I stepped outside today to find the weather cold and rainy. Good thing I was armed with a sweet hand-me-down rainbow umbrella that was given to me by my 72-year-old Korean best friend. That's right, Mr. Peter is my best friend and the father of my boss. He is employed by the school to take care of the Native (that's me). He does a great job. He refers to himself as my "tour guide" and takes me to do all the fun stuff like pay bills and go to the doctor. His interests include his lovely wife, hiking, and drinking tea (but only if it is served at the correct temperature...I have received an impromptu lesson on how to do this properly when he showed up at my apartment unexpectedly one morning to bring me the aforementioned umbrella). He also likes to bring me little gifts, such as a planner and some instant rice; the planner because I accidentally almost missed a meeting with my boss, and the rice because he noticed I didn't eat a lot of it at lunch and thought I should probably work it more seriously into my diet. That said, he takes care of me and I am grateful to have such a caring bestie on this side of the globe.
That was not supposed to be the topic of this post, I think I might have gotten a little carried away. I just really love my rainbow umbrella. BUT NOT AS MUCH AS I LOVE SNACK TIME!! You see, on Tuesdays and Thursdays the kids are in class for two hours straight, and they get really hungry. I know this because around the same time everyday they all start chanting in unison "Teacher, hungry!" and rubbing their bellies and pretending like they are dying and fall on the floor. They can be really dramatic sometimes...this same phenomenon takes place when they get a paper cut...the slightest bit of blood and they totally freak out. Anyway, the time always comes when the receptionist shows up with a tray full of goodies! And what kinds of goodies would those be, you ask? Weird Asian goodies that I find completely disgusting, of course!
It's bad enough that I teach a speaking class and the kids repeat everything I say (in some of the classes they have figured out it is really funny to repeat EVERYTHING I say, in which case I get them with the old "I'm an idiot" trick, which I think is extra funny since they don't know what idiot means) but when they are talking with their mouths full of whatever horrible smelling treat the director has blessed my classroom with that day, it makes me more than a little nauseous. I know it's cold outside, but I'm opening the window.
For the first few weeks, I tried not to let snack time distract the kids too much. But when week after week I couldn't figure out what it was they were eating, I started to ask. One of the mystery treats looked something like string cheese. I was jealous at first, until I found out that they were eating room-temperature sausages. Then there was this one thing that looked like a big flat piece of crunchy bread. One day a student offered me part of his. I asked "What is it?" and he paused, and then replied "cookie". I smelled it, and it did NOT smell like a cookie. So I asked another student who replied "fish". Hmm. That's a little far off from cookie. So then I asked the class and they all decided that it was a "fish cookie". I decided to be brave, and then almost immediately regretted that decision. Quite possibly the nastiest thing I have ever had in my mouth...wait...correction- the nastiest thing that has EVER been in my mouth would be the cooked bug I ate at the cherry blossom festival two weeks ago. It looked (and tasted) like a small cockroach. I would not have done that either, but I couldn't have been shown up by Meghan's mom. Wow, she is such a badass. Anyway, snack time is really really awful and I dread it everyday.
Now, I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that snack time is also one of my favorite times of the day. Sharing. The kids are so happy and willing to share with one another and it can be truly amazing to watch. For example, one of my students does not like the "fish cookie" (smart kid) so every time they get one, he works very hard to break it into seven equal pieces and gives one to each of the other students in the classroom. The first time he did this I tried not to cry. Another day each student got a little cup full of what looked like spicy fruit loops. One of the kids accidentally knocked his entire cup on the floor. Without hesitation, each of the other kids took a little handful from their cup and put it in his until his cup was full again. This time, I think a tear squirted out. And yet a different day, one of the students was absent, so there was an extra snack and drink. Instead of fighting over who would get two, they all decided that I should get the snack because I didn't have one.
Koreans are, in general, more worried about the group as a whole than they are about themselves. This doesn't happen just at snack time with my students, I also witnessed it over and over during the Easter egg hunt when students were giving their extra eggs to the kids that didn't find any. At the risk of sounding sappy...wouldn't the world be a better place if we took this simple concept and applied it more directly to our actions everyday? Sharing. Think about it.
Up Next: The Top Five Things That Might Kill Me In Korea
Monday, April 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Teaching "Englishee"
Lucky. That would be the best word to describe the job I landed here in Korea. I work for a hagwon, which is a private English institution that the kids attend after their regular school hours. This means that I work from 1:30-9:00pm (thus sleeping from 3am-noon) Monday-Friday. The name of my school is the Korea Herald School, which is owned by an English newspaper that runs in Seoul. Other than the name, I have found no significant connection between the two.
Basics: I teach two kindergarten classes, six elementary school classes, and four middle school classes. I plan from 1:30-3:00 and then teach forty minute classes until 9:00. For each class, I have a book, as well as corresponding flashcards and tapes for each lesson. I get one forty minute break.
The one thing that is great and that sucks about my job is that I am the only native English speaker at my school...which is not very common. This means I work only with Koreans. Compared to most of the other English teachers here, this gives me extra drawbacks and advantages. Here they are:
Good Thing #1: I am spoiled rotten like an egg that's been left in the sun for way too long (please forgive the bad analogy, but Easter is just around the river bend and I have egg hunts on my mind). Mainly, this pertains to my apartment. I will write a blog on my apartment, but basically they hooked me up in more ways than one, so you'll hear about that later. Aside from my place, my Vice Director treats me like I am her long lost daughter (this could be because she is pregnant with her first child, but I am pretending it's because she loves me); she brings me food to school nearly everyday. Homemade kimchi. Cookies. Triangle gimbap. One day, it was this immaculate sandwich complete with cut-off crust. She also washes my sheets and brings me new blankets once a week. What a gem.
Good Thing #2: I am the only native speaker because my school is teeny tiny. My smallest class has three kids, and my biggest class has ten. This makes my job so incredibly easy. Coming from a place where I was teaching classes of 25-30, this is a piece-of-cake. I already know every kid by name, and I pretty much have the personalities down as well. I am also slowly finding out that I....gulp....like kids. I know, I know, I never thought those words would come out of my mouth either, but Korean kids are just so damn cute! They way they get so excited and say "I love my dog!" just melts my heart.
Bad Thing #1: I am the only person there that actually speaks English properly and with a wide vocabulary. At work, it is my Director, Roy, his wife and Vice-Director, Erica, my two fellow (and rockin') Korean teachers Bobbie and Elly, and our receptionist, Lynn. Erica's English is the best, she actually went to KU for a couple of years...which might have something to do with her convincing her husband to hire their first female teacher, ever. Next comes Elly, who has also spent time in the States and we can hold a decent conversation. Then Bobbie, who is giving me Korean lessons once a week (I can read!! Too bad I can never understand what I am reading). Roy comes in a lagging fourth and is always asking me the most stupid/hilarious questions and I am constantly finishing his sentences because he has a hard time thinking of the right word to say. Last is Lynn. She doesn't speak English. This gets pretty funny between the two of us because we both really want to talk to each other, but that only ever gets accomplished with an interpreter. However, she just began studying English and since I just began learning Korean, my hope is that we can have a conversation without a third party intervention by next March. Wait, what was my point? Oh yes. They all speak Korean all the time and I never have any idea what is going on.
Bad Thing #2: There is no one to cover me if I get sick. Which has already happened and my bosses had to teach my classes. Ever since I had to miss two days of work because of the laryngitis, Roy has made it more than a little obvious that he thinks I am lazy. Great. I mean, if we are being honest here, I am pretty lazy, but he shouldn't have seen through me already! In reality, however, I do really care if I am doing a good job or not, and it genuinely bothers me that he thinks I am not making an effort. Yeah, it's my fault I'm allergic to yellow dust. Maybe I should teach him the word "empathy".
There are about a million funny stories I could tell about work, but I will leave you with just a few select conversations, for now.
In my first grade class, the kids get a new book. We are learning the names of the characters in the book. Annie, Joe, Kate, Chris. Then we come to the token black kid.
Moris, Jimmy, and Nancy, in unison: "OBAMA!"
*Keep in mind, these are six-year-old Koreans. There is a lot to be said about the quality of education American children are getting compared to that of Korean children.
**Moris and Jimmy now refer to themselves as "Obama 1" and "Obama 2" in class. I find this quite humorous.
I am in the middle of class, when I hear Roy knocking frantically on my door and waving me into the hallway.
Roy: "I would not have stopped your class, but there is an emergency."
Me: "Okay..."
He proceeds to show me a worksheet with a picture of a frog on it, that has a word bubble saying "Rib-it".
Roy: "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN!?!"
Me: "Rib-it, rib-it. It's what a frog says. Dogs say 'Ruff, ruff'. Frogs say 'Rib-it, rib-it.'"
Roy: "Oh. Thank you."
*In retrospect, the dog example might not have been the best one to use. In Korea, dogs say "mung, mung" and frogs say "carol, carol".
I am in my favorite class. It has four fifteen year old girls.
Me: "If I am describing myself, I tell how I look. I have blond hair, I have green eyes..."
Diane: "Teacher! Green eyes?" She looks at them closely. "Lenses?"
Me: "No, they are real."
Diane: "Teacher! These real?" She points to her eyelashes.
Me: "Yes, they are called eyelashes. They are real."
Diane: "Teacher! These real?" She grabs her boobs.
Me: "Yes, they are real."
Diane: "Oh Teacher, me envy!"
Well I have to get back to rubbing the only two won that I have left together. Payday is only 8 days away and I'm splurging on Mexican.
Basics: I teach two kindergarten classes, six elementary school classes, and four middle school classes. I plan from 1:30-3:00 and then teach forty minute classes until 9:00. For each class, I have a book, as well as corresponding flashcards and tapes for each lesson. I get one forty minute break.
The one thing that is great and that sucks about my job is that I am the only native English speaker at my school...which is not very common. This means I work only with Koreans. Compared to most of the other English teachers here, this gives me extra drawbacks and advantages. Here they are:
Good Thing #1: I am spoiled rotten like an egg that's been left in the sun for way too long (please forgive the bad analogy, but Easter is just around the river bend and I have egg hunts on my mind). Mainly, this pertains to my apartment. I will write a blog on my apartment, but basically they hooked me up in more ways than one, so you'll hear about that later. Aside from my place, my Vice Director treats me like I am her long lost daughter (this could be because she is pregnant with her first child, but I am pretending it's because she loves me); she brings me food to school nearly everyday. Homemade kimchi. Cookies. Triangle gimbap. One day, it was this immaculate sandwich complete with cut-off crust. She also washes my sheets and brings me new blankets once a week. What a gem.
Good Thing #2: I am the only native speaker because my school is teeny tiny. My smallest class has three kids, and my biggest class has ten. This makes my job so incredibly easy. Coming from a place where I was teaching classes of 25-30, this is a piece-of-cake. I already know every kid by name, and I pretty much have the personalities down as well. I am also slowly finding out that I....gulp....like kids. I know, I know, I never thought those words would come out of my mouth either, but Korean kids are just so damn cute! They way they get so excited and say "I love my dog!" just melts my heart.
Bad Thing #1: I am the only person there that actually speaks English properly and with a wide vocabulary. At work, it is my Director, Roy, his wife and Vice-Director, Erica, my two fellow (and rockin') Korean teachers Bobbie and Elly, and our receptionist, Lynn. Erica's English is the best, she actually went to KU for a couple of years...which might have something to do with her convincing her husband to hire their first female teacher, ever. Next comes Elly, who has also spent time in the States and we can hold a decent conversation. Then Bobbie, who is giving me Korean lessons once a week (I can read!! Too bad I can never understand what I am reading). Roy comes in a lagging fourth and is always asking me the most stupid/hilarious questions and I am constantly finishing his sentences because he has a hard time thinking of the right word to say. Last is Lynn. She doesn't speak English. This gets pretty funny between the two of us because we both really want to talk to each other, but that only ever gets accomplished with an interpreter. However, she just began studying English and since I just began learning Korean, my hope is that we can have a conversation without a third party intervention by next March. Wait, what was my point? Oh yes. They all speak Korean all the time and I never have any idea what is going on.
Bad Thing #2: There is no one to cover me if I get sick. Which has already happened and my bosses had to teach my classes. Ever since I had to miss two days of work because of the laryngitis, Roy has made it more than a little obvious that he thinks I am lazy. Great. I mean, if we are being honest here, I am pretty lazy, but he shouldn't have seen through me already! In reality, however, I do really care if I am doing a good job or not, and it genuinely bothers me that he thinks I am not making an effort. Yeah, it's my fault I'm allergic to yellow dust. Maybe I should teach him the word "empathy".
There are about a million funny stories I could tell about work, but I will leave you with just a few select conversations, for now.
In my first grade class, the kids get a new book. We are learning the names of the characters in the book. Annie, Joe, Kate, Chris. Then we come to the token black kid.
Moris, Jimmy, and Nancy, in unison: "OBAMA!"
*Keep in mind, these are six-year-old Koreans. There is a lot to be said about the quality of education American children are getting compared to that of Korean children.
**Moris and Jimmy now refer to themselves as "Obama 1" and "Obama 2" in class. I find this quite humorous.
I am in the middle of class, when I hear Roy knocking frantically on my door and waving me into the hallway.
Roy: "I would not have stopped your class, but there is an emergency."
Me: "Okay..."
He proceeds to show me a worksheet with a picture of a frog on it, that has a word bubble saying "Rib-it".
Roy: "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN!?!"
Me: "Rib-it, rib-it. It's what a frog says. Dogs say 'Ruff, ruff'. Frogs say 'Rib-it, rib-it.'"
Roy: "Oh. Thank you."
*In retrospect, the dog example might not have been the best one to use. In Korea, dogs say "mung, mung" and frogs say "carol, carol".
I am in my favorite class. It has four fifteen year old girls.
Me: "If I am describing myself, I tell how I look. I have blond hair, I have green eyes..."
Diane: "Teacher! Green eyes?" She looks at them closely. "Lenses?"
Me: "No, they are real."
Diane: "Teacher! These real?" She points to her eyelashes.
Me: "Yes, they are called eyelashes. They are real."
Diane: "Teacher! These real?" She grabs her boobs.
Me: "Yes, they are real."
Diane: "Oh Teacher, me envy!"
Well I have to get back to rubbing the only two won that I have left together. Payday is only 8 days away and I'm splurging on Mexican.
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