Today was a birthday party. For the kindergarten. I hosted. Bianca dreaded it, so I volunteered (as I was to learn later, Bianca, my fellow teacher, despises public speaking). It was pretty easy, just joke around with the kids, "Are all those presents for ME????" and introduce each one, and ask them a couple of questions, and help the kids present the birthday kids with their presents. Takes forever, though.
Somehow, though, it was a letdown. They got the kids all excited...and then no games. What kind of birthday party doesn't have games? Of course, they let 'em run around like mad animals afterward, in the English Village, which is this big room with different building facades, hospital, police station, fast food joint, beauty parlor, grocery store. Which meant I got to deal with ten hyperactive, overindulged seven-year olds. Fun.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
My latest addiction
I have recently, within the last five months, picked up playing darts as my new poison. Not as addictive as MMOs, but nonetheless, fairly addictive, though this may be mostly due to my personality. I seem to have something of a natural talent for it; while my rating is much lower than my boyfriend's (who is slightly below a lot of our mutual friends), I make 'em work for their wins, and pick up a few myself along the way. I kick patootie in closing out '01. And I have a particular fondness for triple 19s (and, oddly enough in one game, triple 10s). I am pretty decent in aiming and hitting 16s, 17, 19s, and 15s (15s being one of the weaker). I can't hit 18s and 20s at all, but I make up for that in triple 19s and 17s. In a game with several people, I'm easily ignorned and manage to scrape third or second..and I'm really not a bad player overall. I have times where I'm beating everyone else; though that rarely lasts through an entire game. And I'm a definite asset when we partner up.
Last night I got my first Three in a Bed (in 3s, but who cares?). And a seven mark round in Cricket (the highest of the game, I remember for sure, probably the highest of the night, unless I missed something). My rating went up from 2.5 to 2.6. My PPD lowered slightly, but my MPR went up from 1.26 to 1.31. Plus, Bill bought Vince's old case, since it was just what I was looking for. It was so sweet of him to think of me like that. I'd been wanting a case for a long time, but the only one they sold at the bar was too big. This one had been passed through a couple of owners, which I like, since it gave it some history. And it was JUST the right size.
Think I might try to play a few more nights during the week...
Last night I got my first Three in a Bed (in 3s, but who cares?). And a seven mark round in Cricket (the highest of the game, I remember for sure, probably the highest of the night, unless I missed something). My rating went up from 2.5 to 2.6. My PPD lowered slightly, but my MPR went up from 1.26 to 1.31. Plus, Bill bought Vince's old case, since it was just what I was looking for. It was so sweet of him to think of me like that. I'd been wanting a case for a long time, but the only one they sold at the bar was too big. This one had been passed through a couple of owners, which I like, since it gave it some history. And it was JUST the right size.
Think I might try to play a few more nights during the week...
Friday, April 9, 2010
A First Impression of My New Job
Well.
I can't say it's everything I built up in my head, but upon careful reflection I have noted the following; that I have a 1) better job overall 2) better apartment and 3) better social network than the previous year. My landlord is friendly and speaks English. He fixed my light bulbs and toilet the first day I moved in, since they weren't working and when I bought new pastel green blinds he installed them within three days of my asking him for help.
As for the job itself, while I do have rather significant downtime between classes, at least this time I have two other native teachers to hang out with, sometimes three if my friend Dennis is around (he's the one who recommended me to apply at this school to begin with). I teach....a lot of classes. Not to sound vague, but without a schedule in front of me, I lose track. I teach thirty-one classes, to six different kindergarten groups and four elementary age groups. I think. I teach science, math, classics, drama, conversation, and boardgames. And maybe something else. It's a little complicated.
The kids, however, are adorable and well-behaved for the most part. I find the minutes much more rewarding then before, though the actual hours are just okay. 9:50AM to 5:30PM. Okay, so that's probably really good hours for a job back in the States. Probably mostly unheard of. And my rent is a twelfth of my paycheck.
I only have two real problem kids. The one I really just dislike. The other... I am actually getting quite fond of him and suspect he may turn into my favorite kid. He's just so curious and energetic with a strong predisposition towards learning. He just is too needy and wants too much of my attention in a class of ten. He wants me to focus solely on him, but I have nine other students to pay attention to.
Anyway, it is vitally important that I now eat Cajun chicken with pasta and a yogurt-based dressing with avocados, green peppers, onion, and carrot and watch episodes of South Park on a 48 inch wide screen full HD TV.
I can't say it's everything I built up in my head, but upon careful reflection I have noted the following; that I have a 1) better job overall 2) better apartment and 3) better social network than the previous year. My landlord is friendly and speaks English. He fixed my light bulbs and toilet the first day I moved in, since they weren't working and when I bought new pastel green blinds he installed them within three days of my asking him for help.
As for the job itself, while I do have rather significant downtime between classes, at least this time I have two other native teachers to hang out with, sometimes three if my friend Dennis is around (he's the one who recommended me to apply at this school to begin with). I teach....a lot of classes. Not to sound vague, but without a schedule in front of me, I lose track. I teach thirty-one classes, to six different kindergarten groups and four elementary age groups. I think. I teach science, math, classics, drama, conversation, and boardgames. And maybe something else. It's a little complicated.
The kids, however, are adorable and well-behaved for the most part. I find the minutes much more rewarding then before, though the actual hours are just okay. 9:50AM to 5:30PM. Okay, so that's probably really good hours for a job back in the States. Probably mostly unheard of. And my rent is a twelfth of my paycheck.
I only have two real problem kids. The one I really just dislike. The other... I am actually getting quite fond of him and suspect he may turn into my favorite kid. He's just so curious and energetic with a strong predisposition towards learning. He just is too needy and wants too much of my attention in a class of ten. He wants me to focus solely on him, but I have nine other students to pay attention to.
Anyway, it is vitally important that I now eat Cajun chicken with pasta and a yogurt-based dressing with avocados, green peppers, onion, and carrot and watch episodes of South Park on a 48 inch wide screen full HD TV.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
My Life In Korea Begins Again
One Year Ago...
I Arrive in Korea
Am sitting at my new desk, in my new office. This morning was a whirl of excitement. Got my health check (drug test, blood test, chest x-ray), opened up a bank account, met my principal, was shown to my classroom and given textbooks to study, ate lunch (beef and vegetable soup, kim chee, rice, tempura eggplant, pickled vegetables), and met a Canadian named John who promised to introduce me to some Koreans and Canadians. I guess he’s lived here for two years now. We’re supposed to meet up in front of the E-Mart at seven, because I have absolutely no contact information yet. I haven’t even seen my apartment.
On the whole, I am grateful to have even MADE it to my home town. I nearly missed my transfer flight to Busan when I discovered, an hour before departure, that my light left from a DIFFERENT airport than the one I currently had my feet planted on. Yay! Just what I wanted, not an hour in a strange country, and already I had to figure out the transportation system. Fortunately there was a bus that left for the other airport at just the moment I needed, and I managed to convert a few thousand of their currency with the little cash I had on hand. Thirty minutes before departure, I arrived at the airport, whisked through security—only to be held up by the presence of one aerosol can that security determined to be hairspray (it was actually my mace that my mother had bought for me years ago, never used once, but got in the habit of carrying around anyway, didn’t think would be a problem shipped under). At precisely 8:16, my flight leaving at 8:30, I sprinted to my gate, arriving at 8:19. Eleven minutes to spare. Awesome.
The rest of the day proceeded smoothly. I met my teacher, got a brief tour of the elementary school, got into my apartment, unpacked, ate…hmmm, lunch consisted of soup, rice, kim chee, pickled cucumber, and….some sort of beef dish, I guess. Korean food appears to be mainly rice, kim chee and other pickled veggies, a soup (often seafood), and a beef/veggie dish.
Oh! And I met my first non Korean friend, a Canadian who’d been living in Korea for two years, teaching of course.
Update:
Apartment is lovely. Big room with desk, chair, couch, and bed. Two big closets and a third smaller. Sliding door opens to kitchen area, small table, and washer/dryer. And a bathroom, although with no proper shower. Koreans just use a showerhead. More space than I have at home, although the kitchen isn’t as nice as ours.
Sleep now, although jet lag has yet to catch up with me.
The Canadian is long gone. Moved back to Canada, I believe, though I may be mistaking him for a different Canadian. My view of my job and apartment has altered decidedly. I no longer like either.
But this year is another fresh start.
So let me begin.
I begin this year, I think to myself on my walk to my new school (though I did go one stop on the subway to save time and ensure I didn't get lost and show up late my first day) on April Fool's Day once again. A joke. "Where are you going to work?" "Korea." "Really. Well, when are you leaving?" "April 1st." "Okay, where are you really working?" "No, I'm serious. I'm going to teach English in South Korea."
I find the idea of starting afresh on a joke appeals to me. Unconventional, perhaps. An annoyance, for sure. After all, I start my job one month into the public school year, which essentially means I'm forced to take a hagwon job (a hagwon is a private school). But that is what I want for myself this year. It'll mean starting my life over, again, my intended whirlwind escapade through Asia and Europe, on April Fool's Day. I like that. I used to think of life in terms of semesters, fall semester, winter break, spring semester, summer break. I got to college and the fall and spring semesters got shorter and the winter and summer vacations got longer, but on the whole my schedule remained the same. For the moment, I think of my life in terms of one year contracts. Every year, to some extent, I start my life afresh.
To summarize: I have a new job, a (fairly recently acquired) boyfriend, a new apartment. The job is as follows: I teach at a kindergarten from 9:50AM to 12:00PM. I teach three classes a day, varying in age from 5 to 7 (though I'm fairly certain that's Korean age). I teach Science, Math, Social Studies, Conversation, and Boardgames. Conversation is fairly free form, and I've got some ideas of what I want to do, but I'm still in the process of figuring it out. Working at a hagwon is very much thrown to the wolves. Here's a class, here's some books, here are the kids. See you in three hours. Maybe. We'll be around, but please don't annoy us too much with questions. I haven't started the afternoon portion of my work yet. That begins Monday. But it's from 2-7PM on Wednesday and Friday and from 4-7PM on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. To elementary age students. Fifty minute classes with ten minutes in between. I plan on being much more assertive as a teacher, particularly in those afternoon classes. The Boyfriend is disappointed I'm not moving in with him. But he's very loving and cooks good food for me and is very supportive of my plans. And he's very excited to see me on weekends. Which brings me to my new apartment: It is..I don't know...I guess it's a bit small, but it suits me just fine. And it has everything I need. Except a microwave. I'm picking that up tomorrow.
I walked home after work to figure out the best way. It's only about a thirty minute walk, which is perfect. Just enough to get some good exercise out of it.
Tonight I was supposed to meet Jae for dinner, but she forgot, so I went next door to a restaurant someone had told me was famous. The guy was asleep at the counter..I didn't want to wake him, but I heard some noise near the back, so I went over and his wife and son were in the back room, they lived there I think, and she woke him up and I pointed to a picture on the menu of sushi and she sat me down in a little room. She brought course after course...quite a lot of food in the end, though I could only eat half of it. Some of the fish was just a little too exotic for me. But I did eat things that I couldn't identify. And I ate enough to get full. I thought it was good to treat myself to a nice dinner my first night, well, second, but it was my first day at work. And I get paid on the fifth.
Oops!
Hmm, it turns out this guy Tim is moving and he wants me to take his place at triv. I was supposed to go next week; it's flattering to think they think I'm prepared ahead of time. And I'm excited, so I said yes. But this means I better review my questions. Triv is on Sunday. Adieu!
I Arrive in Korea
Am sitting at my new desk, in my new office. This morning was a whirl of excitement. Got my health check (drug test, blood test, chest x-ray), opened up a bank account, met my principal, was shown to my classroom and given textbooks to study, ate lunch (beef and vegetable soup, kim chee, rice, tempura eggplant, pickled vegetables), and met a Canadian named John who promised to introduce me to some Koreans and Canadians. I guess he’s lived here for two years now. We’re supposed to meet up in front of the E-Mart at seven, because I have absolutely no contact information yet. I haven’t even seen my apartment.
On the whole, I am grateful to have even MADE it to my home town. I nearly missed my transfer flight to Busan when I discovered, an hour before departure, that my light left from a DIFFERENT airport than the one I currently had my feet planted on. Yay! Just what I wanted, not an hour in a strange country, and already I had to figure out the transportation system. Fortunately there was a bus that left for the other airport at just the moment I needed, and I managed to convert a few thousand of their currency with the little cash I had on hand. Thirty minutes before departure, I arrived at the airport, whisked through security—only to be held up by the presence of one aerosol can that security determined to be hairspray (it was actually my mace that my mother had bought for me years ago, never used once, but got in the habit of carrying around anyway, didn’t think would be a problem shipped under). At precisely 8:16, my flight leaving at 8:30, I sprinted to my gate, arriving at 8:19. Eleven minutes to spare. Awesome.
The rest of the day proceeded smoothly. I met my teacher, got a brief tour of the elementary school, got into my apartment, unpacked, ate…hmmm, lunch consisted of soup, rice, kim chee, pickled cucumber, and….some sort of beef dish, I guess. Korean food appears to be mainly rice, kim chee and other pickled veggies, a soup (often seafood), and a beef/veggie dish.
Oh! And I met my first non Korean friend, a Canadian who’d been living in Korea for two years, teaching of course.
Update:
Apartment is lovely. Big room with desk, chair, couch, and bed. Two big closets and a third smaller. Sliding door opens to kitchen area, small table, and washer/dryer. And a bathroom, although with no proper shower. Koreans just use a showerhead. More space than I have at home, although the kitchen isn’t as nice as ours.
Sleep now, although jet lag has yet to catch up with me.
The Canadian is long gone. Moved back to Canada, I believe, though I may be mistaking him for a different Canadian. My view of my job and apartment has altered decidedly. I no longer like either.
But this year is another fresh start.
So let me begin.
I begin this year, I think to myself on my walk to my new school (though I did go one stop on the subway to save time and ensure I didn't get lost and show up late my first day) on April Fool's Day once again. A joke. "Where are you going to work?" "Korea." "Really. Well, when are you leaving?" "April 1st." "Okay, where are you really working?" "No, I'm serious. I'm going to teach English in South Korea."
I find the idea of starting afresh on a joke appeals to me. Unconventional, perhaps. An annoyance, for sure. After all, I start my job one month into the public school year, which essentially means I'm forced to take a hagwon job (a hagwon is a private school). But that is what I want for myself this year. It'll mean starting my life over, again, my intended whirlwind escapade through Asia and Europe, on April Fool's Day. I like that. I used to think of life in terms of semesters, fall semester, winter break, spring semester, summer break. I got to college and the fall and spring semesters got shorter and the winter and summer vacations got longer, but on the whole my schedule remained the same. For the moment, I think of my life in terms of one year contracts. Every year, to some extent, I start my life afresh.
To summarize: I have a new job, a (fairly recently acquired) boyfriend, a new apartment. The job is as follows: I teach at a kindergarten from 9:50AM to 12:00PM. I teach three classes a day, varying in age from 5 to 7 (though I'm fairly certain that's Korean age). I teach Science, Math, Social Studies, Conversation, and Boardgames. Conversation is fairly free form, and I've got some ideas of what I want to do, but I'm still in the process of figuring it out. Working at a hagwon is very much thrown to the wolves. Here's a class, here's some books, here are the kids. See you in three hours. Maybe. We'll be around, but please don't annoy us too much with questions. I haven't started the afternoon portion of my work yet. That begins Monday. But it's from 2-7PM on Wednesday and Friday and from 4-7PM on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. To elementary age students. Fifty minute classes with ten minutes in between. I plan on being much more assertive as a teacher, particularly in those afternoon classes. The Boyfriend is disappointed I'm not moving in with him. But he's very loving and cooks good food for me and is very supportive of my plans. And he's very excited to see me on weekends. Which brings me to my new apartment: It is..I don't know...I guess it's a bit small, but it suits me just fine. And it has everything I need. Except a microwave. I'm picking that up tomorrow.
I walked home after work to figure out the best way. It's only about a thirty minute walk, which is perfect. Just enough to get some good exercise out of it.
Tonight I was supposed to meet Jae for dinner, but she forgot, so I went next door to a restaurant someone had told me was famous. The guy was asleep at the counter..I didn't want to wake him, but I heard some noise near the back, so I went over and his wife and son were in the back room, they lived there I think, and she woke him up and I pointed to a picture on the menu of sushi and she sat me down in a little room. She brought course after course...quite a lot of food in the end, though I could only eat half of it. Some of the fish was just a little too exotic for me. But I did eat things that I couldn't identify. And I ate enough to get full. I thought it was good to treat myself to a nice dinner my first night, well, second, but it was my first day at work. And I get paid on the fifth.
Oops!
Hmm, it turns out this guy Tim is moving and he wants me to take his place at triv. I was supposed to go next week; it's flattering to think they think I'm prepared ahead of time. And I'm excited, so I said yes. But this means I better review my questions. Triv is on Sunday. Adieu!
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