Desk Icing.

I wish that desk warming was an actual warm job because I am currently writing this blog post with gloves on and a blanket over my lap. I keep my jacket on all day just like my co-teachers do. One day I finally asked why the windows are open in the hallway and I was told it is "because of the sweat". Honestly the kids don't smell (that bad) and I'd be able to live with the smell if it meant I'd be warm (or they could make Korean deodorant instead of importing it and selling it only to foreigners for $7, it's a thought).

But besides being cold for eight hours a day. I have enjoyed the last few days at school. My first class of 3rd graders came into the classroom early and louder then normal and I decided I was going to try to quiet them down a different way. So I got out of my chair and walked to the white board and started to create a hangman game. In a second every kid stopped yelling and sat in their seat. My co-teacher walked in while the kids were trying to figure out "Thanksgiving" and said I could continue. I then explained what Thanksgiving was and when it is in America. When the second class started my co-teacher asked me to do that again. So for every class that day I got to talk about Thanksgiving through hangman. It was great!

On Tuesday the 4th graders were learning how to ask "where is" so I asked my co-teacher if I could show a video on youtube and she let me play "Where is my hairbrush" from Veggie Tales. It was awesome! The kids loved it (which surprised me because Larry sings very fast) and after the clip I asked what happened and the kid who understood were able to explain why a peach needs a brush and not a cucumber. The most exciting part of the day was during the second class of the day when the projector "popped" and started to smoke! We had to finish the class on the white board and then visit each classes' homeroom the rest of the day. 

My biggest news is I can send money to my American account! Look out student loans, you are about to meet your worst nightmare.

The Dangers of Korea.

If your first thought was buses you'd right, but that's not the kind of dangers that I want to talk about. I have discovered a few other dangers that are going to cause me great inner turmoil this year.

Pet shops: There are little pet shops tucked into pretty much every street. Which wouldn't be that dangerous, except that these pet shops all have large windows that display little puppies in cages. Oh they are so cute with their tiny legs and furry bodies. Every time I walk by one or see one on the bus I want to stop and pick a puppy to bring home. On the way to my local grocery store I walk by two - TWO - pet shops. I am practicing self control because I know it would be very unfair to a puppy to bring him into my life since I am gone for over eight hours a day. Plus I don't think I can get a Korean dog through customs (if you know otherwise please don't tell me! I need to keep my list of reasons for not getting a dog long).

Shopping: Imagine walking into a Buckle but instead of a trendy teen trying to sell jeans you encounter an eager shop keeper who has no concept of a personal bubble who believe that anything you touch you are going to buy. I am learning how to say "I'm just looking" in Korean (gu nyang bol ge yo) so I can stop getting their hopes up! But the real danger of shopping is in the deals they offer, like 1 + 1, which means you buy one you get one free. I have gotten lotion, shampoo, and food with those deals. All of the cosmetic shops seem to have deals like that in their windows and they are more frequent then the pet shops! This one cosmetic shop near my apartment has a sweet lady who gave me and my friends a LARGE bag of free samples for buying a few things. They sure know how to get me to spend my money...

Soccer: Last Saturday I went to the AFC (Asian Football Conference) Championship game where Ulsan South Korea played Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli. It was a very exciting game and our seats were close to where all of the goals were made. The final score was 3 to 0 with the win to Ulsan! The fans went wild! I have been struggling with the dramatic display of emotions in my classroom (for example: if the power point has an adorable picture of a bunny with big cartoon eyes they all scream in unison "AHHHWW", if the picture is of something gross or scary "AHHHWWWW", if the youtube video has to buffer while they are watching it, "AHHHWWW") but I enjoyed their enthusiasm at the game. I have never been to a game where the crowd was so reactive to every movement of the players. The reason this is found in my dangers blog is because the ticket was 8,000 won (a little less then $8) and the stadium is within walking distance from my apartment. I think I will be spending a lot of time their this year indeed.

That's all for now friends. Bless.

Desk Warming

Upon my late arrival to school that first Friday I was told to "take a rest" by one of my co-teachers and I spent the remainder of the day at "my desk" on "my computer" looking up bus routes. I figured they were being nice since I had gotten lost and I was jet lagged. Little did I know that I had just been introduced to my new normal for the year: desk warming. 

Urbandictionary.com defines desk warming as: 

a principal delight of ESL teachers in Korean public schools, where they spend vast amounts of time at their desks, with no particular assignments or tasks to complete. 

Another definition I found online from another native teacher in Korea is:

A period of time spent at school in which the foreign teacher can participate in any activity that does not coerce, upset, hurt or infringe upon the rights of another. Dancing, singing, drawing, talking (to oneself,) lesson-planning, gaming, grooming, surfing the net, facebook-stalking and sleeping are all valid forms of entertainment and work in order to get through and maintain sanity during the mandatory 8 hour work day. Teachers must be present on school premises and accounted for at all times. 

You get the picture I hope. I have been maintaining my sanity thus far by reading, editing an old story, playing snoopy's street fair, reading blogs, (and I'll be honest) facebook-stalking! I am seriously considering bringing my knitting soon. 

Thankfully my day isn't solely desk warming. I typically arrive at school between 8:30 - 8:40 am and head right up into the English room. I sit at my desk (warming up for the upcoming desk warming) and I also review my part of the lesson that day. Then at 9:10 am begins the back to back classes of loud kids until either 12:20 or 1:10. (Monday is 3rd grade, Tuesday is 4th grade, Wednesday is 5th grade, Thursday is 5th and 6th grade, and Friday is 6th grade). I then follow whichever co-teacher I had that day for lunch. Lunch is always a gamble because I never know what I will be eating, especially in the soups! On Thursdays and Fridays I have one class after lunch and then I find myself sitting at my desk waiting for a co-teacher to tell me what the next days lesson is. At 4:40 my 8 hours are up and I gladly hop on the bus back to my end of town. 

So far I haven't had a "typical" workweek where every day follows the class timetable the kids are on. My first full week the 6th graders were on a trip so I didn't have their classes that week. The second week some of the 5th grade classes got pushed to a different time and one of my co-teachers had an open class that I helped in. The third week was midterms so I didn't see the 4th graders at all. The fourth week I was at training for two days. And this week I just found out that I don't need to come into school until 10 am because there is a University entrance exam happening tomorrow and I guess the traffic is bad. Plus a few of my classes on Friday got pushed to a different time. See why being flexible is so important? 

I'll end this post with another lens I am trying to use: humor. 

I have found that sometimes all I can do is laugh at a situation instead of allowing myself to become upset over it. Especially when most of the situations I find myself in on a daily bases are cultural differences. 

One of my friends here suggested I look up a blog called kikinitinkorea and that has been a great source of relief and laughter. Here is one post about desk warming: here 

I am very thankful for that lens and for being blessed with this job opportunity. Bless friends. 

Desk Warming. 

1.

One month ago I flew to Ulsan, South Korea.

One month. In some ways it feels like I have been here much longer (when I think of how long those bad days dragged on) and in other ways this month has flown by. Every time I meet a foreign English teacher (native teacher is the proper term) they always tell me: I don't remember my first month here. My common response is: It was that bad? They always comfort me by saying: it gets better.

Now that my month anniversary has come and gone I can post in this blog knowing that my first month hasn't been that bad. Sure I was ready to give up my first full week of teaching. And then I had a very bad attitude about the cultural differences like wearing "slippers" in the school (my poor new teacher heels sit under my table, I still feel sorry for them). I can't pinpoint when my perspective changed but slowly I started to view my life in Korea through a new lens.

Flexibility: I love planning and I love having a schedule. Getting a class syllabus on the first day of the semester brought me great joy because I knew that later that day I could pull out my planner and write in every due date and test. If I was really ambitious that day I'd even pencil in when I'd like to start writing or studying for those upcoming due dates and tests.

You can imagine my shock after the first week here when I had to except the fact that I wouldn't be given any form of a schedule or even the school calendar. Trying to communicate that I wanted to know when my vacations would be was like talking to fish, I was met with wide eyes and a soundless open mouth.

I started to carry important documents with me every time I went to school because they never asked for anything up front. On random days throughout these last four weeks the 6th grade co-teacher would message me through the school computer's messaging system asking if I had my passport or contract on me. And then inform me that we'd be leaving that afternoon for the immigration office or the bank to open a bank account. (She was always very impressed and surprised that I had all of my information on me, which made me laugh because with the lack of communication all I could do was always be prepared).

Most days when I leave my apartment in the morning I have no idea what I am going to be doing that day (for example: I don't even know what topic the 3rd grade classes are covering tomorrow or if I even have a role in the classes).

Ah-ha, I'm suppose to be flexible, right God? Add a flexibility lens to my life-glasses. Check. 

I'll continue to add more lenses throughout this month. Bless.