Getting the Hang of this Teaching Thing

Before I begin, I must give a big shout out to all the teachers. I knew before coming to Korea that teachers put in a lot of hard work, but I didn't realize just how much. I feel that just within the last two months, I have gained so much more confidence and patience with myself and others. Not to mention a new love for kids :) I NEVER thought in a million years I'd be working with kids. When I first told my close friends and family that I was coming to Korea to teach kids, they immediately questioned me. But, when you have faces like these, how can you NOT love your job?

Chris and Edward

September was a pretty intense month for me. At the end of August, the Elementary students took their "Big Assessment" tests. This is a test given every two months to each class. It's a test on reading, comprehension and some grammar. Well this was my first time around giving this test. Luckily, I do not have to make the complete tests, but I do have to grade them. It's not a hard job, but it's very time consuming and sometimes comical. I remember one question from my student's test.

"Question: Scientists learn from their mistakes. What does that mean?

 Answer per my students: Scientists learn from their mistakes"

Not only was I introduced to the "Big Assessment" tests, but I also had to plan my first lesson plan for the month. Come to find out this wasn't all that difficult once I got the hang of it. I already have to make a weekly lesson plan for my kinder classes, so I already knew the gist of it.


While we're on the subject of my Elementary students, I will say they can be a bit of a handful at times. They like to goof around and talk in Korean at times. I only know a few words, like "fart". So I like to call them out for it when they say it. Silly kids think they can fool Jenn Teacher? I don't think so ;)

I feel the kids have adapted well to me for the most part. They know our routine and have gotten much better with listening. I'm extremely proud of my Elmo class! These are the 5 (Korean) / 4 (US) year olds. They're beginning to write and even sound out words. Sevin, the little girl we have coined the "badass" because she likes to bully the older kids, has always excelled in reading. But, Ethan and Isaac are coming along. Although, Isaac still thinks that "L-I-O-N" spells hamburger. Progress people, progress!!


Ethan has been voted my absolute favorite student. He showers me with hugs everyday and anytime I wear a colorful dress or scarf he says "Jenn Teacha bery bery prettyyy". He's already learning the art of brown nosing. What a smart, smart boy!

Ethan :)

At the end of October, each kinder class has to perform a song for a speech contest. This month I have Tweety class. I chose the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". I already told my co-teachers the competition is on. Jenn Teacher and Tweety class will be bringing the best darn dance moves that ILS has ever seen! Not to mention I have Judy, aka "Judy wit da booty", in my class. That girl can get down! She was named this by co-teacher and it's stuck ever since. 


I know you're probably thinking, well her job doesn't sound too difficult. And to be honest, it has it's days. I mean how can you really complain about a job where you get to snuggle with the cutest 5-year olds, color, dance and help the world by teaching children the difference between "their", "they're", "your" and "you're?"

Korean Food 101

Before coming to Korea, I was very nervous thinking I would not be able to eat because my chopstick skills were way under par. I could barely pick up a sushi roll for goodness sakes! Since coming here, I think I've done rather well. After several embarrassing incidents of dropping my chopsticks in the fire at Korean BBQs, I'm happy to say that I can now eat just about anything including rice, noodles and soup.

Since we're on the subject of food, I thought I'd educate everyone on some food that I have been introduced to. Now to begin I must confess, I have eaten more fried chicken while being here in SoKo than I have ever back home. Funny to think, right? Usually when you think of fried chicken, you think of the South. I'm not sure what the fascination is with it, but I almost feel as though the Koreans have embraced this more than the South back in the States. I have found there to be at least one fried chicken place on every block. I'm still trying to figure out how the Koreans stay so skinny.

A fried chicken place near my house

Thanks to one of my coworkers, it wasn't until recently that I was able to try some new Korean cuisine and I must say it was pretty darn good. I tried an assortment of foods and by far my favorite is kimbap. (I know, I know.  It sounds like a Hanson song. haha)

Kimbap (김밥), or gimbap, is basically rice, some vegetables and meat wrapped in seaweed. Many people will compare this to a sushi roll. Kim (깁) means seaweed and bap (밥) means rice. It usually contains eggs, tuna, or beef, and vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, or spinach. It's also very inexpensive. The cost of a roll will run you about 1000-2500 won, which is $1-$2.

Kimbap (김밥)

The next dish I tried was bibimbap. This dish was so amazing! Bibimbap ("mixed rice") is a rice dish that is accompanied by cooked and fresh vegetables, a sunny side up egg, and beef (you can substitute chicken or any other meat). Some varieties are served in a sizzling hot stone bowl, with a cracked egg on top. This is so the egg can cook while in the bowl. I unfortunately haven't had a chance to try this kind yet.

Bibimbap

Below is a picture of kimchi jjigae. This dish was recommended to me by Lauren, the teacher who I had replaced. She said that it was a good cure for a cold. Kimchi jiggae is a stew-like Korean dish made with kimchi and other ingredients, such as scallions, onions, and diced tofu. It's usually served boiling inside a hot sizzling bowl. It's a very good dish, but is also very spicy.

Kimchi jiggae

Another kind of Korean cuisine I recently tried was dak galbi.This dish hands down has one my vote for my favorite Korean dish. It's a little on the spicy side, but oh so amazing! Dak galbi is made by stir-frying marinated diced chicken in a chili pepper paste based sauce, and sliced cabbage, scallions, onions and tteok (rice cake) together on a hot plate. Just like Korean BBQ, everything is served family style. There's a giant wok placed in front of you and your party where you can watch it cook. It's a super yummy dish!

Dak galbi

As I try more food, I'll be sure to keep you all posted. A lot of people have been asking me, "how do the prices compare to those in the States"? Well it all really depends on the type of cuisine you are eating. All of these dishes posted above are all relatively inexpensive. You can get a full meal for about 5000-10,000 won. Now the prices fluctuate a lot when is comes to Mexican or Italian. A good Mexican meal will cost you anywhere's from 11,500-25,000 won. And to top it off, it's not as good as the Mexican back home. I certainly miss La Herradura :(

Chuseok Weekend

This past weekend was Chuseok. It's pronounced as "chew-sock" for anyone wondering. This holiday is where families travel back to their home towns to be with family and to pay their respects to their ancestors. It's basically their Thanksgiving. Well, thanks to this holiday I had a  full 5 days of play. So to celebrate I decided do some sightseeing.

My school celebrated Chuseok on Thursday with traditional festivities. Each student wore a Hanbok, or a traditonal Korean garment. They were all so cute! Also, each class made Songpyeons. Songpyeons are a traditional Korean food that are half-moon-shaped rice cakes stuffed with either beans or a sweet filling, then steamed. They are actually very good! My co-teacher, Rafaela Teacher, explained to me a myth that if you're pregnant while making the songpyeons you will have a healthy girl on the way.

Songpyeons

That same night I attended a teachers dinner at a Korean BBQ near my work. All the Korean and Native teachers attended as a farewell party to one of my co-workers and my welcoming. It was really great to be out with my Korean co-teachers and learn a little more about Korean culture.

For the Chuseok weekend Everland, an amusement park, and Caribbean Bay, a water park, had half-off ticket prices for foreign residents. Yippee! I jumped on the chance to go to at least one park. So on Sunday, I went to Caribbean Bay. It was a pretty decent sized water park and considering the holiday, it was pretty dead. Making lines non-existent and our visit even more enjoyable.

On Monday I met up with a group of friends and went to the Korean Folk Village. It's a living museum with replicas of traditional houses of the different social classes. It was such an experience. It's rather big so if anyone ever goes to visit, be sure to allot a whole day. We spent almost seven hours there. They had traditional Korean food, along with traditional Korean folk dancing and music.

One of my favorite attractions was the wishing tree which is were one can write a wish on a piece of paper and tie them to a tree that would later be burned.

Another attraction I liked was the totem pols. People would place these totem pols at the entry of their village or a building. They were used a tutelary gods to defend their town from disease or disaster.

For weeks I have been craving Western style breakfast but have hard a time getting my hands on any since most of the breakfast places are located closer to Seoul. On Tuesday I went to Butterfinger Pancakes in Jeongja to surprise one my co-workers for her Birthday. I cannot begin to tell you how blissful my meal was. They had any kind of breakfast food imaginable along with some amazing mac & cheese. 

Afterwards, we headed to see the LG Twins vs Doosan Bears game. These are generally big games since both teams share the same home stadium.

Overall this past weekend was one of the best weekends I have had so far in Korea. I spent it with good company and got to see a lot more of what I came here to Korea to see. Last night was by far one of the most exciting things I have encountered. While in the taxi on the way home from the bar, the taxi driver had me sing along to "Like a Virgin" with him. Madonna is such a legend no matter what country you're in.

I unfortunately have to head back to work tomorrow. I'm actually kind of excited to get back and see my little babies. I kind of miss them :(

A Month Has Come and Gone

In three days is my one month anniversary in South Korea. I can't believe it's been that long. It feels like I was just saying goodbye to everyone and boarding the plane a week ago. As many of you may know or have read, I'm having a really great time here.

My job is going well. I'm really enjoying it and having fun with the kids. I finally don't a have a desk job and I find that I'm trying to challenge myself with new, fun ways to teach. The kids are starting to warm up to me. It's so comforting to have one of your students walk up to you and hug you for no reason. I can never get enough hugs :)


Let me give you a rundown on what it's been like for me at school these past few weeks. To begin, I survived my first week of lunch duty. Amen! Once every two-ish  months each teacher has to cover lunch duty for their classes. This past week was my first. I don't know if a lot of people know this, but I have never babysat in my life. So feeding nine kids all under the age of 8 made me really nervous. All I could think was, "please don't throw food at me". Come to find out, when kids are hungry, they will listen to you haha.


Also, this past week was Body Check Up for our kinder classes. So on Thursday, we had a mock physical. My job was to measure their chest. Many of them didn't want to put their arms up for me, because they thought I was going to tickle them. To begin the day, I had to go through the booklet and teach my Elmo class (ages 5) parts of the body. Good luck on that! They couldn't remember their Birthday and all they wanted to do was sing "head, shoulders, knees and toes".

Here's a few pictures of my Elmo and Tweety classes

My Elementary classes seem to be going well, too. I have one class that is only in their fourth month of learning English. It's a little frustrating only because the communication is harder. I also have a class with all boys. Man, is it hard to discipline boys especially when they think it's funny that "Billy" farted. I'm not sure if it's weird that I get really excited about teaching grammar to kids. I hope not, because I love it! My biggest pet peeve is when people don't use conjunctions properly. Well if god is my witness these kids will know when to use "your and you're".


A lot of people have been asking what the students call me. Well to answer this question, it really depends on the day. Some days it's "Jenn Teacher" and other days it's "pig" or "eskimo". Also, some of the students have found my tattoo on my wrist. I always cover it with a watch, but sometimes it slips. I get a lot of "oh no Teacher what happened". I just tell them I drew on myself.


Aside from teaching, I've been enjoying getting out and seeing a bit of Korea. This past weekend I went to the Sipripo Beach Festival in Incheon. It's an island right outside of Seoul. It was a fun time with good people. It almost was like the Spring Break, I never had. There were lots of foreigners which kind of made me feel uncomfortable. You get so used to only being around Koreans, that when you around a lot of people that resemble you, it's a little weird ha. Also, being around that many foreigners just made me realize just how impatient and rude us Americans are. 


On Tuesday, I will be going on my first field trip with the kids. We're going to a kids cafe which, from what I hear, is basically like a Chuck E. Cheese without games and pizza. I'll have to post pictures and update you all on that. Wish me luck!

Things That Make You Go, Hmm!

Wow! I can't believe I have only been in S. Korea for three weeks. It feels like I have been here longer because I have experienced so much already. I have become a celebrity in my own right with people staring at me and taking pictures. It's pretty funny! Since being here, there's a lot of little things that I have picked up on that I find interesting. 

First, looks and appearance play a huge role in Korean society. How you look is very important! Men's fashion here surprises me a little more than women's fashion. Women's fashion seems pretty expected, being that Asian women are known for their high heels and short length dresses/skirts. Men's fashion consists of a very tailored look and would be comparable to that of the "metro" style in the States. Oh and ladies, the popped collar is still very popular here. I'm still not sure how that was ever an acceptable fashion statement, but I'll try to look over it :)

Another thing that has caught my eye is seeing that the men carry their girlfriend's purses. At first I laughed, but the more I think about it, I wish I had someone to carry my over-sized bag so I didn't have to break my shoulder. It almost seems like the men are rocking out the purses more than the women. They enjoy showing off their Gucci, Prada and Coach purses. To add to this so called oddness, it's very common to see couples in matching outfits. I'm not sure what this symbolizes, but it could possibly be that because public displays of affection remain a taboo here. Matching outfits are a kind of a substitute.

Korean's are also very affectionate.  It's not unusual to see a man putting an arm around a male friend, or seeing two friends walking down the street holding hands. Koreans are more generally touchier than Americans in a same-sex friendship situation. I haven't quite adapted to this yet.

  

One great thing about not having a car is being forced to walk everywhere. Having worked in the transportation industry, I was really excited to ditch my car and put public transit to work. The subway system here is extremely nice. There's really no comparison between Seoul Metro and NYCT when it comes to cleanliness. 

Transportation is also really cheap here. A taxi ride that would normally cost me $35-$40 in the States, is only about $15 here. Also, I travel by bus a lot since the subway is a bit away. Here in Korea, I can transfer from a bus to the subway all by using the same fare. So depending on the distance I am going, if I board the bus and make another transfer within 30 minutes I may not have to pay an extra fare.

I will forewarn anyone that is coming here that Korean's are CRAZY drivers!!! The buses have the right away so usually they will cut in front of a big line of cars just to get to the front of the stoplight. Also, it's not out of the ordinary to have both cars and buses run red lights. So crossing the street can be a bit dangerous, haha. 

Speaking of running red lights, you're probably thinking "well, where are the police?". Well, they aren't really around. Unlike in the States where you see cops patrolling the streets and writing tickets left and right, the cops are almost non-existent. What is also surprising is that the cops do not carry guns with them. There really is no crime here so they don't have a need for them.

Another thing I have learned is that Koreans loves them some coffee. On every street corner you can guarantee to find if not one then two coffee shops here. It's a little absurd but I guess we all need that caffeine fix. Also, I stated in an earlier post about me being able to get my carb fix. Well all the breads here are really sweet. I haven't quite been able to figure out what the strange taste is they put in it yet. For example, if you were to go and buy garlic bread, they put sugar on top of it. It's a little weird, but good!

These are just a few things I wanted to point out that I found pretty interesting while being in S. Korea so far. I'm really enjoying my time here, but I miss everyone a lot. I have a lot of fun things planned for the next few weeks. Can't wait to get out and enjoy more Korea!

Seoul Searching and Music

This weekend was a 3-day weekend for me because of Korea's Independence Day on Monday, the 15th. It commemorates the freedom from decades of Japanese occupation and the formation of the South Korean republic. So to celebrate, I thought I'd go into Seoul with my friend, Sarah, on Saturday for a day of sightseeing. It was pretty awesome! Seoul is about a 45 minute bus ride from my apartment. It's really not that bad considering I can take a nice little nap before and after. ha.

My first reaction getting off the bus in Seoul, was "ahhh, I'm in love". Seoul is lot like NYC. There are vendors everywhere, massive amounts of people and don't even get me started on the shopping.We first walked down a random street to find many vendors selling various sculptures that I would love to go back in purchase. We then happened to pass by a vendor making court cake. It's basically honey, cornstarch, chocolate and nuts. It's really amazing! Here's a video on how they make it:

After, we headed over to Changdeokgung Palace. It means ‘The Palace of Prospering Virtue’. It is reported that Changdeokgung was the favored palace among the many kings of the Joseon Dynasty and has since retained many traditional Korean elements dating from the Three Kingdoms Era – elements that were not taken into account during the construction of the neighboring buildings of Gyeongbokgung.

It's really cheap to visit places like these. Unlike in the U.S. where they'll charge you an arm and a leg to get in, and another body part just for some water.  This Palace was truly a sight to see. The colors and architecture were all very intricate.  I'm so blessed to be able to be here and experiencing this.

On Sunday, we left for Boryeong beach for a 2-day music festival called, The Green Groove Festival. Boryeong is about a 2 hour bus ride from Seoul. We got there around 2pm and checked into our hotel. Unfortunately the language barrier made it hard for us to communicate with the lady at check-in. This just made me realize how much I need to start learning more Korean besides, "Hello, Thank You and Goodbye" haha.

There were a lot of people at the beach vacationing for holiday. I didn't make it into the water, but it was really nice to just sit and soak my feet in the Sea. Also, the beach wasn't quite like my East coast beaches of VB, but it was still relaxing. A random note...apparently Koreans can't swim well, so everyone wears a life vest in the water. It's pretty comical!

 The concert was awesome! Apl.de.Ap. of the Black Eyed Peas was DJing, along with Afrojack and lots of others. There weren't as many people as I had thought to be attending, but it was fun nonetheless.

Oh and The Stories Begin...

It's been a full week here in Soko and I already have so many stories. My first week of teaching went by extremely fast. The kids are adorable and definitely a handful. It helps to be working with a variety of ages. It seems that most of the kids adapted well to me being the new teacher, but of course there are the few that will take some time to warm up.

Two times a week, one of my Elementary classes have to write a journal entry. On Thursday, the students were to write a letter to somebody of their choice. One of the students wrote a letter to me that read, 

"Dear Jenn Teacher,

I love you. Thank you for teaching me.

Your Friend,

Sara"

After reading this letter, I knew I made the right decision to come here. I felt so good about myself in knowing that I'm helping children learn a language that will hopefully help them in their future.

Of course, not everything can be peachy keen all the time. Probably one the most memorable events that I will ever experience happened to me on Thursday. As I was in the bathroom and washing my hands, I heard a voice scream out "TEACHER I'M DOOONE." Knowing what she was screaming about I stood still hoping it was a mistake and just wanted to run. Next thing I know, the door flies open and I get to to wipe a student's butt. Oh the joys, oh the joys! haha 

A side from the teaching, I've been able to go out and experience some nightlife. Not so much Korean,but still a nightlife. There's a really cool bar about 40 minutes from my place called "Travelers". It's a bar where lots of foreigners hang out. It reminds me a lot of some of the bars back home, which is really nice to have. They have pretty much any kind of American food you think of to eat. And props to them for having my favorite beer, Stella Artois.

I also went to my first baseball game in Korea. I went to see the LG Twins vs Doosan Bears last night, which was really exciting. They are professional league teams. What's really cool about the stadium is that you're allowed to bring in anything you wish. They sold KFC, Burger King and had lots of vendors. Also, you're allowed to bring your own booze. They make it even more convenient by having  a small store in and outside of the stadium to buy cheap beer to bring in. The games are really exciting and there's lots and lot of cheering. Each player has their own cheer. Every time a player would come up to bat, the fans would chant. Not to mention there are cheerleaders at the game. Not sure if that's because there isn't football, but it was cool nonetheless.

On top of everything, last night as I was walking back to my apartment after coming home from the bus stop. I witnessed my first Korean streaking. Yup, that's what I said. There were a group of kids and all of a sudden a young guy goes running up and down the street, nude. It was pretty comical. Ohhh Korea :)

I have a 3-day weekend to look forward to, because Monday is a Holiday. I'm not 100% sure of what I'll do, but I'm hoping to get some sightseeing in and possibly window shopping. Considering I live extremely close to Coach, Prada and Gucci, I might as well make the most of it.