A Year in Korea

2008-12-20T22:52:00.000-08:00

Below you will find pictures of my NEW IMPROVED pad! I have new features such as a washer AND dryer, an almost walk-in closet to hang lots of clothes in, and a very spacious kitchen! Not to mention, I got a bath AND shower in one!! Very happy with the new digs and am hoping to live here for the next year happily ever after...:-)

You are wondering why I took a picture of my phone huh? This is not JUST a phone but an internet phone which is cheaper than a regular land phone AND lets me do internet once I get that elusive computer. I hope the six month rule to getting things over here doesn't apply to obtaining that computer...er...laptop I mean.

The clock that my wonderful fiancee urged I get because it had a plug in and was not battery charged.

The wonderful dryer and washer combo that will save me having to put on wrinkled clothes in the morning...

My "grand canyon" sink!;-p

The shower/bath that I am truly enjoying!!

A spacious view of my spacious kitchen area!!:-)

A shot of a happy tenant in her new digs!
The ok working TV with the big closet keeping it company.

My DOUBLE bed that I hope I can share with a special someone!(yes I was referring to my fiancee)

FIVE MONTHS!!

2008-10-19T02:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm appreciating South Korea more and more. And Daejeon twice as much!;-) Daejeon has the best parks, best coke, and best fiancee in the world!:-) What with the economic dry tumble going on financially, I feel positively rich now when I get my paycheck. And South Korea has GREAT American TV...got CSI galore and Korean exorcism!:-)

Now I just gotta make it through winter and I'll be on top of the food chain!!;-p

As far as my teaching experience goes...

I'm beginning to get food offerings from students and they are starting to say things like:

"You are my favorite teacher because you don't give out homework."

You are a great teacher because you give us candy"

and

"You look pretty teacher " even though they just drew wrinkles on my face with a picture they drew of me on the board...that is forgivable I suppose...

I'm a little behind with schedule on getting a camera but I SWEAR I'm getting one this upcoming month!!

My House (In the middle of the street)

2008-10-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

A bit of a rearrangement... hard to tell since I can't find my first photo. ;-)

4 months in...:-)

2008-09-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

This is what has been up with me in the notated version again!;-)

-found great lemon tea at this gelato/coffe joint called Tiamo in my neighborhood
-finally got a bus card
-found out about an orphanage that I might volunteer at
-read The Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
-started Korean lessons
-found the Hanbat Library
-rearranged my room
-bought some more books(no surprise!)
-visted Deajeon Cemetary with Charlie
-had trouble seeing my "kamcha" woman...she sells delicious potatos
-found the printer at my favorite PC Bong
-discovered my freezer does not work
-got some Chusak bonus money
-discovered how delicous sweet mustard is on Lotteria burgers
-got a list of Korean movies to watch
-discovered the new bookstore in South Padre Island thanks to Nancy M.
-found out how bizarre and nutritional Ginseng is for my body
-I now know I can handle Seoul living as long as I am by its rivers
-rediscovered a bookstore in Daejeon
-saw awe inspiring artwork by some women sewers/painters
-love Insundong for its great tea and gift selection
-love Itaewan for its bookstore

Things I need to do

-get a laptop
-get a cellphone
-find a good sushi place
-keep working on getting a social circle
-find the tourist center in Seoul
-need to get a camera

THREE MONTHS!!

2008-08-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I passed my three month mark. I've made it through the hottest part of Korean weather and am a little nervous about winter coming. I've gotten used to my late work schedule of 2-9 every day pretty much. Thursdays are my only early day off on which I rush over to Charlie's and join him in an orgy of drinking. I'm finally seeming to save money but that could be all blown if I decide to get close and personal with the Korean sidewalk again...;-) I've been researching all the EFL/ESL links I can find to improve my teaching techniques. Keeping the kids entertained is definitely the key. Charlie is much better at it because he is a supergenius, he is white, and he is willing to make a fool of himself!;-p I'm getting into the swing of entertaining the rugrats and making sure I relax before classes start at the local park. The cicadas are a little annoying but every now and then I hear a bird in between drones of cicadas. Finally discovered a favorite Kimchi and am having fun torturing Charlie into doing outdoor activities with me. K...off to bed and another Friday...:-)

Techniques in Teaching...

2008-08-06T04:45:00.000-07:00

I've had to learn how to be an EFL teacher. Thanks to Charlie and my own creative genius, I have come up with a few techniques which seem to be working.

-making students create questions from reading and having them switch papers(actually not a popular one but it kept them busy during class)

-creating teams and giving them options to challenge each other with such as word and/or sentence scrambles, missing words/sentences, define the word, or read the article out loud

-write everything out on the board so they know what I am doing

-write explanations out on board in English so they can practice
reading/interpreting English

-write anything they do not understand on board in any way I can to get them to understand which actually implies not writing but drawing(so far no laughs about my bad drawing-gonna have to work on that)

-bring in extra incentives to do work in class like candy but use this frugally since kids LOVE candy and will eat one out of one's checking and savings account!;-)

-model my instructions on board(this has worked beautifully)

-bring in games on paper such as crosswords and word searches(big success with this)

-bring in props such as engagement rings..;-p or anything that will give them a visual

-have them come up to the board and do activities such as spelling, drawing or explaining themselves to me

-take them to the computer room and have them listen to audios on the computer(I find this not a very fruitful activity since most of the kids know I can't be everywhere at once and start playing around with other websites-they know the two screen trick)

-learned some commands in Korean such as ANJA seo...I usually forget to be polite and just use the command form...they were very impressed by my Korean skills and obeyed!;-)

-walk around the room instead of just standing in front of it

-relax a little and give them play around time which to Korean kids means either pop songs or hangman games

-do a lesson plan( I know-like DUH!)

-treat Korean kids like Dennis the Menace and just go with the flow-maybe I'll get out of my classes alive in a day or not...;-) But there is always tomorrow...actually my kids are getting used to me finally and really getting into learning stuff now...but no matter how much I want no more bumps...I do still have my bad days with students...sigh...something I learn is true with ALL EFL teachers...

Duh Video

2008-07-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

is hyar

my second month!!:-)

2008-07-12T04:50:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post some quick highlights for my second month mark.

-got my ARC card finally
-getting through to some of my highschool students by making them do pushups
-decided to pay off debt instead of going to Japan
-my elbow is pretty much back to normal
-might be writing some nonsense on some essays I read last week
-getting my own social circle in Korea
-survived the first heat wave in Korea
-got signed up at the library in the cultural center
-been watching a ton of Law and Order until 2 in the morning
-dreaming of the day I can really save money again
-trying to meet other foreign hagwan teachers but having no luck so far
-can't wait until I can get a laptop and not have to go to the PC Bong!;-)

Charlie will post the video we made together in the next week or so...

Oh...and I want a camera too so I can start posting those pictures of Charlie sitting on the curb drinking his fourth bottle of wine!;-p

A MONTH IN KOREA!!

2008-06-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

I made a month with a dislocated arm and a cold but I think that is pretty good considering worse endings. Last Tuesday I got the alien card thang going but that leaves me without my passport info which is frustrating because I can't do anything at a bank at all! I need to pay bills and I'm having to go through Charlie. But on a happier note my cast should be off this week. Going to stop typing now since typing with my left hand with one finger is not fun...

My Third Week

2008-06-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

1) Two boys got in a fistfight in class - one got a bloody nose.
2) We mysteriously got fed twice one day
3) My book tour was rescheduled
4) I took a hike with Charly going the other way on the trail we had followed the previous week. Charly wussed out because he thought his iPod would get wet.
5) I bought my first pieces of delicious Korean beef and got into a bit of confusion about what "gae" means
6) I had dinner with my co-worker Angela
7) I got paid!
8) I will be getting my Alien Registration Card in process this week,

The big news, of course, is that I dislocated and fractured my elbow. There are pictures and a brief story here. In my version Charly both tried to push me in front of a car AND throw me mercilessly to the ground!

Expo Park and dinner...

2008-05-31T04:46:00.000-07:00

Well, Charlie I am sure will post the pictures of Expo Park which is supposed to be one of the main highlights of Deajeon but it turned out to be um...well...EMPTY!

The outside exhibits were cool and two of the inside attractions we went to were cool. There was a great restaurant there which served some cool dish that maybe Charlie can help identify on his blog.

Later on I had dinner with a coworker who explained to me that Expo Park had been unchanged for the past ten years so pretty much Expo Park is boring to anyone who knows about it. That is why it was soooo empty-it is outdated in Korea. Trying to figure out how to send a polite comment about this to the city planners so that cool park doesn't die. It really does have cool stuff in it but I have to agree-more new stuff would definitely help.

Also Charlie and I went to a local fish restaurant by his place and had the BEST fish! Freshly chopped up and served right to us in minutes. But we did have trouble with some little shelled critter that we surmised we had to somehow suck out of its hiding place. We failed terribly at this feat and will have to ask BFK how the heck you eat such a strange food entity.;-)

K...off to go enjoy my last few minuts at the PC Bong...Korea is #1!!

My home sweet home...:-)

2008-05-31T04:37:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of my pad.:-)

Health check up...:-)

2008-05-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday I got my health check up. It was raining so when we got to the hospital I discovered a nifty thing about their hospitals. They COVER everyone's umbrella with plastic covers so the floors don't get wet! It was a very futuristic sensible way of dealing with wet umbrellas. Why can't the United States do such a simple thing at least for important places like hospitals? Oh yeah-no profit made and no possibility of lawsuits...damn capitalism...;-)

Well, so I got registered after a couple of walks back and forth across the entire hospital. Then I got my urine sample done-passed that with flying colors. Then I got my basics checked out like eyes, ears, blood pressure, and weight. The only slightly bad thing they found in all of that was I have low blood pressure. Korea is doing wonders for me!;-p Then there was another urine sample, the blood drawing bit, and my chest xray. In the xray room I got some funky pants and blouse. But all of this took about an hour. In the States there would have been a need for numerous paperwork, a ton of appointments, and three weeks wait before I saw ANY doctor at all. I love the Korean hospital system! So as far as I know-I'll get a clean bill of health and get my alien card soon...I hope! Been getting bills right and left now which are due at the end of the month. Gotta figure out how to start paying them.

So that is the health check part for foreigners. Nothing to it. Come on over!:-)

My Second Week...

2008-05-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well, my second week seems much better than my first. The students seem to be getting used to me. The younger ones around 6-8 years of age are still trying to run around like mad and drive me up the wall but I'm starting to use the hitting stick so they are realizing they need to sit down or else!;-) The older kids are getting into talking with me about topics.

Last night I talked about Korean history with one class because one of the articles dealt with one of their kings. Another class talked about where they would like to go if they could go anywhere in the world-strangely no one wanted to visit America. I asked why and the number one reason-we have mad cow disease! I just sighed and continued asking about the other countries they were interested in visiting. Some of the choices were (listed by number interested): England, Japan, France, Australia, Philippines, and Switzerland. I asked about why they were interested in going to Japan and shared that Americans thought they hated Japan. Well, they were smart enough to make the distinction between history and culture. They hate the former and love the latter. I was tempted to bring up mad cow disease again but bit my tongue. Not enough time and too complicated. But I learned they like snow, pop music, handsome singers, and the Alps!
In the class discussing the king article, I found out that they don't learn Korean history until later on in school...I wasn't clear when though since they were pretty old not to have been taught their own history...this class was a mixed bag-from 8-12/13 year olds. I asked them why they don't learn history earlier and they kept pointing to thier heads and saying no brains for it. I finally figured out that they were trying to say apparently the school system doesn't trust them to understand their history until they are more mature. Then I asked them if their parents shared history with them and they shook their heads. I was surprised by this since I thought Koreans were proud of their country. I tried to ask them why and one girl told me that her mother was a housewife. I got a glimpse into their viewpoints on women and men at that point. Housewives apparently don't have need to know thier history. I figure her mother knows more than she lets on.

Anyways, I learned when Korean history started. The same girl told me that it all started 2333 BC. I was happy to notice that her classmates all helped her communicate that in English. I praised the whole class before they left for listening to each other and speaking so well in English. In return they tried to teach me right, left, and goodbye in Korean. I think I might have found my favorite class.:-)

Now to discuss my weekend. We went to Icheon(NOT Incheon where the airport is) and it was a GREAT little city. We went to the Ceramics Festival and it was a ton of fun. We saw a ton of clay pig statuettes and models. I asked one of my classes about that and they said the pig was a very lucky symbol. Still puzzled about the Korean lunar calendar...what year is it? Anyways, they had bolgogi and delicious soup that we tried on our second day in town, and a clay pottery making session. It was mainly for kids but hey-no one stopped me so what the heck! I made a pot! It was a ton of fun to feel that pot move under my hands. They are supposedly going to send to me through the mail. We will see how THAT works out. They had a memorial booth talking about 6-25. Of course we didn't understand a word of anything but that date seemed important. There were about 8 veterans standing around and gruesome battle pictures. I was tempted to ask about it but Charlie didn't want me thrown out of the park if there was any anit-American sentiment flowing from the guys. So I walked away with a ton of questions. I'll have to research that date.

We saw some traditional musical instruments being play by some girls which was one of the cooler events we saw in both senses of the word!;-) Very fast paced music and a beat that you could stomp your feet to if you wanted. Very colorful clothes too.

Icheon is a very pretty city too. They also have the peach festival and rice festival held there. Looking forward to going to those too.:-) Tring not to think badly of Daejeon now but it now seems drab compared to Icheon.

K....another post about my health check coming up.

My first week teaching...

2008-05-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well, so this was my first day teaching.

Come into room.

Hello. My name is Yvonne.

Class yells out questions all at once.

I yell out QUIET!

They quiet down.

I tell them where I am from.

They begin asking questions all at once again.

I yell QUIET!

They settle down and I take roll.

Then they start jumping off the walls and jabbering a mile a minute to each other.

I yell SIT DOWN!!

Most of them sit down.

I yell QUIET!

Most of them shut up but then there are the boys

The boys are either deaf or are testing me...I've never figured that one out.

So I yell quiet a few more times.

So begins the futile attempts to control the classroom.

I get the boys to shut up then the rest of the class starts up.

I get the rest of the class to shut up and then the boys starts chirping up again.

And so goes my day.

At the end of the day my voice is raspy and I am tired out by chasing little ones around the room trying to make them sit down in a chair.

They were excited to see me I am sure but then they knew I was new so I think I was being tested to see if I would come back the next day...

Bad news for them...I came back. ;-p

The rest of the week was MUCH better. Most of the classes behaved themselves and now the biggest challenge I have is getting straight in my head where I am in the classes since we have a different book for almost every single class. I have seven classes in all. So pretty much seven different books to keep track of during the day. Then Friday I was told by one of my instructors that I need to give out homework or else I was not doing a good job. NOW they tell me!

So I need to become the American queeen of homework so the parents are impressed that their kids are learning enough English to pass whatever English test that they might have in the near or far future.

I am having a ton of fun in South Korea! The second night I was here I was treated to a bday celebration by my work since I'd told them that Monday was my bday. They took me out and bought me a fruit cake which was VERY YUMMY!! I impressed them all with eating dried squid with zest since they apparently had NEVER seen a foreign teacher eat that before. And they were impressed that I ate some spicy noodles that were on the table. They were not THAT hot and I just avoided the hot peppers.;-)

I figured out the bus system and one bus goes to both my place and Charlie's place so I don't have to transfer at all to any other bus. I've learned to hate taxis because the first one I took almost slammed into another taxi that stopped suddenly to get a passenger and another one dumped my ass off after three blocks to pick up some chick who was waiting. Taxi drivers drive way too fast. Considering I just survived three car accidents-I'm practically shaking when I get out of taxis. Anyways, I am overall enjoying Daejeon and am looking forward to seeing an American movie in the next two weeks at the theater downtown.

Also I learned how to do a money order and send mail. Now I just need to get a bus pass and figure out where a cellphone store is around here. Then work on getting computer access at home.

So that is about it for now. Post any questions or comments here on my blog or email me.