the good and THE BAD DAYS

So, it was bound to happen right? With so many wonderful things, people, and experiences, I was bound to have a bad day. Well that day was today. It started off well, opening a Korean bank account, grocery shopping for breakfast, and applying for my alien registration card. So far so good, but today was my first day of teaching. I met with my head instructor at the school early and went over the procedure of conducting class as well getting acclimated to the school and its facilities.

Well 4 o'clock came around and class was to begin. My first class was Memory English (I had enjoyed this more than the other during training). What a disaster, things definitely did not go as I had planned: When called on kids were silent without knowing answers to the questions I was talking about. This started a chain reactions of issues which would progress throughout the class. I had to pry at them more for answers and show them how things were done. I started to lecture too much instead of actively involving them and keeping them engaged, I was losing the kids and I was losing the time schedule. Things taking longer and not being able to progress through the lesson caused me to try and hurry though the topic at hand and make up for my falling behind thus crippling my teaching them effectively. It is surprising how fast 3 hours can go by even when you feel like you have just been running into a wall over and over.

7 o'clock, the next class begins; these kids are more advanced hopefully I can manage the class better. Much better, they actually know what im talking about, this makes my job so much easier. While still rusty since it is my first time teaching this class I feel like im doing a pretty good job until we progress further on. I forgot to go over a part of the lesson with them properly which comes back to bite me in the ass later and have difficulty explaining to them how do do certain things. Im lecturing too much, im losing them, im slipping in the schedule. I get through everything that needs to be done but I feel it was done in a sub-par way.

The bell rings, its 10 o'clock and the kids run out of class. I am exhausted, my head is killing me and now i need to evaluate my performance for my head instructor to give me feedback on tomorrow. All i want is to go home and forget about what happened.

There is a saying that I couldn't help but think of on the subway ride home. Those of us who CAN'T do: teach. Well if this is any indication of anything, I absolutely feel as if I CAN DO. Tomorrow is another day and new students, hopefully its a better one.

Surprise Suprise

Who would have thought that Korea would love coffee so much. Taking a walk down the street in Seoul you cant help but notice just how many coffee shops there are. Not only are there more coffee shops then I can count but there are so many different chains: Starbucks, Coffee Bean, Angel-In-Us Coffee, A twosome place, Dunkin Donuts, you name it its here and then there are a million other small non franchised coffee shops.

Well I was walking down the street and decided to stop in the Dunkin Donuts to sit down and read a little of my book and maybe grab a doughnut. Scanning through the doughnuts they have on display I see the usual glazed, blueberry, chocolate etc and then I noticed some local flavor: Garlic glazed. I had to try this. I took my garlic treat with me to the seating area and sat down. I take a bite of the doughnut and take my book out of my bag to begin reading. "Tastes like a regular glazed doughnut to me." While reading and continuing to chew and take bites the subtle aftertaste of garlic starts to kick in and it is quite a delight fighting the sweet sugary taste on my tongue.



Taking a look around and thinking about how everywhere you go in this city there are people out eating, socializing and just enjoying life, I am reassured that I will most definitely enjoy my time being here.

Training

Oh right, I came here for a job and will actually have to work! For the past week I have been training for what to expect while we are teaching. I learned I will be teaching Memory English and Reading Par. There are a bunch of levels and types which I need not get into as it is too long and too boring. Anyway, they are both pretty good, but Memory seems like it will be easier to teach. The trainer I have for Memory though is passive aggressive and a little bit of a dick, but he is thorough in making sure we are able to execute the teaching lessons well which is good. The job seems like it is easy enough especially after you have done it for a couple of class lessons and especially when there is a new term as you have already done all your prep work. There is a regimented guide and structure we follow so it will be quite repetitive and mindless which has its pluses and minuses I guess.

During training there Swine Flu precautions are definitely in effect and everyone must wear a protective mask. It’s pretty funny to see a training room or even building full of masked individuals. Check it out.

Tomorrow is the culmination of all that we have learned during the week and we will be tested on our knowledge of the class structure as well as our mock teachings for both lessons. I don’t think it will be a problem, even though there is a lot of material to know, since I have been doing well and 90% pass (the other 10 usually are just people who quit, which there has been a couple). Also everyone will be departing to their respective locations all over the country and i will be moving to another hotel for the weekend while i get settled into my district and find an apartment to live in. So this year I will be spending my Thanksgiving evening reviewing for my tests, but before I start I will be enjoying a nice Thanksgiving meal of Korean BBQ.

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A real egg roll

Sunday night we went out with another local Korean that Louis knew along with two other girls in the program (Sophie and Jamie). Joon (Louis's friend) took us to a typical Korean restaurant where you sit on the floor, share large communal dishes and drink. That is what a real egg roll looks like. Its called gyeranmari which literally means egg roll. Its like an omelet only it is huge. Its a giant sheet of egg that you then wrap something with: kimchi, chicken, beef, cheese. We got half kimchi and half cheese, it was delicious. The roll is served on a wash board for doing laundry by hand with raw garlic, green chilies, hot chili paste, sweet and sour sauce and it is topped with ketchup oddly enough. We also got a meat dish, a type of Galbi which was shredded meat packed together, marinated and grilled.

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Then the fun started. We ordered some Soju (rice liquor similar to sake but the Korean version) and Joon taught us a couple of Korean drinking games while more Soju and beer kept coming to the table.

And you thought America was obssesed about the swine flu

When we checked into the hotel we received a thermometer with our room key. I thought that was strange but didnt really think about it. I found out why when I got an email that said I (as well as all the other teachers) was required to email my health status twice a day until I have my medical exam on Monday which we are required to wear a medical mask to. They suggested that we limit our contact with the general public and to wear a mask when we venture out. They really dont like the swine, they also had signs for it all over the airport.

Contrary to the email's suggestions Louis and I ventured out into the city without masks and stumbled upon a Food show (we were on our way to Coex which is Asia's largest underground mall). The show was primarily for food industry people (buyers, sellers, restaurants, food machine manufacturers, farmers, you name it it was there). We paid our 3000 won ($2.50) for entry and were bombarded by everything the show had to offer: kimchi, soju, sake, tea, coffee, all kinds of gogi gui (Korean bbq), rice cakes, soups, pine tree juice (that was really good) and lots of kitchen machinery, oh and an incubator with chickens and ducks hatching . Sharing all the food samples with lots of people im sure is exactly what they meant in the email. I even got a free packet of Kimchi from one vendor, I think it was because I am American.




They even had a performance of Pungmul which is a traditional Korean folk music focused around drumming and dancing.



On the walk back to the hotel we stopped in Samneung Park were an old Korean King and Queen are buried from the 1400's. Seoul is full of parks integrated into the city with lots of outdoor activities.





The Korean people are supposed to be quite outdoorsy and I look forward to taking advantage of the outdoor activities when it warms up. It was in the 20's this morning and moved up to the mid 30's but never the less the day was nice and sunny without a cloud in the sky. It wasn't windy so the temperature didnt feel that bad, that and knowing that the hotel has heated floors and a heated toilet I think ill be alright.

Finally

After leaving to go the airport at 430am on Thursday morning I have finally arrived in Seoul. The flight to San Fran was just under 6 hours but I slept most of the way since I did not sleep the night before and enjoyed my 3 hour layover with some Mexican food at the airport which I knew i probably would not have again for a long time. Another 12 hour flight to Seoul, hour bus ride into the city and multiple hours of waiting to be picked up by a cab I arrived at the hotel Friday at around 11:15 pm.

My room is nice with amenities which will come in handy during the week I will be here; washer, kitchenette, fridge, internet etc. At first I thought I might not be paired with a roommate but as I was going out to find something to eat my roommate was coming into the room. His name is Louis, very nice guy, and he had his Korean friend SunSung with him.

We all went out to eat to a Korean Restaurant that Sun took us to and got "sundae" which is like a blood sausage and "sundaeguk" which is a soup made with the sausage. Of course all was served with kimchi, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), and other delicious side dishes. SunSung was very nice and lives in the area of the hotel we are staying in. He invited me and Louis to eat at his house tomorrow for some Korean BBQ (gogi gui). Here are some pictures to put faces to names.

Pre Korea

Originally I was supposed to go to Korea back in August. This was the soonest I could get there since I had to process some paperwork I was waiting on from recently graduating. To my not so pleasant surprise I was informed that the company I was to work for over estimated the number of job positions they would have open for my departure in August and I was delayed. My intended three week vacation at home in Florida turned into a three month vacation. After some lengthy email conversations, resubmitting of documents and lots and lots of waiting (there is not much to do in Florida) I learned I will be leaving in November, the 19th to be exact.

With no means of my own transportation and all of my friends not being in town I spent a lot of time with my family. While I very much enjoyed spending my time at home, three months (almost four) is too long to spend in Florida (I think it is the longest period of time I had been home since going to college). I was frustrated and itching to leave.

Alas, the day has come, my Visa has been processed (I pick it up today) and my flight has been booked. I am off to immerse myself in a new culture, new land, and new life on a one way ticket halfway around the world with no real idea as to when I will be back...