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.

 

Mint Tea.

As I sit in my "one room" savoring mint tea it dawned on me, I had been missing a key factor of enjoyment until recently. What might that be? Exploration! Since moving to Korea I have been told where to go or led to where I needed to be. And on the few occasions when I did step out my front door I was so consumed with the fear of getting lost that I didn't enjoy the moment or soak in anything that I saw! (Hence the two week delay in realizing I lived next to an Arcade).

But after a bad day last Friday I decided I was going to walk it off. Walk off my frustration, worry, fear, and the bad attitude. I continued to walk until I found myself near the Ulsan Sports Complex and walking trails leading around the complex, a pond, and through trees. At the sight of the sun setting behind the pond I stopped walking and struggling. I felt my shoulders lighten. Okay God, You're right. This is a beautiful place. 

Looking back, a main reason why Iceland warms my soul is because I shared so many speechless moments with God marveling at His creation there. But I hadn't given myself an opportunity to see or experience God's handiwork in Ulsan until that moment by the pond.

The rest of my weekend was focused on exploring places like: Ilsan beach and little coffee shops with new friends. Having grown up in Minnesota I am always blown away by the coast. Standing where the blues meet in the middle and continue until I can't see anymore is a sight I will never tire of. Some other highlights were finding the lighthouse at Ilsan beach and savoring the memory of the last lighthouse I had seen, climbing over rocks in my new hiking shoes in order to see the ocean better, chicken tenders on top of fresh potato chips, conquering the bus, worship, eating Korean food on the floor, sharing a warm chocolate brownie with ice cream over great conversation.

So far this week at school has been going well. I am getting the hang of the computer program that we are working through with the kids' workbook and I am was able to be silly with the kids while we learned a dance and song about the weather. Today I got to lead a whole class by myself because my co-teacher had to talk to another teacher. My life flashed before my eyes for a second: the kids starting an uproar and throwing paper and pencils at me until I ran out of the classroom. But I cleared my head and gained their attention and I think their class enjoyed the game we played the most. I saw that when the kids are having fun they are more willing to use the language.

My move to Korea is becoming more settled this week because I received my ARC card (Alien Registration Card) and with that I was able to set up a bank account and I got a cell phone (I feel very grown up with my new smart phone). Now all I need is my first paycheck!

I want to end this post with a laughable moment I forgot to post last time and a new one that happened day.

Every weekday I get to eat lunch in the cafeteria where I am introduced to taste and textures I have never had before. I try everything on my plate once but if I don't like it I don't finish it. Well there were two days that I really enjoyed the food and I ate it all wishing I could get more. After both of those days a teacher would ask me in the afternoon what I thought of lunch and I'd respond with a big smile and confidently say, "I liked it a lot." Both times the teachers explained how they were talking with the other teachers about how bad the lunch was that day. All I can do is laugh at myself and my weak taste buds.

As I was walking to the post office today I kept hearing a whistle. Like a hey-there-pretty-lady whistle. I hadn't experienced any form of whistles so far (which is very refreshing after Chicago) and I was shocked that I was hearing them. I looked around and I didn't see a guy in sight. I continued on my way only to hear it again. I started to wonder if I was being followed. After the third time I heard the whistle I decided to check my phone. Sure enough, I was receiving a 5 page text in Korean from the phone company and each time a got a text my phone whistled. Again, all I can do is laugh.    

Go explore something breath-taking friends. Bless

Things that make me laugh

This past week a few things have left me shaking my head with a little smile and chuckling. Oh Korea. I wanted to share some of those moment with you.

Without fail I have to go to the bathroom around 12:30am. And as I reach the bathroom I am always met by this awful sound. It is a mix between a crying cat and singing in Korean. I kept wondering, is there a Karaoke Bar by my apartment? (Which there could be since I can't read the signs!) One night walking back to my apartment I decided to look into each building as I passed. And I noticed that right by my apartment in an Arcade. Like an old school Pac Man, use coins Arcade. As soon as I got home I went into my little laundry room to see if I could see the Arcade from my window. And sure enough the Arcade is across from my window, with their side door open. Mystery solved. I have now discovered that I walk by two different Arcades on my way home from the University bus stop. 

One of the treasures that had been left behind is a cutting board. But this cutting board isn't a plain color. Oh no, that would be boring! This cutting board has a picture of Peter Rabbit from Beatrix Potter. Like from the children's books!  

The Native teacher before me left this little notebook with important information (bus routes to certain locations). I have been bringing it with me wherever I go and I have also started to call it my handy dandy notebook. Oh goodness Danielle... you are now quoting Blues Clues. 

Most of the little stores here sell socks. Socks of all sorts of colors and also with all sorts of animals on them! I now own a pair that look like Zebras thanks to a sweet friend as a birthday gift. 

I have started to notice that some of my students look like people I have met back home, just Korean. There are a few that look like kids I have met at Hangtime, one looks like my cousin, a girl from track, and my favorite: like Russell from UP!

My favorite smile and chuckle moment is living 14 hours ahead. I got to celebrate my birthday over two days. I am blessed to have such great family and friends who remembered my birthday would be a day early since I am in Korea. Thank you for making my day so special! 

Bless.

If you don't have anything nice to say....

... don't say anything at all.

That philosophy has kept me from writing all last week but I have changed my mind. All of the emotions I have experienced these last 11 days happened and are all a part of the "living abroad" experience.

With each passing day I am gaining a better grasp of the city layout but not the bus routes (At any given bus stop dozens of buses pass by every minute and they all end up somewhere else). While I am on the topic of the bus I am going to get this off my finger tips: the buses here are psycho, suicidal even. The driving "rules" are more of guidelines and the buses seem to get away with more then the cars and taxis. First off the buses have about 18 to 20 seats (as opposed to Chicago's 40) and the rest of the occupants are expected to hang on for dear life while the bus driver speeds up through traffic and weaves through the cars. Then they slam the breaks on at the last possible minute. I am surprised I haven't witnessed a crash yet! Every time I have to stand on the bus I spread my legs wide and shift my weight low to the ground, hoping not to fall when the sudden stops come. The only thing I can compare it to is the force you feel while on a roller coaster. You can try with all of your might to keep your body pressed against the seat, but there is always that moment when you are helpless and air born.  But I am slooooowly excepting the fact that I will be taking the bus everyday. This city is just too big to walk, no matter how much I dislike the bus.

I'll be honest, on Tuesday I was ready to throw in the towel and fly home. Curling up in bed with Moose defeated sounded 100 times better then going back to school. I wouldn't say I am enjoying teaching, but I can say I don't hate it anymore. I think my main problem was the expectations I had for the Korean classroom were not what I experienced on a day to day bases. The majority of the kids are loud and disruptive. I even saw two fist fights break out during the middle of class. (Both of which started while the Korean teacher was teaching). My main task in each class was to introduce myself. So I made a power point with pictures of myself and my interests. At the end of my introduction I asked if the kids had any questions for me. The most asked questions were: "Do you have a boyfriend?" and "Do you know Gangnam Style" (See youtube if you don't already know this VERY popular Korean song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd-HdjiMZcg) I'm not sure if there is a correlation between the answers to those two questions. Ha. But thankfully I knew about Gangnam style because as soon as I did the hand motion to the dance they kids got really excited.

Last week was also an odd week for the Korean teachers because the 6th grade was on a 3 day trip (so I only had two classes to teach on Thursday instead of five). And the 5th grade teacher wanted to keep her classes during the english hour so they came to the english room in the afternoon. And I had to help prepare for two open classes with the 3rd/4th grade teacher. From what I have pieced together (nothing was told to me besides the fact that we would be teaching in front of other teachers) an open class is where teachers come and watch you teach a class that the teacher has preselected and has already prepared the class for the work. Basically the teacher practices this one lesson for a week on different classes and then picks the best behaved class to teach in front of the other teachers. Then after the open class the teachers all sit in a circle and give feed back. Both open class meetings I sat in was all done in Korean besides the little side comment of, "Danielle, you did well. How do you think it went?"

What puzzles me is I have a hard time seeing how this is a proper assessment of my teaching or my co-teacher's style. Because everything was practiced! We wrote out a script days before and we practiced it for days as well. We even practiced in front of another class! The amount of materials prepared of the open class was more too. We even used the white board, made a mini movie, and used magnetic objective and terms.... I wish we put that must effort into each class.

As for the social aspect of my life, I am thankful I was able to meet up with one of the American teachers I met on the plane ride to Ulsan on Wednesday. And also a girl from South Africa that I met at church last week on Saturday. It was refreshing to speak English and share classroom stories. The best part of the week was going to COSTCO with Portia and her friend Jenane! I got Quaker oatmeal :) There is nothing more comforting then oatmeal (well maybe oatmeal and coffee). I also got meat that I recognize. Honestly, my change in attitude is largely due to the fact that I have eaten well these last few days. I tried to meet with the other teacher that I flew over with on Sunday, but the bus I needed to take was a half hour late (another annoying aspect of the buses, sometimes they never show up) and so we weren't able to find each other. Thankfully we have a raincheck for Thursday.

Today after the second open class I went out to dinner with the 3rd/4th grade co-teacher. She is such a sweet heart. She took me to an Italian restaurant because whenever the kids asked me in class what my favorite food was I'd say: spaghetti. She has also been giving me little Korean snacks to take home. I think she is worried because I don't eat nearly as much as they do during lunch. After dinner we walked around the University that I live near. It was a great way to end a stressful day. I will admit: I am enjoying the 60 degree evening weather in Ulsan compared to the 30 degrees my family is getting back home. :)

On a very unrelated topic I am loving the "October Baby" Soundtrack.

I think that is it for now. Bless!