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.
Friday, April 9, 2010
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!
Friday, March 19, 2010
poetry
I asked a little girl what her name was today.
She said, "Barbie."
I thought, Well, that's not the worst I've heard.
She said, "Barbie."
I thought, Well, that's not the worst I've heard.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Hiroshima
I left off at Friday...we spent Saturday, Sunday in Hiroshima, then took the bullet train back to Osaka early the next morning after a substantial breakfast where we visited the aquarium and the world's largest Ferris wheel (or so it advertised).
But more on Hiroshima (pronounced "Hi-RO-shi-ma"). Nagasaki may be anti-American finger pointing (and perhaps justifiably so, am not going to touch that), but Hiroshima is anything but. It is not an embittered desolation; it is, in fact, a beacon of world peace.
Bill and I took a leisurely walk around the Peace Park, at least I believe that is what it is called.
But the museum was what really hit me.
There was bits of paper with characters burnt out iron doors blown out, wax figures skin dripping off bodies. And yet, I was most impressed by the vision of peace, no hint of guilt or finger pointing, even an upfront admission of the fact that Korean and Chinese slaves were also killed in the blast, followed by a lengthy presentation of Hiroshima's development as a significant military city before beginning to talk about the bomb. The only times the words "American" or "United States," came up was a single bilboard presentation with the question, why did the US bomb Japan, answered very matter of factly.. because of feeling threat from Germany and so forth, and also included what was described as a "suprise attack" on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Very simple, clean. This is why war is horrific. And now a sincere wish for peace. The thought crossed my mind, what changes a city from a war stronghold to a city of peace, an atomic bomb.
It's amazing. I wrote in the journal put there for visitors to the museum
This may sound strange but there are few times that I am genuinely moved by humanity and this was one of them. As an American I did not feel ashamed but rather informed of the horrors of nuclear war and moved to strive for world peace as a worthy endeavor not hopeless. I admire Hiroshima and wish the best in their vision
I want to write the NYT about this. How i felt, why Hiroshima is worth visiting.
At night we took pictures with the full moon in the background behind the A Dome and pictures of our shoes on the T-bridge where the bomb was supposed to hit.
But more on Hiroshima (pronounced "Hi-RO-shi-ma"). Nagasaki may be anti-American finger pointing (and perhaps justifiably so, am not going to touch that), but Hiroshima is anything but. It is not an embittered desolation; it is, in fact, a beacon of world peace.
Bill and I took a leisurely walk around the Peace Park, at least I believe that is what it is called.
But the museum was what really hit me.
There was bits of paper with characters burnt out iron doors blown out, wax figures skin dripping off bodies. And yet, I was most impressed by the vision of peace, no hint of guilt or finger pointing, even an upfront admission of the fact that Korean and Chinese slaves were also killed in the blast, followed by a lengthy presentation of Hiroshima's development as a significant military city before beginning to talk about the bomb. The only times the words "American" or "United States," came up was a single bilboard presentation with the question, why did the US bomb Japan, answered very matter of factly.. because of feeling threat from Germany and so forth, and also included what was described as a "suprise attack" on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Very simple, clean. This is why war is horrific. And now a sincere wish for peace. The thought crossed my mind, what changes a city from a war stronghold to a city of peace, an atomic bomb.
It's amazing. I wrote in the journal put there for visitors to the museum
This may sound strange but there are few times that I am genuinely moved by humanity and this was one of them. As an American I did not feel ashamed but rather informed of the horrors of nuclear war and moved to strive for world peace as a worthy endeavor not hopeless. I admire Hiroshima and wish the best in their vision
I want to write the NYT about this. How i felt, why Hiroshima is worth visiting.
At night we took pictures with the full moon in the background behind the A Dome and pictures of our shoes on the T-bridge where the bomb was supposed to hit.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Japan...A Real Update
Alright, now that that silliness is aside, I shall provide a real update.
Well, first, off, despite God`s best intentions, I have arrived in Japan at long last. I`m not kidding. First, there are NO ships leaving the week I have vacation. I manage to delay my vacation till now, and there is ONE ship leaving that I can get to Japan in time to make it back to Korea without missing more than a day of classes. The day before my boat leaves, I come down with fever. The morning I leave, my neck muscles spasm, leaving me in extreme pain (thank God, oooh, guess I owe him something for that, for having a wonderful boyfriend along to carry my bags when it gets too painful and constant little massages).
Then the boat breaks. No. Really. Bill and I meet up with a bunch of foreigners and we drink in the bar and make jokes and watch some magician perform street tricks. We all figure we aren`t going anywhere and may as well make the best of what we have. I go to the sauna six times to relax my neck and back muscles. We do leave...nine hours later, after waiting a good hour and a half just to get on board. The company says they`ll recompensate us 7,000 JPY (something under 70 USD) and Bill gets us a room with a shower (love the lovely hot water).
But the point, is we did get to Japan.
We get in, find our hostel, get settled, find something to eat. We find what turns into what Bill refers to as "our favorite noodle place." Its a casual udon sitdown. You put money into a vending machine and press a button under the menu item you want. It spits out a ticket, you turn around to the counter and there`s your meal being set out on a tray. And the bathrooms! I got back to our table after washing up, and the first words, practically, I announce in Japan are "The bathrooms. I could live here." For one they`re clean. And there`s a little sprayer on the side with directions to wipe off the toilet when you:re done (which I rather felt obliged to do) and the automatic hand dryer actually DRIED my hands.
Did I mention Japan is quiet, too? Bill still cannot get over that. Korea is just so loud and noisy, in the way that Japan just....isn`t.
The next morning, we checked out a flea market being held at a shrine. The plum blossoms are JUST coming out now, and its absolutely gorgeous. I found a very cute little wooden Japanese doll, and after much soul searching, found the perfect white and blue ceramic with overlaid silver dragon artwork perfume bottle, both for quite good prices. I fell in love with a stunning white kimino which, if I were getting married, I would have bought in an instant, but I just couldn`t justify the cost at present. And took dozens of pictures of the flowers. I practiced my Japanese and become quite confident at pointing at an object and declaring "Kore wa ikura desuka..." (How much is this?)
I actually quite like speaking Japanese, the little I know. And I LOVE the Japanese word for yes, or "hai." It`s not "Hi, hey what`s up?" It`s a very strong, deep "HAI." Not necessarily loud, but firm.
That same day, we also visited the Golden Pavilion and chatted with a group of Indonesian, Malaysian girls living in Australia, visiting Japan for a fortnight. The pavilion was absolutely beautiful. We were both impressed, and spoke of returning when there was snow to see the snow covering the shrine and surrounding pond.
We also walked through another shrine at night. I love the contrast of walking out of a very old, asture Buddhist temple into a street full of cars and buses and mart shops.
The next day we checked out the monkey park and the manga museum before catching the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Shall update more on that later, though I am rather tired now. We were lucky to find a hotel quite close. We didn:t even have to walk. We took the electric cable car and our hotel was right at the corner. I took a long soak in the bath, since the "onsan," or public bathhouse in the hotel, was closed to women when we arrived. I guess there:s only one and it alternates usage between men and women.
Oh, and the woman at the hotel lobby taught me to say "I am in Japan," hence my earlier post.
Good night from Japan! Going to walk down the shopping street tomorrow to the War Museum and Memorial Park.
Well, first, off, despite God`s best intentions, I have arrived in Japan at long last. I`m not kidding. First, there are NO ships leaving the week I have vacation. I manage to delay my vacation till now, and there is ONE ship leaving that I can get to Japan in time to make it back to Korea without missing more than a day of classes. The day before my boat leaves, I come down with fever. The morning I leave, my neck muscles spasm, leaving me in extreme pain (thank God, oooh, guess I owe him something for that, for having a wonderful boyfriend along to carry my bags when it gets too painful and constant little massages).
Then the boat breaks. No. Really. Bill and I meet up with a bunch of foreigners and we drink in the bar and make jokes and watch some magician perform street tricks. We all figure we aren`t going anywhere and may as well make the best of what we have. I go to the sauna six times to relax my neck and back muscles. We do leave...nine hours later, after waiting a good hour and a half just to get on board. The company says they`ll recompensate us 7,000 JPY (something under 70 USD) and Bill gets us a room with a shower (love the lovely hot water).
But the point, is we did get to Japan.
We get in, find our hostel, get settled, find something to eat. We find what turns into what Bill refers to as "our favorite noodle place." Its a casual udon sitdown. You put money into a vending machine and press a button under the menu item you want. It spits out a ticket, you turn around to the counter and there`s your meal being set out on a tray. And the bathrooms! I got back to our table after washing up, and the first words, practically, I announce in Japan are "The bathrooms. I could live here." For one they`re clean. And there`s a little sprayer on the side with directions to wipe off the toilet when you:re done (which I rather felt obliged to do) and the automatic hand dryer actually DRIED my hands.
Did I mention Japan is quiet, too? Bill still cannot get over that. Korea is just so loud and noisy, in the way that Japan just....isn`t.
The next morning, we checked out a flea market being held at a shrine. The plum blossoms are JUST coming out now, and its absolutely gorgeous. I found a very cute little wooden Japanese doll, and after much soul searching, found the perfect white and blue ceramic with overlaid silver dragon artwork perfume bottle, both for quite good prices. I fell in love with a stunning white kimino which, if I were getting married, I would have bought in an instant, but I just couldn`t justify the cost at present. And took dozens of pictures of the flowers. I practiced my Japanese and become quite confident at pointing at an object and declaring "Kore wa ikura desuka..." (How much is this?)
I actually quite like speaking Japanese, the little I know. And I LOVE the Japanese word for yes, or "hai." It`s not "Hi, hey what`s up?" It`s a very strong, deep "HAI." Not necessarily loud, but firm.
That same day, we also visited the Golden Pavilion and chatted with a group of Indonesian, Malaysian girls living in Australia, visiting Japan for a fortnight. The pavilion was absolutely beautiful. We were both impressed, and spoke of returning when there was snow to see the snow covering the shrine and surrounding pond.
We also walked through another shrine at night. I love the contrast of walking out of a very old, asture Buddhist temple into a street full of cars and buses and mart shops.
The next day we checked out the monkey park and the manga museum before catching the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. Shall update more on that later, though I am rather tired now. We were lucky to find a hotel quite close. We didn:t even have to walk. We took the electric cable car and our hotel was right at the corner. I took a long soak in the bath, since the "onsan," or public bathhouse in the hotel, was closed to women when we arrived. I guess there:s only one and it alternates usage between men and women.
Oh, and the woman at the hotel lobby taught me to say "I am in Japan," hence my earlier post.
Good night from Japan! Going to walk down the shopping street tomorrow to the War Museum and Memorial Park.
JAPAN!!! (How about another exclamation mark?...I dont know if thats necessary...No, its probably not necessary)
I am in Japan! (Watashi wa Nihon ni imasu!)
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
My iTunes receipt, or "A glimpse into who I am"
Item Number Description Unit Price
1 That's How You Know
$1.29
2 True Love's Kiss
$1.29
3 (Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar (feat. Felicia Day)
$0.99
4 If You're Into It
$0.99
5 As Time Goes By
$0.99
Subtotal: $5.55
Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $5.55
1 That's How You Know
$1.29
2 True Love's Kiss
$1.29
3 (Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar (feat. Felicia Day)
$0.99
4 If You're Into It
$0.99
5 As Time Goes By
$0.99
Subtotal: $5.55
Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $5.55
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