrimp Festival and catch up with orientation friends. It should be a good time. I’ll, of course, try to keep you up to date as the adventure continues to unfold.
Cheers,
-Bets
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Gawi-Bawi-Bo!
The title of this post is a small glimpse into the sounds of my school. I here small mutterings of "Gawi-Bawi-Bo" in the cafeteria, classroom, courtyard, bus...everywhere. It's a slightly more advanced Rock, Paper, Scissors game that is used in countless scenarios - even teachers employ its power on a regular basis. Was Rock, Paper, Scissors this common in my elementary school?
Never the less, my first full week of teaching has been a very good experience. I have gotten to know my co-teachers a bit better through working with them in the classroom and also enjoying some fried chicken and beer after work (fried chicken is everywhere here!). I gave the last of my introductory presentations and the students have been very welcoming and open to the new person in their classes. My middle school co-teacher was even impressed enough with my opening lesson that should would like me to lead a Speech writing class for the next two months. So, overall I'm glad to be building trust with my fellow teachers and can assist further in the day to day endeavors.
There are some downsides to my school as well: the primary one being the last minute notice I receive on a regular basis. I'm told this is a cultural thing, but also it doesn't help that I'm the only teacher not connected to the school web chat system and I don't understand the paper schedules posted in the teachers' office (the most obvious reason being that it's all in Korean). However, this week has shown that the last minute notice isn't all bad. For example, I was told the following 20 minutes before my class was to start: "We don't have regular English classes today because kids are having Field Day at the beach. Want to go?" This sounded like a great offer, but then again I didn't anticipate riding in my Vice-Principal's car with the Principal of the entire school (intimidating and awkward language barriers)...but, it worked out. Once we got there, my duty was to find the 1st place finisher of each race and stamp their arm with the number one. I ended up having a great time and even built a few sand castles with third graders (photos to come once I have internet at home!)
Outside of school life in Taean, has been quite nice. I've acquired a few more things to make my home a bit more livable. Unfortunately, furniture has been delayed 'til Thursday of next week due to the holiday and bad weather. Luckily, I haven't been home too much because I've taken a shining to wandering around town and getting together with fellow NETs (Native English Teachers). I've already explored three beaches since arriving a week ago (Hakampo, Mallipo, and Mongsanpo), tried some of the local restaurants (tonight we're having Hot Pot *woot!*), and gotten lost on the bus line (thank you Korean phrasebook!). Understanding that there is the trap of hanging out "with your own kind," I have reached out to some local Korean university students to get together for coffee. I'll keep you posted on that!
Today is the last day of classes before a long Chuseok holiday weekend. The whole school rolled songpyeon (rice cake and sugary filling) in place of first and second period this morning. It's been a very lazy day for students and teachers with the buzz of holiday in the air. I was also told that after school classes were canceled and that my kindergarten class was canceled due to a field trip to a senior citizens center, so I didn't teach a wink today...Oops! Was just told people are leaving early and I'm getting a ride (short notice again...)
Happy Chuseok,
-Bets
Never the less, my first full week of teaching has been a very good experience. I have gotten to know my co-teachers a bit better through working with them in the classroom and also enjoying some fried chicken and beer after work (fried chicken is everywhere here!). I gave the last of my introductory presentations and the students have been very welcoming and open to the new person in their classes. My middle school co-teacher was even impressed enough with my opening lesson that should would like me to lead a Speech writing class for the next two months. So, overall I'm glad to be building trust with my fellow teachers and can assist further in the day to day endeavors.
There are some downsides to my school as well: the primary one being the last minute notice I receive on a regular basis. I'm told this is a cultural thing, but also it doesn't help that I'm the only teacher not connected to the school web chat system and I don't understand the paper schedules posted in the teachers' office (the most obvious reason being that it's all in Korean). However, this week has shown that the last minute notice isn't all bad. For example, I was told the following 20 minutes before my class was to start: "We don't have regular English classes today because kids are having Field Day at the beach. Want to go?" This sounded like a great offer, but then again I didn't anticipate riding in my Vice-Principal's car with the Principal of the entire school (intimidating and awkward language barriers)...but, it worked out. Once we got there, my duty was to find the 1st place finisher of each race and stamp their arm with the number one. I ended up having a great time and even built a few sand castles with third graders (photos to come once I have internet at home!)
Outside of school life in Taean, has been quite nice. I've acquired a few more things to make my home a bit more livable. Unfortunately, furniture has been delayed 'til Thursday of next week due to the holiday and bad weather. Luckily, I haven't been home too much because I've taken a shining to wandering around town and getting together with fellow NETs (Native English Teachers). I've already explored three beaches since arriving a week ago (Hakampo, Mallipo, and Mongsanpo), tried some of the local restaurants (tonight we're having Hot Pot *woot!*), and gotten lost on the bus line (thank you Korean phrasebook!). Understanding that there is the trap of hanging out "with your own kind," I have reached out to some local Korean university students to get together for coffee. I'll keep you posted on that!
Today is the last day of classes before a long Chuseok holiday weekend. The whole school rolled songpyeon (rice cake and sugary filling) in place of first and second period this morning. It's been a very lazy day for students and teachers with the buzz of holiday in the air. I was also told that after school classes were canceled and that my kindergarten class was canceled due to a field trip to a senior citizens center, so I didn't teach a wink today...Oops! Was just told people are leaving early and I'm getting a ride (short notice again...)
Happy Chuseok,
-Bets
Thursday, September 1, 2011
How do you spell "chize"?
Good news, orientation is done! They gave me a certificate and everything.
I am now living in Taean and loving it. The first few days of classes have been a whirlwind but I think I could get the hang of this. My school is great and everyone is very helpful despite broken English and "language dances" (as I call them). I gave my introduction speech to all my middleschoolers this week and will be presenting a revised (shorter) version to my elementary students. Check out the original here and then picture me talking very slowly and with a lot of actions (hiking, ballet, grandparents, etc.). The highlights for my students were my sister (She's taller than you?! You look same.), my niece (the name is funny to them), my house in France (Soo BIG!), playing piano for so long (mouth gaping), and Megan (So beautiful!). Pretty adorable stuff...
I'm slowly getting the rest of my world in order as I move into my new place. It has a separate bedroom from the main area which is pretty lucky I'm told. My bathroom is tiny by even Korean standards and my co-teacher chuckled when she saw it. It's a wet bath and the shower head is above the sink with about a foot and a half for standing. The bigger issue is getting hot water. So far, no luck. I also found out I have over 60 channels on my TV, you just have to type 22 for one channel and then type 22 again for another channel (curious). I almost feel like I'm pirating TV but luckily my landlord is paying for it so I know it is legitimate. Lastly, I am currently furniture-less with the exception of a bed and TV (why a TV?). The former co-teacher is still using my table and closet until the 10th so I will continue to live out of a suitcase (but with clean laundry! woot*)
You'll be happy to know that I am making new friends almost daily here. All the locals went out yesterday and had coffee and drinks into the night. There are already plans in place for more fun tonight. Plus, orientation friends and other folks are going to the beach tomorrow and then heading to Seosan (the Grand Forks, to my Crookston) for a night out (...and going away party). My predecessor has also invited me for lunch on Sunday and I might check out the arboretum near my school. Should be a good first *free* weekend in Korea!
Catchin' the bus,
-Bets
I am now living in Taean and loving it. The first few days of classes have been a whirlwind but I think I could get the hang of this. My school is great and everyone is very helpful despite broken English and "language dances" (as I call them). I gave my introduction speech to all my middleschoolers this week and will be presenting a revised (shorter) version to my elementary students. Check out the original here and then picture me talking very slowly and with a lot of actions (hiking, ballet, grandparents, etc.). The highlights for my students were my sister (She's taller than you?! You look same.), my niece (the name is funny to them), my house in France (Soo BIG!), playing piano for so long (mouth gaping), and Megan (So beautiful!). Pretty adorable stuff...
I'm slowly getting the rest of my world in order as I move into my new place. It has a separate bedroom from the main area which is pretty lucky I'm told. My bathroom is tiny by even Korean standards and my co-teacher chuckled when she saw it. It's a wet bath and the shower head is above the sink with about a foot and a half for standing. The bigger issue is getting hot water. So far, no luck. I also found out I have over 60 channels on my TV, you just have to type 22 for one channel and then type 22 again for another channel (curious). I almost feel like I'm pirating TV but luckily my landlord is paying for it so I know it is legitimate. Lastly, I am currently furniture-less with the exception of a bed and TV (why a TV?). The former co-teacher is still using my table and closet until the 10th so I will continue to live out of a suitcase (but with clean laundry! woot*)
You'll be happy to know that I am making new friends almost daily here. All the locals went out yesterday and had coffee and drinks into the night. There are already plans in place for more fun tonight. Plus, orientation friends and other folks are going to the beach tomorrow and then heading to Seosan (the Grand Forks, to my Crookston) for a night out (...and going away party). My predecessor has also invited me for lunch on Sunday and I might check out the arboretum near my school. Should be a good first *free* weekend in Korea!
Catchin' the bus,
-Bets
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