May update

I know its been a while since I last updated and I am extremely late for my monthly update of May. There was so much to do each week, but I finally found the time to sit down and describe about how the month of May went for me in Korea.

The month of May went by really fast. There were two big holidays in May. May 5 was Children's Day and the 10th was Buddha's birthday. In addition to the holidays, I also had quite a few unexpected days where I didn't need to teach due to a school field trip. However, even though my students are out on a field trip, I still had to come to school and fulfill the hours because I was receiving a fixed salary. I still had to pay the 5100 won to get to school, but I didn't mind coming to school and chatting with the school faculty members.  Last Thursday I came to school and the doors were locked. I called my mentor teacher a few times and didn't get a response. So I called my co-teacher and asked if I missed out on something where I wasn't suppose to come to school. My co-teacher was on her way to school as well and told me she was not notified of any school closing. I decided to wait until my co-teacher arrived and 10 minutes later, the 2nd grade teacher pulled up at the school and unlocked the doors. Apparently the kids had no school that day, but some teachers still had to come to work and they went out for lunch together. Normally when I get to school, it's lunchtime. But that Thursday, since no kids were there no lunch was prepared. My vice principal was worried about me being hungry so she ordered some buns with red bean paste and dumplings. It was delicious. Sometimes, the vice principal and other teachers at my school look out for me more than my mentor teacher. He is busy however, so I understand that some things slip his mind sometimes.

I went to Seoul during the weekend of the 7th and was able to visit 3 famous palaces. A friend and I stayed at the Dragon Hills Spa Jjimjilbang (bathhouse) near Seoul. I was told that it is a very famous Jjimjilbang and many celebrities even go there. Dragon Hills spa was really fancy and the interior design blew me away. The first floor was decorated with water fountains, marble tiled floors, and bright shiny chandeliers. Unlike the other jjimjilbangs that I have visited before, Dragon Hills also had single noraebang rooms and an open rooftop on the top floor where they had a big screen projector playing a movie. If you are looking for a place to stay for the night, jjimjilbangs are a convenient and cheap way to sleep somewhere and get relaxed. It only costs 12,000 won ($12) to stay at a jjimjilbang for 12 hours. You will find various different spas and sauna rooms as well. Many families often stay at a jjimjilbang and eat their meals there too.

The weekend of the 28th, I attended a special event that I was invited to. A friend of mine from the TaLK program was getting married to a lovely Korean lady in Seoul. What a privilege it was to attend a mixed American/Korean traditional culture wedding. The table of the groom's friends was pretty close to the front. So we not only got good seating, but a good view:) There was a buffet with both Korean and American food as well.  The neat part about the wedding was that my friend Steven had read his vows in Korean, while the bride read hers in English. The wedding was beautiful and I'm so happy for them both.

After the wedding, a friend and I left for the airport because we were going to Taiwan for vacation. We had brought our suitcases to Seoul and left them in lockers at the metro station. The lockers are fairly cheap and convenient. You only pay 3,000 won and you can store your belongings for up to 4 hours. If you need to keep your things in for a longer period of time, you pay another 3,000 won. My friend, Alex and I spent 8 days total in Taiwan and got to visit the capital and a few big cities during our time there.

Prior to leaving for Taiwan, my mentor teacher had notified me that I will be teaching 3 extra hours a week after school. On wednesdays, I now teach 2 extra english classes with some of my 3rd and 4th graders and 1 extra class on Fridays with my 6th graders. So now on wednesdays, I am pretty much at school for an entire 8 hours. It's pretty tiring. But I guess this is preparing for what a typical work day is like in my field of study. I have these time sheets that I fill out at the end of every school day of how many hours I worked. The teacher in charge of after-school program activities refers to the time sheet at the end of every month for my fixed salary.

where did April go?

I didn't realize how fast my time in Korea went by for the month of April. It's probably because I have so much to look forward to. The first day of April brought much laughter amongst my school staff with my April Fool's joke. I tried to be real upset about a false breakup I had the previous night and lacked sleep. I only played the joke on the teachers because I always wanted to be smiling around my kids. I was trying so hard not to laugh and all the teachers were worried about me thinking that I was really depressed or something. The secretary offered me a strawberry chocolate cookie to make me feel better and even used google translator to tell me that I am beautiful and that I deserve a man who would take care of my heart. She told me that my boyfriend cared about me and that I have a beautiful heart and that everything will be ok. Apparently the principal was concerned about me and asked me if I wanted to rest in the clinic room and just go home for the day. I told him that I would be fine to teach and that I just have to keep fighting. There was an instance where I couldn't hold back from laughing and I didn't want to blow my cover. So I put my head into my hands and was laughing behind my hands. Everyone else thought I was crying and didn't know what to do. Even during lunch time I barely talked, which is not how I usually am, and made the impression that I was sad. The teachers didn't know what to say to me during lunch and just talked among themselves. It wasn't until the end of the school day that I told the teachers I was only joking around about the break up for April Fool's Day. I told my principal first as I greeted him farewell and as soon as I pointed to April 1 on the calendar he understood me and was glad that I was happy:)

During the month of April there is also a cherry blossom festival held in my city. My co-teacher told me about the nighttime cherry blossom festival and how beautiful the blossoms look when they light up the streets. I was suppose to go tonight with my co-teacher but unfortunately it was raining today. It's really nasty outside when it rains in Korea especially with acid mixed in with it. The air smells fishy and it's no fun walking around with dirty wet shoes. It is important to always have an umbrella when it rains in Korea. If the acid rain gets on your head, you can go bald. It's pretty much just best to stay indoors and keep exposure to the acid rain to a minimum. And then there's the Jeonju city zoo with an admission fee of only 1000 won ($1). So cheap!!!

My birthday is also coming up in a few days at the end of April and I've been too excited. I'm glad that my birthday fell on a Monday because I don't have to teach on those days AND it's my second pay day. During the week of my birthday I only have to teach one day (Tuesday) because from Wednesday through Friday, the TaLK scholars from Jeollabuk-do province are going to Jeju Island for our cultural experience field trip. Jeju Island is a hot spot for couples to go for their honeymoon. I can't wait!!! I've seen pictures and it looks BEAUTIFUL!!!! I heard that we'll be going to the Teddy Bear Museum in Jeju. Sounds cute:) Finally, there is the Jeonju Film Festival from April 28-May 6 and it's being hosted in Hanok Village just nearby my apartment:) My co-teacher told me that an actress from the k-drama Boys Over Flowers will be hosting the film festival event. How awesome!! So I have to a lot of fun to look forward to in the next several days.

In terms of teaching, I am making progress:) In the first week of April, I reviewed the key expressions that I taught my 3rd-6th graders in order to evaluate where my students are in terms of what they learned and myself for my teaching progress. I planned a variety of partner activities and games that required the children to speak, write, and be able to visually recognize the key expressions when they hear the phrase. My 3rd through 6th graders can properly introduce themselves by telling me their name, age, likes, favorites (color, food, sport, etc.), where their from, and how their doing. I was so proud of my students:) They learn pretty quickly from my repetition of the key expressions.

This past week I did a unit on introducing family members. To introduce the idea, I first presented a power-point of my own family and introduced each member. The kids loved looking at pictures of my family and were interested in their ages. After my power-point, I told the kids that it was their turn to introduce their families. I had asked some of my classes to bring in a photograph of their family because they will each come up to the front of the class and introduce each family member using the key expression "This is my ___________". The blanks would be filled in with vocab words like older brother, older sister, younger brother, youngest brother, etc. Every grade level caught on fairly quickly with the key expression to describe their family members.

One of my 5th graders got a little upset when she was describing that she was an only child and had no brothers and sisters and started to cry. I told her there was nothing wrong with being an only child and continued on with the next student because I didn't want to single her out and embarass her. Some students didn't bring in photos so I made an alternative that they can just draw their family members on the chalkboard and introduce them that way. The kids had so much fun drawing their family members and I was so proud of them for catching on so quickly. So I'm thinking of starting a new topic and moving onto directions (probably asking for directions and giving directions with my higher level students). I work on short and simple phrases with my 1st and 2nd graders while practicing pronunciation with vocabulary terms. Their improving every day!!!!!

I also introduced Justin Bieber and showed my 4th-6th graders the song never say never featuring Jaden Smith from the movie Karate Kid. The kids LOVED the song and enjoyed the music video. They couldn't take their eyes off the screen. I taught my 6th graders the song and their working on pronunciation. One student can sing the entire song pretty well. I'm impressed. While most of the 6th graders can only catch a few words in each line of the song. One 6th grader thought that Justin Bieber was too good looking and asked which part of his face did he have surgery on. lol. I told him that it was Justin's natural face and that he didn't have any surgery. My student thought I was lying. lol.

I also had an occurrence with a bee in my classroom one day. I was teaching and using hand gestures like I normally do to help get my point across and all of a sudden a huge bee is flying around the window. I stop and just keep my eyes on the bee to make sure it won't come near me. The students see that I'm looking at the bee and a boy stretches his shirt sleeve over his hand and walked over to the bee. I stopped him to not continue because I didn't want him to get stung. Another student got a dust pan and pounded heavily on the bee. Where was I while he did this? I was all the way across the other side of the room by the door as far as possible from the bee. I thought the bee might get mad and start flying around so I prepared myself to run out the door. lol. My 6th graders were my heroes and they were all chill and acted as if the bee was no big deal.

Today was an usual day for me because I still had to go to school even though the entire school (except Kindergarten) went on a 2 day field trip to Everland (Korea's Cedar Point) and fulfill the hours for the week. I had a quiet lunch in the cafeteria with the kindergarteners and then went to the teacher's lounge to talk to the secretary and principal. Yesterday the secretary had told me that I don't need to come to school today because the students are on a field trip. But when I asked my mentor teacher he told me I still had to come to school. So I still paid 5100 won to come to school but it was too quiet in the school. It was nice to just come to school though and not have to teach and speak in English to my principal and the secretary. Time flew by because we were having so much fun talking. I realized that the secretary actually understands and knows a lot of English and she is really opening up to using her English now. I'm glad that she feels more confident about speaking in English to me. I was able to leave the school at 2:50 and head home with my co-teacher.

My co-teacher told me something about Korea that really shocked me and made my heart drop when I heard the news. She was telling me that there was big news of 4 students who committed suicide at a big university in Jeonju. And I was even more heartbroken when she told me that Korea ranks number one in the number of suicides. She saw my face expression change so quickly when I heard that. I felt sick and so sad to hear such horrible news and asked her what the typical age range of Koreans who committed suicide were. She said that many are high school or university students. Those school years for a Korean student is very stressful and many cannot handle the pressure and commit suicide. I was told that Korean high school students have a 15 hour school day. They go to school from 7 in the morning and finish at 10 p.m. They are exhausted by the end of the day and spend a lot of time preparing and studying for exams. This made me realize of how fortunate I am to have an 8 hour school day in an American high school yet so spoiled. Korean students have twice as a long of a school day than I did. Korean students value their education because they take the time to study for exams yet sometimes the workload is too much to handle. My heart sank and now every time I hear of going to school, I think of how hard Korean students are studying.

It wasn't until April that I also discovered the convenience of taking buses as a cheap way of getting around places. I always took a taxi to get to a place to meet a friend because it was quicker and I didn't know how the bus system worked. So with help from a friend, I learned that I just needed to know which bus numbers went to certain destinations and you just have to look for a bus stop. I would usually call my co-teacher and ask if a certain bus went to the place I wanted to get to and if she didn't know I learned how to ask the bus driver. The bus fare is only 1000 won ($1). Sometimes the buses can get quite crowded though and depending on how hard the driver steps on the break pedals, you might have to hang on tighter. I almost flew on another bus passenger had I not gripped the handle tightly at the last minute. I usually stand on the bus because I let the elderly sit. The only thing I'm still having a hard time with is reading Korean characters. Being able to read Korean would help a lot because the destinations are listed on the bus and I could see whether that bus would get me where I wanted to be. Speaking korean comes much easier for me. Today my co-teacher told me that I said thank you in Korean perfectly as if it were my native tongue. I'm learning a lot of new phrases everyday:)

I've also been keeping my floor heating system turned off since the weather is getting warmer and I have no need for it now. Saves electricity too. The only times I turn on the heat gauge is when I shower because the hot water needs to be turned on. Sometimes I forget to switch the knob from the shower hose back to the faucet hose. So sometimes when I go to wash my face in the morning, I get a shower of water. The cashier at the stores where I do my weekly grocery shopping knows me and she is always willing to help me find anything I need. The people around my area are so friendly and I like where I am living. There is a university right across the street from my apartment too so I run into a lot of university students who can speak English. 

Well, that pretty much sums up April so far. I'll post if anything new or exciting happens:) I love and miss everyone back home. It's exactly 100 days from today that I will be leaving Korea and heading home. 100 days sounds so little yet so much at the same time.

got my camera back:)

For those who didn't know, I realized that I lost my camera this past Saturday morning. I was 100% sure that I had it with me when I came back to my apartment Friday late noon after I was done teaching. I remembered uploading the recent pictures I took on facebook that Friday. Later, I went out for dinner with some friends Friday evening but I knew for sure I did not bring my camera with me. Since I was certain that I had brought my camera back home from school on Friday, I knew it had to be somewhere in my apartment. Spent the weekend frantically searching for my lost camera. Turns out my memory isn't as accurate and led me to thinking that my camera was somewhere in my apartment. This morning I was pretty much at the point of thinking that all hope was lost in finding my camera this morning. I was thinking that I needed to buy a new camera which would probably be expensive. I told the faculty at my school that I lost my camera and mentioned that it might be possible that I left it at school. I checked the room I was in last Friday where I took out my camera to show my co-teacher some pictures. No camera. The vice principal was so worried for me that she even made an announcement to all the teachers to let their students know about my missing camera because a camera is a pretty valuable thing to lose. She said the students at the school would know to give lost things to their teacher.

Later on in the day, I ran into my 6th graders and they kept saying the word camera and where it was. I told them I didn't know because I lost it and that I was sad. It seemed like I had the whole school worrying for me and my camera:/ While getting ready to leave to go home for the day, I said bye to the principal and he mentioned the word camera and then held out his hand in front of me. I was so confused and placed my hand on his hand and then he had a confused look as well. Then he said something in Korean and went to his office and I followed after him. He comes out of his office with my camera and my mouth dropped open with excitement. I was so happy to see my camera with my own eyes and glad that I didn't accidentally drop it on the street or something.


The funny thing is that the principal acted like it was no big deal that he had my camera. He was all chill and just returned the camera to me. He told me he looked through all the photos and saw me in the pictures so he figured the camera belonged to me. However, he had no idea that the entire school was looking for my camera because he was at a meeting this morning. I thanked him a million times and was so glad to have my camera back:)

On top of receiving the good news that my camera was safe and only at my school, I only had to teach 3 out of the 5 classes I normally have on Wednesdays. Today, the elementary school had a fire drill practice that lasted nearly 2 class periods. The kids got to see a real fire and were able to participate in putting the fire out. The staff and children seemed to enjoy it. It was a nice and relaxing day for me:)

 



 

March in Korea

 

So the end of March is almost approaching and so much has happened. I don't even know where to begin. I guess I'll start with talking about how teaching has been for me.

I teach 4 days a week Tuesday through Thursday for 15 hours. It's nice to have Mondays off and enjoy a long weekend. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays I teach from 1:20-2:50--only 2 classes those days. I normally take the 11:42 bus to Imsil. It's about a 30 minute bus ride and costs about 5100 won one way. The bus ticket for my ride home is a bit cheaper for me at the gwanchon station. I'm so thankful that my co-teacher is always willing to drop me off there. Wednesdays, however, are long and busy days. I start teaching at 8:50 in the morning and teach 5 classes. I am usually up and ready by 7:30 because my mentor teacher will pick me up from my apartment and take me to school. Otherwise, I would be taking the 7:12 am bus which is super early. Wednesday is the only day my mentor teacher can take me to school because he is super busy. He is currently writing his thesis for his Ph.D degree and has many business trips. The bus stop is about a 15 minute walk from my apartment and the ticket master knows me already because I come in so often. Before, my co-teacher had written down what I should say in Korean to show him, but now he always gets the ticket out for me whenever he sees me. Once I'm in Imsil, I have about a 10 minute walk to Galdam Elementary School. Sometimes I will see random stray animals walking around the streets and they haven't bothered me so it's pretty safe.

Everyday I greet the principal, vice principal, and teachers at the school once I arrive. Some days I get to school around noon time which is lunch. The cafeteria food has been pretty good so far. However, one day fish was served and it had a really fishy taste. The cook approached me and asked if it was delicious. Of course I couldn't say no so I smiled and said "mashi soyyo" (it's delicious). She watched me as I ate so I had no choice but to eat it with a smile on my face. The faculty staff will usually sit together at a table during lunch, but sometimes I like to sit with the kids and chat with them. Every student has their own cup with a toothbrush to brush their teeth after lunch. I'm always asking my kids to check my teeth for food that might be stuck:P Lunch break is from 12:10-1:10 so if I finish early sometimes the teachers will invite me to have coffee and just have a chat with me to practice their English. The teacher's room in the school is like the lounge area where snacks are usually served and talk with one another. My principal always has a smile on his face whenever I'm around which is good because I was really intimated by him when I first met him. He loves asking me questions about myself in general. Like what my hobbies are, my family, etc. He seems to understand me just fine even though I'm gesturing most of the time and speaking slower. Last week I shared some of the korean phrases I learned/picked up from a drama I've been watching and he enjoyed teasing me about my pronunciation and got really excited that I was even attempting to speak Korean. I always get a handshake from him whenever I greet him and excuse myself from leaving. There are a few teachers in the school that are always trying to talk to me and are always willing to help me. The other teachers seem a bit more shy and I try to talk to them because I would like to build a good relationship the entire school staff. However, I understand that there is a language barrier that is holding them back from opening up and stepping out of their comfort zone.

Each grade is at a different level in terms of the English they know. So the first couple weeks of teaching, I did activities to find out how much and what they knew. For instance, my 1st & 2nd graders already knew the alphabet and could count up to 20. However, some of the kids had a hard time recognizing some single words. So I started working on phonics--the sounds of the letters and reading words that have those letters. My 1st & 2nd graders are combined into one class and their my biggest class--16 students. My 1st graders listen and behave really well. But my 2nd graders just cannot sit still and keep quiet. I used a sticker method of giving out stickers at the end of the day if they behave. But some naughty students just didn't seem to mind and continued to misbehave. So last week I showed them that I meant business and I wasn't fooling around. I crossed my arms and had a large frown on my face. I used a new method of writing a large X on the chalkboard. I explained that every X means 1 minute extra after class of sitting in silence. By the end of the class, there were four X's on the board, so the students had to stay 4 minutes extra. I allowed the first graders to leave because they behaved well during class. At the end of 4 minutes, I told the kids that I will continue to use this method from now on and if they would rather stay after class or listen during class. My new method seemed to work because the next couple of days they listened so well and I didn't have trouble throughout the activities I had planned for the class period.

My 6th graders are at the most advanced level of English. They can read and write full sentences and even understand the meaning of the sentences. I have so much fun with my 6th grade class because they are so eager to learn and love playing the games that I prepare for them to practice their pronunciation and learn new expressions that relate to American culture. Last week,  I played a game known as the fly swatter game with the 6th graders. They absolutely loved and enjoyed it. I wrote the key expressions they learned scattered across the chalkboard and divided the class into 2 teams. Each team received a pointer stick and one member from each team would come up to the chalkboard to compete in finding the key expression I called out. The students enjoy games that involve competition and really get into it. I also noticed that every grade level loves the game Bingo, which is a nice way to practice and review vocabulary. Usually each week I will pick a topic and during the week I will work on teaching each grade level the key expressions through activities/games. Sometimes I can spend two weeks on the same key expressions until the students have gotten the expressions down. So I am doing a lot of repeating and reviewing and practice to enhance the material I am teaching. I am enduring in patience with my kids as I see the gradual progress they are making. To see a shy and quiet student raise their hand and participate puts the biggest smile on my face. I am always trying to find new and different ways to be the best teacher I can to my students. It's definitely a challenge, but I am encouraged to see these children succeed in learning English. I'm Fighting!!!:)

I am currently hooked on the K-drama Boys Over Flowers. The actress is just too cute and the main actors of the F4 group are really handsome. The kids and I enjoy talking about the drama. I told them that my favorite actor was Lee Min Ho (Goo Jun Pyo). I saw a poster and some small stickers of the actors from the drama. One of my students saw how excited I was and how much I liked the actors. So she gave me a sticker of Lee Min Ho as a gift and asked if he was my boyfriend. Haha. I told her no, but I like him a lot. She also asked if I loved him and put her arms into the shape of a heart. Whenever I have time, I will usually be watching the drama on my laptop. It's a fairly short drama with only 25 episodes and I am currently on Episode 23. I'll have to ask my kids about recommendations for which drama I should watch next (preferably one with Lee Min Ho..haha:P:);)).

In terms of living in Korea, I am facing a lot of new and daily experiences on my own. Being independent is nice but a lot of responsibility comes along with it. Back in Michigan, I live at home and even though I do my own things its easy for me to get help if needed. Here it takes time for me to figure out how to accomplish a simple task such as doing laundry. I gave up on trying to figure out how to work my laundry machine the first couple weeks and just hand washed my clothes. But after getting help from a friend, I can finally wash my clothes. I don't have the luxury of popping my clothes into a dryer and warm dry clothes in an hour. Instead, all my clothes need to be hang dried and their usually stiff and wrinkly. Good thing I have an iron. However, the heated floor system does come in handy at times when I need the clothes to dry faster. Another new thing I am still trying to get used to is the fact that the entire bathroom is my shower. There is a sink, toilet, a small cabinet, and a drain for the water. The shower hose is attached to the sink and there is a knob I need to turn if I want the water to come out of the shower hose. Sometimes I forget to turn the knob to switch it back to the faucet so I've gotten soaked a couple times. I even have to press a button to turn the hot water on and shut it off when I'm done. I also have to keep my place clean and take out my trash. As for cooking, I am mostly cooking plain noodles and just adding packages of different sauces over the noodles. I use sauces such as jia jiang myun sauce (it's like a black bean sauce) and curry. I bought some packages of dumplings the other day at a store nearby my apartment. I will also go out to eat with friends as well because it's sometimes more cheaper to eat out than buy groceries and prepare food. I still have to check out the big market 15 minutes away from my apartment. I hear they have cheap fresh fruit there. As for food, I'm all set. There are plenty of restaurants around my area and I live next to a major University dormitory. My co-teacher actually attends the National University of Education and lives next to me. Many of the teachers at my school graduated from that University and got their teaching degree there.

Finding my way around Korea is starting to become easier for me now. At first, I would encounter people who didn't want to continue speaking to me once they realized I speak English. But for the most part, whenever I am lost or need help with something, someone will always be more than willing to help me out. Apparently I have a really confused or lost look on my face that makes people worry for me and want to help me. One of my co-teachers lives in a different city and we need to take a separate bus to get home. An older lady overheard my co-teacher explaining to me how I should get home. The lady told her that she was headed to the same place and said she could show me where to go and that she would pay for the taxi fare from the bus station. I learned how to say many thanks (ko-map-seum-ni-dah) because I was always in situations where people were going out of their way just to help me. On taxi rides, I learned how to ask how to get somewhere by saying the destination and then adding "ka-jusseyo". I am able to tell the taxi driver that I am an English teacher at Galdam Elementary School in Imsil and that I am Chinese. I then tell them Hangul (Korean) and put my pointer and thumb together to show them that I only know a little. I had a cab driver the other day who was telling me that China is very big and Korea is very small after I told him that I was Chinese. I'm not sure what he said during the rest of the ride, but I kept hearing the word China. haha. So far the people I've encountered can understand me when I speak Korean to them and I haven't gotten lost yet in Korea but I am managing on getting around places just fine.

There is a big shopping area known as Gaeksa about a 15 minute walk from where I live with reasonable prices on clothing, shoes, purses, etc. I am so tempted to buy many things I see but I set a limit for my spending budget even though I got my first paycheck this past Friday. The fashion is amazing and I'm trying to buy clothes to fit in as a Korean. I also live about 5 minutes away from a main tourist attraction in Jeonju called Hanok Village. Many festivals are held there during the spring and summer. I am looking forward to checking out those festivals when the days approach. Bukdae is another place that I pretty much visit every weekend to go out and eat and just spend time with friends. There is a big noraebang (karaoke) place in Bukdae that I still have to check out:) My co-teacher has not been to Bukdae before but she hears that it's a popular place to hangout so I promised I would show her around next weekend and we'll have lots of fun:)

This past weekend, I participated in a fundraiser event of an organization called Neighbourly, Neighborly. This organization visits orphanages once a month to spend time with the children through games and activities and to just devote their time to helping out around the community. I met up with two friends, Jenny and Alex, in Bukdae and the three of us took a taxi to a place called Radio Star. We had quite an adventurous cab ride. The driver literally swerved through the streets of Jeonju to drop us off at our destination. There were a few times where it looked like he was about to crash into another car but he never did. We all wore our seat belts for safety. haha. He even stopped the taxi cab in the middle of the street at one point and we thought we had arrived at Radio Star. Alex handed the cab driver some money and I opened the door to get ready to go out. But he motioned for me to close the door. Haha. It was quite funny because we were so confused. When we actually arrived at Radio Star, Alex accidentally steps on my shoe as I get out of the cab and it slips off. I go to reach for my shoe but I accidentally knock her glasses off and we pretty much stumbled out of the cab. LOL It was hilarious. The taxi driver laughed and looked at us like we were a crazy group of friends. Last Saturday, the group held a fundraiser at the mini-bar called Radio Star and all profits went towards the gifts for the children at the orphanage. There were many foreigners there that could speak English and I was pretty much the only Asian aside from the Korean students in the band. They served a variety of sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, beverages, and rice krispy treats--all for a good cause!!! Many high school music bands performed for free at the bar and my friends and I met some talented high school musicians.

We left Radio Star around 3 and headed to a baby orphanage that the head coordinator of the fundraiser had told us about. The taxi driver didn't drop us off right at the orphanage. Instead, he dropped us off at a castle looking place that we later found out was a Chinese restaurant once we reached the front door. We were thinking that it was too nice to be an orphanage and even started to take pictures in front of it for memory sake. haha. So we went into a store and asked a nice lady if she knew where the orphanage was and she pointed across the street from her store. When we walked in, a man from the main office welcomed us in and we explained that we were interested in volunteering. We motioned a gesture of holding a baby to him and he understood. A few seconds later, he tells us to follow him and we walk up a flight of stairs. Next thing we know there is a gate in front of a room with babies crawling everywhere. I walk in and a lady gives me a baby to hold and I start playing with the babies. My heart literally melted the instant I held the babies. They need the love and warmth from people who care about them. The babies would cry if you put them down even for a second because they thought you were going to leave them. There were about 3 ladies who were taking care of about 10 babies. So they really like and appreciate volunteers who come by to help. Jenny, Alex, and I stayed at the orphanage until 7. Our arms were sore from holding babies for 4 straight hours but I enjoyed and loved every moment I spent with the babies. I am actually going to visit the orphanage every Saturday at 3 to volunteer and play/help take care of the babies/and feed them. I look forward to seeing them next weekend:)

I was also told that starting in April I will be teaching Kindergarten for an extra 3 hours. I look forward to meeting the Kindergarten students:) On a side note, the students at my school are learning Chinese plus English from me. The kids are going to be multi-lingual. How awesome is that?!!

Below are some pictures I posted of events, people, and things I've done throughout the month of March. 

Friends of my mentor teacher who are elementary school teachers. They are so sweet. We went to an art gallery together and chatted while enjoy a cup of hot chocolate:)

Salad Gimbap for dinner. So delicious!!!! I love it.

Galdam Elementary School!! This is my workplace for the next 4 months. My school has 60 students. The big open field in front of the school is where the kids will play soccer. 

My 5th graders working on their name tags for the English names they picked out. Their a shy and quiet group but their slowly starting to warm up to me and love saying hello to me in the hallway.

A picture with my 6th grade class. I had to take a separate picture with the boys and girls because the girls didn't want to stand with the boys.

My 4th graders:) There are quite a few 4th graders who can speak English really well and know more English.

Some of my 1st/2nd graders working on their name tags. Every class enjoyed decorating their name tags to personalize it. 

My lovely 3rd graders. Their my smallest class. Only 8 students. One of them was a little shy:)

The well-known market that is 10 minutes from my apartment. There is cheap and fresh fruit sold here.

The ticket stand I visit 3 days a week to purchase my ticket for the bus ride to school. It's about a 10 minute walk from my apartment.

These 6th grade girls were my hero one day when I had to take the bus home by myself. They helped me buy my ticket and even stayed with me to wait until the bus came. I bought the girls some ice cream since it was warm that day and a way of showing my appreciation for their help.

Gaeksa shopping center. This is a popular place to shop for cheaper but good quality items as opposed to the products in malls.

 

 I was so happy the day I got phone because I could finally communicate properly and more effectively. The cell phone charm was a gift from my friend Julie:)

 

 Went out for lunch with some friends after we did some shopping in Gaeksa:)

 The delicious box of Dove chocolate I received from my landlady for white day. So sweet of her:)

Miss Kang Seo Young--one of my co-teachers. She comes to school every Tuesday with me and helps me out in the classroom.

My 3rd graders playing bingo. They love it. Everyone in the class has a good and fun time.

A few of my 1st graders. They listen and behave so well:)

 I was finally able to get a group picture of all my 6th graders plus my other co-teacher Miss Kim Soo Jung:)

One of the many dinner outings I have with friends:) We ate wall nam ssam--a vietnamese dish where you take rice paper and wrap it with cooked meat and a variety of vegetables. So good!!!!

 

Met some friendly Korean University students.

I introduced a game called the fly swatter game and the 6th graders had so much fun with it. I took the key expressions I taught the students and wrote the phrases across the chalkboard. I divided the class into 2 teams and one student from each team would come up to the board and compete to find the phrase I called out. This game helps the students to visually recognize the key expressions.

 These two 6th graders of mine are like best buds. Always together.

A picture I found on my camera of one of my 6th graders with Mrs. Lilibeth (another co-teacher of mine) in the background.

Several pictures from the day I played Bingo with my 1st/2nd grade students. They had a lot of fun. One student got three bingo's.

I introduced a fun game to my 4th grade students. The students have been practicing the phrases: "What is your favorite fruit?" and "My favorite fruit is ____________". The students were assigned a fruit and one student will always be in the middle. All the students sitting in the circle will ask the student in the middle "What is your favorite fruit?" The student in the center will then respond with "My favorite fruit is ____________". If the student in the middle calls out one of the fruits that was named, the students who were assigned those fruits must switch seats. The student that didn't get a seat in time is the next to be in the center. The 4th graders went crazy with this game. 

A picture with the talented high school guitarist that performed at Radio Star for the fundraiser.

A high school beat boxer who also performed at Radio Star. He has skills.

 Boys Over Flowers. The Korean drama I am currently hooked on and watching. Only a few more episodes and I'm almost done with this drama.

first day of teaching

Yesterday was my first day of teaching and it was quite a long and tiring day. I don't even know where to begin. My day started with meeting my co-teacher at the bus stop in Jeonju (about a 15 minute walk from my apartment). We purchased our tickets (which are incredibly expensive..5100 won for a 30 minute ride each way--i spent 10,200 won just on the bus ticket alone!!). Once we arrived in Imsil, we ran into a police officer who offered to drive us to the elementary school. I got to sit in the backseat of a Korean cop car and see a bunch of police equipment. The back door can't be opened from the inside so the cop joked around that I was arrested. He wanted to improve his English and said I could stop by his office anytime. He was impressed with the few simple Korean phrases I knew how to say.
Once we got to school, I greeted the principal, vice principal, and my mentor teachers and gave them the gifts I prepared for them. My co-teacher and I prepared the materials I used for my first class and went to the classroom to set up. My first class was 1/2 graders with 16 students. They were a handful and quite active. I was able to get through my introduction power-point, but I had to constantly stop in between to settle the kids down or stop hitting each other. There were a few kids in the class who knew English really well. When it got out of control I had to cross my arms and put on a serious face. It's amazing how quick they notice that I'm not happy and whisper to the other students to be quiet and listen. I would cross my arms in the shape of an X to show kids what I didn't like. Some kids thought it'd be funny to say yes to the things I didn't like (such as yelling or hitting one another). The girls behaved really well and there were a couple of students who kept trying to help me keep some kids seated. They are such cute and adorable kids, but their attention span is very low. I started handing out the paper for the kids to make their name tags, but we ran out of time. First and second graders are definitely a challenge. I know now that I need to spend less time getting them to pay attention and introduce engaging activities to maintain their interest and attention on me.
I taught the 5th graders for my next class and my power-point didn't play and so I had to present my introduction slideshow on my laptop. The kids could still see but it was just a small screen. I have 12 5th graders. They are quiet..too quiet. I introduced the idea of a sticker chart and told them that if they fill up their name on the chart with stickers, they will receive a prize. To earn a sticker, students need to participate, help clean up, help out their classmates in some way, and follow my classroom rules (which they follow really well, except for participation). This will hopefully motivate them to practice the English during our activities while having fun:) The 5th graders were able to start working on their name tags but ran out of time. 40 minute classes fly by so quickly.


I thought yesterday was tough, but today was even more tiring since I taught 5 classes and was up since 6 am. Yesterday, I followed my co-teacher around for transportation but today I was on my own. The bus schedule for Imsil is irregular and the bus times are limited since the drivers are on strike. I start teaching at 8:50 this morning so my only option was to take the 7:12 am bus. I got up at 6 to get ready and wanted to get to the ticket stand a little early in case I ran into any communication problems and needed to ask around for help. A man was waiting at the bus stop and I showed him the note my co-teacher had written in Korean for "I need a ticket to Imsil please". He showed me that in about 7 minutes the ticket master was going to open the stand and I can buy the ticket. Around 7 am, the owner of the ticket stand came by and the man wanted me to show the ticket master the note with Korean writing on it but I didn't know that. He kept showing me his hands because when I showed him the note the first time it was on my hand. So he took my hand and tried to look for the note..haha. Then seconds later I realized what he was talking about and I was able to get my bus ticket. After a 30 minute bus ride, I arrived at my school and greeted my principal, vice principal and the teachers that were already at school. When my mentor teacher came in, he asked me if I took the bus to school and if it was ok. Apparently, he came by to my apartment around 7:30 this morning to take me to school but my co-teacher had told me that I was suppose to take the bus to school myself today. Oops. This is why I cannot wait to get my phone asap to avoid situations like that.
I told my principal and vice principal that I took the bus to school all by myself and that the bus fare is really expensive. Every morning I'm offered a cup of coffee which is a nice way to start my morning and wake me up.
I had my 5th graders again for my first class today. We sang a "Good morning, how are you song" as a way to get in the mood for English class. Still not as much participation from them as I would like but they had a lot of fun picking out their English names.
I met my 6th graders for the first time today. The boys love to speak a lot of English phrases randomly throughout the class period. Every class had a fun time picking out English names. Some of the younger children thought that English names sound funny. One 3rd grade girl kept saying "pass" when she didn't like a name. haha. My 3rd grade class is the smallest with only 8 students and their my best class. Too bad I only teach them once a week. I will prepare a bingo game for my 3rd graders because one of the girls asked to play Bingo. There are few students with disabilities in my class and I am worried about them because they don't respond to me. They just shake their head no. One boy in the 3rd grade kept picking on another boy who cannot speak and pulled on his hair. I immediately came over and had a talk with him outside. My mentor teacher came by and had a talk with him as well. Despite the behavior issues that come up in my classroom, I bring my smile and energy to every class to show the kids how excited I am to teach them English. But if things get out of control, I mean business that I am not happy and they have a seat in the principal's office. The kids will do everything to test me and don't really listen when I tell them to stop or that it's not ok in English because I am a foreigner. They know that I don't understand Korean. Teaching English as a second language is definitely a challenge but I am determined to fulfill the responsibility I have as a role model/teacher and educate the kids on everyday conversational English.
After a tiring day at school, my day got even more interesting on the way home. My co-teacher was kind enough to drop me off at the Jeonju bus station. Once at the station, she stayed with me to buy the ticket and translated the place where I needed to be dropped off to the bus driver in Korean. I just remember my co-teacher telling me that the bus was going to drop me off in front of the home plus store and she said it was close to Nambu market. Yeah...it wasn't. Nambu market is a major landmark I look for to see whether I'm close to my apartment. I ended up in the middle of Jeonju and had to walk about 45 minutes until I reached Nambu Market. From Nambu, it's about another 10 minute walk back to my place. Once I was dropped off at home plus, I didn't see anything that looked familiar. I said "Nambu market" to a nice man walking on the street and he was explaining in Korean but I tried my best to figure out what he was saying with his hand gestures. I walked in the direction he pointed and saw the Jeonju city hall. I recognized the city hall when my friend took me shopping in Gaeksa (which is about a 15 minute car drive from my apartment). So I realized that I was super far from my home and had no idea which direction to go.
I stopped and asked another nice man on the street if he spoke English and that I need help finding Nambu market. He asked me to follow him and while we were walking I found out that he's a policeman and was off duty so he wasn't in his uniform. He asked me if I was Korean (which I get ALL the time) and what my purpose in Korea was. I explained to him that I am an English teacher at Galdam Elementary in Imsil. He walked with me until I saw a sign that had an arrow pointing straight ahead with Nambu Market written underneath. I walked the rest of the way and thanked him (too many times) for his help. By the time I got home it was 15 minutes till 5 in the evening. I should have been home around 3 but I was just happy about the fact that I got home.
Despite getting lost, I had a delicious dinner of noodle soup (kal gook) with some friends who are also living around my area. 
Tomorrow is a more relaxed day with only 2 classes. I don't teach tomorrow until 1:20 so it'll be nice to sleep in. Wednesdays are just rough days for me because my mentor teacher told me today that I will be teaching Kindergarten for 3 extra hours starting next week. Which means I'm at school pretty much from 8-4. God give me the strength. I will need it.

                                        

Here's a video I made of my apartment. Some people have been asking what my apartment is like and they can take a look for themselves now. I'm pretty much just chilling in my apartment today since I don't start teaching till Tuesday. I thought I might make effective use of my free time to start planning lessons now and then not worry about them later.

Here's a music video a friend of mine showed me and now it's stuck in my head. Park Jung Min from SS501 has a song called Not Alone. It's a pretty catchy beat. Makes me want to dance.

                                                               

I'm uploading several pix throughout my time here in Korea so far. Brings back so many pleasant memories. Enjoy!

A group pic with the AmAZING K tigers who blew me away with their taekwondo performance. They literally kicked some butt:P 

A picture of the beautiful traditional Korean painting I got as a gift from the professor. There are three basic strokes for the leaves in every painting. Once you paint the three strokes, the painter is free to paint whatever they like.

       

We made paper dolls as a Korean craft in a class. I love the Hanbok dress. I want to get one tailored for me while I'm here in Korea.

 A snapshot of me with my Taekwondo masters who taught us some basic moves and kicks. The K tigers made taekwondo look easy. It's definitely a good workout though to keep in shape. My legs were sore for a week after our taekwondo class.

The view from my dorm room at Jochiwon University. The big building in the picture is where we had all 31 lectures during the 2 1/2 week orientation.

Dreamsauna--the first jimjibang (bathhouse) I visited in Korea. Many Koreans stay at the bathhouse for a cheap price. There are so many different saunas in the bathhouse and it's sooo relaxing.

Korean BBQ (absolutely delicious). The meat is cooking on the grill so it looks nasty, but its so tasty. I learned that you take a piece of lettuce, wrap a bite size piece of meat and some sauce and side dishes of your choice and then enjoy it.

One of the many temples I saw during the temple visit field trip. There was a lot of Chinese writing on the temples. I wish I could read what it said.

The friendly hikers we met while exploring the temples. They were so excited to meet foreigners and asked to take a picture with us. They made my day:) We told them that Americans say "cheese" when taking pictures..haha:P

The drunk Korean folk band we ran into on our way down the mountains from the temple. We were offered makkoli (rice beer) and spicy food that I refused to eat with their used chopsticks. This was a hilarious and unforgettable moment.

Group pic at the train station..Group 6 Team 3-Lions.

 Cute and cheap socks..only 500 won ($0.50). Can't beat that.

 The nice lady who prepared our lunch in her food stand. I had dukbokki (again):)

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This girl was giving free hugs..i had to get one from her. She was just too cute dressed up in that bunny outfit.

 

 Painting with Picasso:)

My reward for completing 2 1/2 weeks of orientation consisting of 31 lectures but fun and memorable moments with the other TaLK scholars:)..sigh..good times:)

We made oriental herb aroma pouches during our visit to the Hanok Village in Jeonju. My apartment is a 5 minute walk from the village, so I will be visiting it again soon.

Our lunch during the field trip in Hanok Village.

The bowl I made in Hanok Village. I'm not good at pottery like my sister is..I wish I was talented with clay though.

Last day of orientation at Jeonju University. It was sad leaving everyone, but I was happy when I found out I would be living in Jeonju. My dear friends, feel free to visit me anytime!!:)

My bowl of Jeonju's famous bibimbap. I hesitated at first to eat it with the raw egg and beef mixed in..but it tasted delicious.

I tried to post at least one picture from every main event I've done in Korea so far so the pictures are kinda random. I have my Korea albums posted on fb and their more consistent. I'll do my best to keep everyone updated on anything new:) I miss everyone!! Love you all!!!:x