Ruby has been the light of my light since my first day in Korea. I was scared and unsure and didn't know if I could do this...especially with the little one's cause I have never had the patience for young kids. Then along came Ruby...Ruby is the youngest at our school, she turned 6 today, which is 5 in American age and she is the reason that I get up and come to work everyday. I have called her Sunshine since my first week, because she literally brings so much light into everyone's life. Now, even the other kids here run around after her calling her sunshine. Every morning when she gets here, she takes off her shoes and puts on her school slippers and I walk out and drop down to my knees and she stumbles into my lap and kisses me and I say "Good morning Ruby" and she says "Good morning Teacher" and I say "How are you?" and she says "I am fine. Thank you" and then she kisses me again and says "Love you" and stumbles away. Ruby would be considered a "special needs" kid in the states and they don't have "special needs programs" in Korea, which scares me for her. I am terrified about her falling through the cracks of a system that is not made for kids like her. I know that she is a little girl and when I leave this country she will quickly forget me but she will be the most important, precious, loved memory that I take with me from my time in Korea.
Happy Birthday to the sweetest little girl, my sunshine!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
6 MONTHS TODAY!
It’s hard to believe that I have been in Korea for 6 months already. It seems like yesterday that I was telling my mom and dad to turn around because I didn’t want to come. It also seems like so much has happened and so many things have changed that it could have been years since I left the states.
August was a tough month for me to be away from home, my two nieces, newest nephew, and sister all celebrated their birthdays in the last week of August and it made me feel further away than ever. Luckily, they all think I am the “coolest” Aunt ever because I send them cool stuff from other countries.
When I decided to leave the states I didn’t know if I could do it. I remember my dad first being skeptical about me coming and then telling me that if I could stick it out for a year that he didn’t know if I would come back. Even when he said it I think I knew that he was right.
So now, I’m deciding where I want to go next…it’s not a question of going back to the states, cause to put it simply there isn’t anything in the states worth me going back to. Now, it’s a question of where my next year adventure will be.
I used to think that the world was so small then I found out that it is actually much bigger than I thought, yet at the same time it really is very small. I know that sounds confusing, but in reality there is a lot more of the world than Grass Valley, California, even the United States, but with transportation, technology and communication no one is ever further away than a plane ride or a click of a button.
So my choices for where to head next…I could stay in Korea for another year, which I have thought about because I really do love this country and feel very much at home here. I have also been getting other job offers for all over the country, including Saudi Arabia, Dubai, UAE, Turkey, Japan, China, etc. All of them have their perks and many of them are being considered. So, my contract is up here the end of February after that I am looking into going to Thailand for a month to get my CELTA certification, which will make me more marketable. Then home for a month to see family and friends and take care of things, like selling my car and emptying out my storage unit, and then it will be off somewhere new.
I don’t know where the world is going to take me over the next few years but I have a feeling it won’t be back to the states for more than a visit for quite a long time. There is so much out in the world that I want to see and I’m glad that even though I was terrified I still got on the plane and started this part of my life.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Malaysia...
Well, better late than never.
Here are my journal entries from my trip to Malaysia.
7/24/10
I'm on the plane, on my way from Busan to Beijing then on to Kuala Lumpar. Megan came down last night and we got to the airport without a hitch. No delays, no lines, no waits. I'm excited to see how the week unfolds. I'm looking forward to the adventure and play time.
7/24/10
I'm having one of those "HOLY SHIT" moments. Not even holy shit I'm in Korea, though I do still have those pretty often but now I'm having a holy shit I'm somewhere over or between China and Malaysia. If someone had told me six months ago that I would be living in South Korea, on a plane to Malaysia contemplating where to go next I would have told them they were crazy. It's amazing to me just how much can change in six short months, and just how quickly six months can really go by.
I've been teaching in Korea for almost five months and I love it. I love my kids, yeah some make me crazy, but at the end of the day I really do love all of them. My Korean teachers are great and I have finally started to build a relationship with my boss.
I'm going to take my TESEL/TFEL next month which will make me even more marketable in this industry. I am going to start seriously applying and looking into other jobs in the next few months. I'm still considering staying in Korea for another year but am also looking into places like Dubai, Kuwait, Egypt, UAE, and Saudi. It's amazing how many things open up when you stop being afraid of letting go and moving on.
It's time for me to start living my life 110% on my terms. It's time to play, to explore, to dance, to laugh, to flirt, to smile, to stop settling. It's time to get my ass in gear. To treat myself like a princess. To put the effort and energy that I put into other people into myself. It's time to work out. It's time to reach my goals. It's time to grow. It's time to love. It's time to take all of my attention and put it back on myself.
"Live, Laugh, Love"
7/25/10
We made it! Heather, Megan and I are on the Perhentian Islands. We are on the small island, Kecil. We got into KL late last night slept for about 4 hours then got on another plane to Kota Barhu. We took an hour taxi ride from the airport to the catch the ferry to the islands. The taxi was yet another experience of a country with no road rules. They drive on the other side of the road and it's so strange to get in a car with the steering wheel on the right side of the car. Airport security was a joke, they didn't x-ray bags, make us take off our shoes or any other "American" security measures. I guess it's a quick reminder that we aren't in the US anymore.
We took a 30 minute ferry ride from the mainland on a speedboat to the islands. The boat ride was great, but then again I'm the girl that's always happiest when I'm on the water.
We got to Coral Bay, very accurately names since the beach is covered in coral. We got unloaded and after about 30 minutes of back and forth we decided where we were going to stay for the night. We checked in at the Butterfly House and paid 80 ringgits for the night, less that $30 USD per night for all three of us. Don't get me wrong it's not the Hilton, by any means, but it's sitting on the water and as I am writing this I am sitting on the deck with my feet up on the railing listening to the water crash under me, the raid hit the coconut leaves all while sweating like crazy and getting eaten by mosquitoes.
After getting into our room and putting down our bags we quickly changed out of sweat soaked clothes into our suits and headed to the beach. As we were walking down the beach we crossed paths with a Monitor lizard that proceeded to go for a swim. This "lizard" looked like a small alligator it was so big. We dropped out stuff and headed for the water. The water was amazingly warm, like a big bath tub, for how hot and sweaty I was it would have been much more refreshing to have been a lot cooler.
After a few minutes we decided to wander and find a place to eat. We found a little place called Mama's Kitchen and sat outside and proceeded to have the worst chicken sandwich ever, they use a sauce that is basically mayo and curry powder and it was gross, but looking out over a beach in Malaysia quickly made up for it.
After lunch we headed back for nap/reading/writing time.
Funny things:
"Don't be shy...check yourself in the keys are in the door" The whiteboard sign where we stayed...they are on the honor system.
Water $3 a bottle Soda $1
"Watch out for the leeches" a sentence you don't think you will ever get to say.
"Where are you from" - Islander
"California" - Me
"Welcome to the Hotel California...such a lovely place." - Islander
"Does the hotel really exist?" - Islander
7/27/10
We spent yesterday in the water snorkeling. For the girl that is freaked out by fish I think I handled everything like a champ. We snorkeled at five or six different places and it was amazing. The visibility was great and the fish were so colorful and there were so many of them it totally blew my mind.
Yesterday morning we met a woman on the beach, we thought she was traveling alone so I started talking to her, it turned out that her husband was diving but we ran into them yesterday afternoon and ended up all hanging out. We also ran into a girl that had been on the boat with us who was traveling alone and I asked her to join us. So we all hung out for the afternoon, had dinner together and then had drinks at the "Black Tip" which happens to be the most "happening" place on the island. We also picked up a solo guy. So by the end of the night there were the three of us girls from the states, a couple from England, a girl from Norway and a guy from Sweden. It was a great night.
Black Tip was a pretty nice little beach front bar with horrible early 90's music playing all night. We had literally BUCKETS (like the buckets you use to build sand castles) of "monkey juice" which is a local whiskey and red bull. For the girl that doesn't drink much it was HORRIBLE, we we shared 4 buckets of the stuff and it was pretty toxic. We did have a lot of fun thought. It was a great night. We did have one sudden and massive downpour where about 50-60 of us ran for cover in a tiny gazebo'ish hut, it was great.
Well...off to start my next day.
7/28/10
When we left the island this morning the weather was not ideal to say the least. By the time we got back to the mainland it was pouring and we were soaked from being in the front row of the boat the entire trip back. It was great...though I was glad to have other clothes to change in to.
We caught a bus in Kota Barhu to take us to Taman Negara. Taman Negara is the oldest rain forest in the world. It was a full day on the bus, about 7 hours.
Taman Negara is an interesting place, it is a National Park and you have to have a permit to enter and you have to take a boat across a river to access it. We got there late so decided to find a place to sleep and get some dinner. While we were at dinner we met another girl that was traveling alone and ended up asking her to join us.
We decided to spend the next day together and planned out our day that night with the help of an awesome Malaysian man who is also a tour guide. His name was Ruce Lee but he told us to remember him as "Bruce Lee" and he looked just like Morgan Freeman. He ended up being a great friend and asset during out few days in Taman Negara.
We met bright and early the next day and took a boat across the river to enter the park, literally about a 20 second boat ride, but it is a way for them to monitor how many people go in and out and also a way to make money for the people in the area. Each person is charges 1 ringgit each way, which is only about .30 cents USD.
We got our permit for the park and our camera permit and headed in to do the world famous canopy walk. The canopy is a 400 meter man-made bridge that is suspended 40 meters above the ground. It is the longest canopy walk of it's kind and is something that I highly recommend doing.
After the walk we ventured back down to hike up to a look out point. The hike almost killed me at some points and the steep terrain was kicking my butt and legs. At some points ropes had been put into the trail to help people climb/crawl up the hills. The lookout was not as impressive and I had expected and after a short few minutes break we headed back down taking a different trail to look us down to the river. The trail back seemed to be the "path less taken" and we worried a few times that we were heading in the wrong direction but eventually we found the river and stripped down to take a quick afternoon swim and cool off.
We made it back to our starting point around 3pm (7 hours after we had started) and had a quick lunch and then met with Ruce Lee to set up a boat ride to take us up to an aborigine village. Taman Negara is home to the Batek people, one of Malaysia's five aboriginal groups.
These people lead a nomadic lifestyle in the forest, hunting with blowpipes and darts. They have opened up their village for tours to come through and see how they live in exchange for a portion of the profit that the tour guides make on the tours. These tours help supplement their income and the young people of their tribe show how they make fire, how to use blowpipes, and give a short history lesson.
These people reminded me a lot of the Native American's in the US and live by a simple philosophy: "take little from nature that nature alone cannot heal." There were many women and children and this was probably one of the most memorable experiences of the entire trip for me.
After taking the boat back we went back to our chalet to shower and change and then met back for dinner and a night wildlife safari. We spent 2 1/2 hours riding around in a jeep looking at the night life of the area, monkeys, wild cats, wild pigs, etc.
We shoved a lot of stuff into one day and will be on our way to Kuala Lumpar tomorrow.
7/29/10 - 7/31/10
We got on a bus early this morning and headed for KL. It was a long day on the bus and by the time we got to KL we were ready to put our stuff down and get food...we weren't sure where we were going to stay though. So we started looking around for the places in my Lonely Planet, we quickly found that some of them were just point blank sketchy and scary looking. So we came across a foreign couple and asked them if they could recommend anywhere. They took us to the place that they were staying which turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip! It was a great new place called Explorers and it was clean, cozy, great condition, amazing staff, and really reasonably priced.
We checked in and then took off to wander through China Town and find some lunch. We ended up wandering for a few hours checking out the KL Towers, and a couple of different mosques at night.
The next day we started out headed to the Batu Caves. The caves are about 7 miles north of Kuala Lumpur. They are sacred caves for the Hundu's of Malaysia. There are three main caves and many other small ones. The caves are made out of limestone and are 400 meters long and 100 meters high.
To enter the caves you first have to climb 272 stairs to enter the caves. At first I was not excited about the caves or the stairs until I got there and found that the caves are almost over run by wild monkeys.
The Batu Caves are a tourist destination in this area and the monkeys literally feed of the tourists, stealing their food and drinks, tearing their bags out of their hands and climbing up trees and on top of buildings to rummage through tourists things. The monkeys were really cool to look at but I would not want to get on their bad side. We watched them steal bags out of people's hands, drink soda straight from the cans and chase people around. I even managed to have a monkey smack my pony tail because it was moving.
The monkeys were one of the highlights of my trip.
We also went to the National Mosque and were able to put on robes and tour the building. We went to the Orchid and Hibiscus Gardens along with a few other gardens in KL.
Our time in KL was quickly coming to an end so we headed back to get our luggage and head to the airport.
All in all it was a great trip!!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
June is almost done….
Well this month has flown by it has been a month of field trips and fun at work.
Early this month we took our kinddies (5&6 year olds American age) to the Rose Garden. Yeah, I know…my thoughts exactly, you expect kids that young to enjoy and observe walking around a huge garden?? They actually did really well. There were about 200 other kids running around to, so it was a job just keeping track of their heads. They did have a lot of fun and I got some great pictures of the kids “taking the time to stop and smell the roses.”
The came the Lotteria, the Lotteria is basically Korea’s version of McDonalds. There is one on every other corner and every kid knows it. Over the last three months the kids have been working on how to order food and manners. So we took all of our elementary kids (about 30 kids ranging from 8-11 American age), to the Lotteria to practice ordering food. So here was my thought…how are kids suppose to practice English, while ordering to people who work at the Lotteria and don’t speak a word of English…?? Answer…dress Liz teacher (me) up in a Lotteria uniform, little paper hat and all, and toss me behind the counter for the kids to order from me. It actually was a huge success, we only had one kid spill his soda and until the last 30 seconds when they stood up to line up and a kid proceeded to turn and vomitt in the middle of the table. Good times!! Luckily being married to Bill and cleaning up after him and his friends over the years I have no fear of bodily fluids anymore.
Last but not least…Pizza Hut!!! Possibly the coolest field trip I have ever been on, as a kid or an adult. We took our kinddies, again…to Pizza Hut, to make their own personal size pizzas, tour the kitchen, cut the pizzas and eat them. They got to wear great little chef’s hats and aprons and everything!! The kids had a great time and got to really get their hands dirty playing in the toppings and making their own pizza. They had a great time and minus one kid getting so excited she forgot she had to go pee, it was a great day.
So needless to say June has been a month of fun and field trips….along with a lot of dressing up and having fun. That is something that I will say for the hagwon that I am in here in Korea we have some killer field trips and a lot of fun. Educating kids is priority, but making sure that they have fun is a very close second.
June came in with a bang with heat and humidity and is going out with monsoon season coming in with a flood. Monsoon season started this week and we have had overcast and gray days, though they are still sticky and humid which is a bit of a pain, but
I am getting used to it, though I will admit that my hair hates the humidity and I look a bit crazy!
Life is good…I’m not sure when I will update next, but next month I will be vacationing in Malaysia for a week and I am ever so excited about that!!!
Hope everyone is well.
xoxox
Early this month we took our kinddies (5&6 year olds American age) to the Rose Garden. Yeah, I know…my thoughts exactly, you expect kids that young to enjoy and observe walking around a huge garden?? They actually did really well. There were about 200 other kids running around to, so it was a job just keeping track of their heads. They did have a lot of fun and I got some great pictures of the kids “taking the time to stop and smell the roses.”
The came the Lotteria, the Lotteria is basically Korea’s version of McDonalds. There is one on every other corner and every kid knows it. Over the last three months the kids have been working on how to order food and manners. So we took all of our elementary kids (about 30 kids ranging from 8-11 American age), to the Lotteria to practice ordering food. So here was my thought…how are kids suppose to practice English, while ordering to people who work at the Lotteria and don’t speak a word of English…?? Answer…dress Liz teacher (me) up in a Lotteria uniform, little paper hat and all, and toss me behind the counter for the kids to order from me. It actually was a huge success, we only had one kid spill his soda and until the last 30 seconds when they stood up to line up and a kid proceeded to turn and vomitt in the middle of the table. Good times!! Luckily being married to Bill and cleaning up after him and his friends over the years I have no fear of bodily fluids anymore.
Last but not least…Pizza Hut!!! Possibly the coolest field trip I have ever been on, as a kid or an adult. We took our kinddies, again…to Pizza Hut, to make their own personal size pizzas, tour the kitchen, cut the pizzas and eat them. They got to wear great little chef’s hats and aprons and everything!! The kids had a great time and got to really get their hands dirty playing in the toppings and making their own pizza. They had a great time and minus one kid getting so excited she forgot she had to go pee, it was a great day.
So needless to say June has been a month of fun and field trips….along with a lot of dressing up and having fun. That is something that I will say for the hagwon that I am in here in Korea we have some killer field trips and a lot of fun. Educating kids is priority, but making sure that they have fun is a very close second.
June came in with a bang with heat and humidity and is going out with monsoon season coming in with a flood. Monsoon season started this week and we have had overcast and gray days, though they are still sticky and humid which is a bit of a pain, but
I am getting used to it, though I will admit that my hair hates the humidity and I look a bit crazy!
Life is good…I’m not sure when I will update next, but next month I will be vacationing in Malaysia for a week and I am ever so excited about that!!!
Hope everyone is well.
xoxox
Turning 26 in South Korea
Well, today is my 26th birthday here in Korea, tomorrow will be my birthday in America.
For the girl that hasn’t really celebrated her birthday in years I found myself feeling very homesick this morning. I know that even if I was in the states it would be a lot of the same, phone calls, emails, Facebook messages/comments, wishing me a happy birthday and me getting on with my life. For some reason today has felt like home is really far away, which I know it is, but a lot of days it doesn’t even cross my mind.
All that being said, I don’t think I will be going back to the US after this contract is up. I don’t know if I will be staying here in Korea, though I do love it and can understand the benefits, of a great country, good pay, and having a great school to work at. I am looking into other countries to teach in and doing some serious job hunting. I never considered the possibilities that were/are open for me. I am also looking into the possibility of teaching for the DoD overseas, which could also be really cool.
There are a lot of people that I love in America, my family and friends, but there isn’t any opportunity in the states right now, especially for teachers and people in the non-profit field, so instead I’m going to see where the wind blows me.
Who knows maybe I will stay here in Korea…maybe Italy, Kuwait, Japan, China, Singapore, Dubai, Europe, etc….the world is full of new opportunities and for the first time in my life I can honestly say that I am not afraid of them. I don’t have anything to lose by exploring the world.
For the girl that hasn’t really celebrated her birthday in years I found myself feeling very homesick this morning. I know that even if I was in the states it would be a lot of the same, phone calls, emails, Facebook messages/comments, wishing me a happy birthday and me getting on with my life. For some reason today has felt like home is really far away, which I know it is, but a lot of days it doesn’t even cross my mind.
All that being said, I don’t think I will be going back to the US after this contract is up. I don’t know if I will be staying here in Korea, though I do love it and can understand the benefits, of a great country, good pay, and having a great school to work at. I am looking into other countries to teach in and doing some serious job hunting. I never considered the possibilities that were/are open for me. I am also looking into the possibility of teaching for the DoD overseas, which could also be really cool.
There are a lot of people that I love in America, my family and friends, but there isn’t any opportunity in the states right now, especially for teachers and people in the non-profit field, so instead I’m going to see where the wind blows me.
Who knows maybe I will stay here in Korea…maybe Italy, Kuwait, Japan, China, Singapore, Dubai, Europe, etc….the world is full of new opportunities and for the first time in my life I can honestly say that I am not afraid of them. I don’t have anything to lose by exploring the world.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Time flies...it's June!!
So much has happened since I arrived here in Korea and so much of it seems trivial to me now, but every time I tell someone about it I am asked if I am writing this down. My witty response is, they are memories I will never forget…but since you are not here to make and/or experience these memories with me then I need to put them on paper to share them.
As many of you know I was terrified to come to Korea. It was the most “logical” option for me at the time, in all honesty it was pretty much the only option for me because let’s face it there isn’t a lot of opportunity going on in the states these days. I was blessed to have my best friend, Savannah, who literally handed me tissues as I threw up next to my car after my going away party with two of the most important women in my life. As I was sitting there eating with Sam and Sav all I could think was “what in the hell are you doing?” I was even more blessed to have my parents, two people who have shown me that I can do anything in the world and that they will support me in it no matter what, who basically said, “we’ll miss you, but there is nothing here for you, so go.” So, I went.
It has been three months today since I arrived in Korea. So much has changed in how I see the world. For a girl born and raised in a relatively small town in Northern California, I thought I had gotten out and seen things, I have fluttered all over the US over the years and have been very privelieged to see a lot of the country.
But that’s what the world was to me…the country…the United States of America. I mean don’t get me wrong I knew there was a world out there and I knew that I wanted the opportunity to explore and travel it, but I was never sure if that would be anything more than a pipe dream.
Then I lost my job and I needed to find a job. Google “Teaching jobs in Korea” and you will be amazed at how many hits you get. Not only how many hits you get but how little is required of you to actually teach English in another country, not to mention the fact that they pay to get you here, pay for your housing, and cover half of you medical insurance (which let me mention, leaves you paying a mere $37 for a year of medical coverage).
I graduated with my Masters in late December and realized I had no clue what to do with my life. There were no jobs and nothing really promising to look forward to in the states so I figured I would do some research on teaching overseas. I arrived in Korea on March 2nd and this new phase of my life began.
I’ve always had a pretty solid idea of who I was and my friends have always complimented me on my level of self-confidence. The truth is though I was never really sure who I was or if I liked who I was I just didn’t think there was anything that I could do to change it so I just accepted it and went with the flow. Korea has been my version of rocking the boat…and you know what I’ve realized. I know exactly who I am and I like it. I’m not a party girl. I’m not a drinker. I don’t need crowds to make me happy. I’m a quiet woman that doesn’t need to be the center of attention to be happy. I don’t need parties, to be honest I’m not a big fan of them. I’m not a drinker, I can drink and I can hold my liquor better than most…but the truth is that I don’t like it. I don’t get anything out of it. However, I am the woman that loves to travel on her own and do her own thing because I like to be in control. I love getting on a bus and spending the day or the weekend just wandering around. I love just spending a day by myself laying on the beach reading a book and listening to music.
Now that I’ve done my inspection on my self personally since I’ve been here let’s update you on what’s going on in Korea and how things have been.
First let me start off by saying that there has been a lot of added tension and stress here in Korea with the North and South Korea conflict. As most of you know North Korea has been found at fault for sinking a South Korean Navy ship which led to the death of almost 50 South Korean sailors. North Korea is denying having anything to do with it, which is pretty much expected, but things are getting more and more tense between the two countries. I did not have a lot of knowledge about the North and South Korea conflict before I came to Korea, but I have found that it is a war that has basically been “on hold” for the last almost 60 years. Everyone is hoping and praying that nothing comes from this most recent incident.
Summer is officially here in Korea…and let me tell you it is FRICKING HOT. Not only is it hot, it’s humid and for a girl that was born and raised in Northern California, I’m not used to humidity.
I have been able to explore Yonggungsa Temple in Busan twice. It is an amazing Buddist Temple that is built on the cliffs of the Sea of Japan and it is absolutely amazing! Highly reccommended for anyone that makes it to this side of the world, if you are or are unaware of the Buddist religion you will find it amazing. Hundreds of pictures are posted in my photo albums.
I have made a couple of day trips into Busan to simple lay on the beach and read a book, which makes me happier than just about anything.
This weekend I went with some friends to the 23rd Sand Sculpture Contest….I have never been more amazed by sand in my life. It was absolutely amazing and something I will never forget. Also tons of pictures posted in my albums.
I took a day trip to Pohang which was an interesting opportunity to get on a bus and go to the East side of the country and experience the sea and the beaches. I have found a beach closer to home that I like much better, but it was well worth the trip.
I finally am feeling like this is home, I have a routine and I love to wander around and just take pictures and see a country that I never would have had the opportunity to.
I have just booked a week long vacation to Malaysia. I will be traveling with a friend through Malaysia for seven days and am very excited about seeing a country that to be very honest I had never even considered going to. I also have two trips planned in the next few months to Japan and China. I am very excited to be able to explore this side of the world.
I have made a couple of great friends in the time that I have been here, the kind of friends that I know will be with me for the rest of my life and that is something I am very grateful for.
My job is going great. I have a great group of kids that I get to play with everyday and talk to and teach them about a country that I love and call home. It is great to watch them learn and see them figure out the sounds and words that we are teaching them. They are such smart little kids and they work so hard to learn English it is a bit scary to me how much time they spend studying because I am used to a different world.
I will update more as I have the time but I plan on being pretty busy throughout the summer.
Anyone that wants to check out my photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/ewilder22/NotAllWhoWanderAreLost?feat=directlink
Sending everyone my love from this side of the world.
As many of you know I was terrified to come to Korea. It was the most “logical” option for me at the time, in all honesty it was pretty much the only option for me because let’s face it there isn’t a lot of opportunity going on in the states these days. I was blessed to have my best friend, Savannah, who literally handed me tissues as I threw up next to my car after my going away party with two of the most important women in my life. As I was sitting there eating with Sam and Sav all I could think was “what in the hell are you doing?” I was even more blessed to have my parents, two people who have shown me that I can do anything in the world and that they will support me in it no matter what, who basically said, “we’ll miss you, but there is nothing here for you, so go.” So, I went.
It has been three months today since I arrived in Korea. So much has changed in how I see the world. For a girl born and raised in a relatively small town in Northern California, I thought I had gotten out and seen things, I have fluttered all over the US over the years and have been very privelieged to see a lot of the country.
But that’s what the world was to me…the country…the United States of America. I mean don’t get me wrong I knew there was a world out there and I knew that I wanted the opportunity to explore and travel it, but I was never sure if that would be anything more than a pipe dream.
Then I lost my job and I needed to find a job. Google “Teaching jobs in Korea” and you will be amazed at how many hits you get. Not only how many hits you get but how little is required of you to actually teach English in another country, not to mention the fact that they pay to get you here, pay for your housing, and cover half of you medical insurance (which let me mention, leaves you paying a mere $37 for a year of medical coverage).
I graduated with my Masters in late December and realized I had no clue what to do with my life. There were no jobs and nothing really promising to look forward to in the states so I figured I would do some research on teaching overseas. I arrived in Korea on March 2nd and this new phase of my life began.
I’ve always had a pretty solid idea of who I was and my friends have always complimented me on my level of self-confidence. The truth is though I was never really sure who I was or if I liked who I was I just didn’t think there was anything that I could do to change it so I just accepted it and went with the flow. Korea has been my version of rocking the boat…and you know what I’ve realized. I know exactly who I am and I like it. I’m not a party girl. I’m not a drinker. I don’t need crowds to make me happy. I’m a quiet woman that doesn’t need to be the center of attention to be happy. I don’t need parties, to be honest I’m not a big fan of them. I’m not a drinker, I can drink and I can hold my liquor better than most…but the truth is that I don’t like it. I don’t get anything out of it. However, I am the woman that loves to travel on her own and do her own thing because I like to be in control. I love getting on a bus and spending the day or the weekend just wandering around. I love just spending a day by myself laying on the beach reading a book and listening to music.
Now that I’ve done my inspection on my self personally since I’ve been here let’s update you on what’s going on in Korea and how things have been.
First let me start off by saying that there has been a lot of added tension and stress here in Korea with the North and South Korea conflict. As most of you know North Korea has been found at fault for sinking a South Korean Navy ship which led to the death of almost 50 South Korean sailors. North Korea is denying having anything to do with it, which is pretty much expected, but things are getting more and more tense between the two countries. I did not have a lot of knowledge about the North and South Korea conflict before I came to Korea, but I have found that it is a war that has basically been “on hold” for the last almost 60 years. Everyone is hoping and praying that nothing comes from this most recent incident.
Summer is officially here in Korea…and let me tell you it is FRICKING HOT. Not only is it hot, it’s humid and for a girl that was born and raised in Northern California, I’m not used to humidity.
I have been able to explore Yonggungsa Temple in Busan twice. It is an amazing Buddist Temple that is built on the cliffs of the Sea of Japan and it is absolutely amazing! Highly reccommended for anyone that makes it to this side of the world, if you are or are unaware of the Buddist religion you will find it amazing. Hundreds of pictures are posted in my photo albums.
I have made a couple of day trips into Busan to simple lay on the beach and read a book, which makes me happier than just about anything.
This weekend I went with some friends to the 23rd Sand Sculpture Contest….I have never been more amazed by sand in my life. It was absolutely amazing and something I will never forget. Also tons of pictures posted in my albums.
I took a day trip to Pohang which was an interesting opportunity to get on a bus and go to the East side of the country and experience the sea and the beaches. I have found a beach closer to home that I like much better, but it was well worth the trip.
I finally am feeling like this is home, I have a routine and I love to wander around and just take pictures and see a country that I never would have had the opportunity to.
I have just booked a week long vacation to Malaysia. I will be traveling with a friend through Malaysia for seven days and am very excited about seeing a country that to be very honest I had never even considered going to. I also have two trips planned in the next few months to Japan and China. I am very excited to be able to explore this side of the world.
I have made a couple of great friends in the time that I have been here, the kind of friends that I know will be with me for the rest of my life and that is something I am very grateful for.
My job is going great. I have a great group of kids that I get to play with everyday and talk to and teach them about a country that I love and call home. It is great to watch them learn and see them figure out the sounds and words that we are teaching them. They are such smart little kids and they work so hard to learn English it is a bit scary to me how much time they spend studying because I am used to a different world.
I will update more as I have the time but I plan on being pretty busy throughout the summer.
Anyone that wants to check out my photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/ewilder22/NotAllWhoWanderAreLost?feat=directlink
Sending everyone my love from this side of the world.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Life is good...
I have been here in Korea for a little over two and a half months. It is amazing how quickly the time has flown by. When I first got here I put a calendar up on the wall and was checking off each day at a time, this morning I realized I hadn’t done
it in awhile and ended up checking off three weeks.
I always hated being by myself, that was my biggest fear about coming to Korea, I would be alone. I have come to an amazing realization, I love being alone!!! I love having no one to answer to but myself. I love coming and going when I want to,
I love being able to do what I want when I want, I love not worrying about what someone else wants to eat, or what someone else wants to do. It is the first time in my life that I have had just me to consider and it is actually amazingly freeing. I can walk in the door and drop my things wherever I feel like and there is no one to tell me no.
That being said, I’ve realized that I can only handle chaos in my apartment for about two days before I have to clean. I never considered myself a neat freak, and maybe it’s just because my place is so small, but I can’t stand the mess. Last week I went and bought a bookshelf and a little table. Luckily, I have always been pretty hands on, but I did laugh when I took the pieces of the book shelf out and went to look at the instructions and realized they were all in Korean…go figure, but I only put one thing on backwards.
I have had my first experiences with cockroaches here….luckily I don’t have a HUGE fear of bugs, but they are freakish and I would be fine never seeing them again. The first time I was getting out of bed in the middle of the night and saw a shadow move on my floor….of course I proceeded to turn on the light and scream, but then got my head about me and caught the thing and threw it out the front door. I’m a tough girl! Or at least that what I kept repeating to myself as I was doing it.
I have had a bit of a tough time making friends, not for lack of people, but for lack of finding people that I find interesting or have any real desire to spend time with. That being said, I am spending a lot of time by myself doing my own thing, wandering, traveling, spending quiet afternoons at the park with a good book. That being said I have met a few really cool people.
This is the first time in my life that I am making enough money that I don’t have to worry about paying my bills, which is so nice…I can’t even find words to describe it. The lack of stress about financial obligations is the most amazing thing. I can totally understand why so many people I have met here have stayed for multiple years for the simple fact that there is job security making good money and not having to pay for your housing.
There are days that I wish I could jump in the car and have lunch with my mom, or take my best friend to dinner…but with the benefits of the internet, skype and other messengers home is never that far away. I can imagine that years ago it would have been a totally different world, but I have the ability to talk to and see my parents on Skype pretty much daily, which is great. I even set up a US number that forwards to my Korean cell phone which is great to know that I am only a phone call away if needed.
So…like the title says…Life is soooo good!!
it in awhile and ended up checking off three weeks.
I always hated being by myself, that was my biggest fear about coming to Korea, I would be alone. I have come to an amazing realization, I love being alone!!! I love having no one to answer to but myself. I love coming and going when I want to,
I love being able to do what I want when I want, I love not worrying about what someone else wants to eat, or what someone else wants to do. It is the first time in my life that I have had just me to consider and it is actually amazingly freeing. I can walk in the door and drop my things wherever I feel like and there is no one to tell me no.
That being said, I’ve realized that I can only handle chaos in my apartment for about two days before I have to clean. I never considered myself a neat freak, and maybe it’s just because my place is so small, but I can’t stand the mess. Last week I went and bought a bookshelf and a little table. Luckily, I have always been pretty hands on, but I did laugh when I took the pieces of the book shelf out and went to look at the instructions and realized they were all in Korean…go figure, but I only put one thing on backwards.
I have had my first experiences with cockroaches here….luckily I don’t have a HUGE fear of bugs, but they are freakish and I would be fine never seeing them again. The first time I was getting out of bed in the middle of the night and saw a shadow move on my floor….of course I proceeded to turn on the light and scream, but then got my head about me and caught the thing and threw it out the front door. I’m a tough girl! Or at least that what I kept repeating to myself as I was doing it.
I have had a bit of a tough time making friends, not for lack of people, but for lack of finding people that I find interesting or have any real desire to spend time with. That being said, I am spending a lot of time by myself doing my own thing, wandering, traveling, spending quiet afternoons at the park with a good book. That being said I have met a few really cool people.
This is the first time in my life that I am making enough money that I don’t have to worry about paying my bills, which is so nice…I can’t even find words to describe it. The lack of stress about financial obligations is the most amazing thing. I can totally understand why so many people I have met here have stayed for multiple years for the simple fact that there is job security making good money and not having to pay for your housing.
There are days that I wish I could jump in the car and have lunch with my mom, or take my best friend to dinner…but with the benefits of the internet, skype and other messengers home is never that far away. I can imagine that years ago it would have been a totally different world, but I have the ability to talk to and see my parents on Skype pretty much daily, which is great. I even set up a US number that forwards to my Korean cell phone which is great to know that I am only a phone call away if needed.
So…like the title says…Life is soooo good!!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Time flies!
I said that I was going to post a blog a week and I thought that I would have a ton of extra time, but I am finding out that my days are filling up quickly and time is flying by. It’s Friday night and I have been here for almost 7 weeks. I have no clue where the time has gone. Besides a few days of homesickness about week three I have been doing really well.
Last weekend we took 30 kids (8-13) horseback riding. For most of these kids it was there first time seeing a horse in real life and they were so excited. They were amazed to see that I had been around horses before and knew how to ride them. The kids had a great time.
My week at school was pretty mellow, they added a new class to my schedule, I’m teaching 4th grade World Hisotry, which is actually pretty fun. The three students in the class are really smart and I have a lot of fun talking with them.
I have gone to TWO Korean language classes so far….and I will tell you, I thought Spanish was hard in high school….it doesn’t get any easier as you get older. I have learned a few phrases but reading the language is overwhleming to me. I don’t expect to be fluent in it by any means I just want to learn enough to be able to get around a little bit easier. Especially, if I end up staying longer which I can very easily see happening.
The Cherry Blossom Festival in Jinhae was going on last week and I went and checked it out twice. It is beautiful. I have been having a massive sinus attack over the last few weeks though, I don’t know if it’s allergies or if it’s a sinus infection, but the doctors have out me on something for it. Going to a doctor here is a bit of a challenge. I mean don’t get me wrong, some things are self-explanitory but other things you really need to explain and understand before hand. They sent me to an ear, nose, and throat specialist and they did things that I have never experienced in the states and would have handled better if I had known what they were going to do.
The weather is starting to get more Spring like…which is great, I just hope that it starts to warm up a little. I’m looking forward to some nice warm days. I can’t wait for sunny weekends and taking off and just going.
The busses here are great, but I’m still figuring out the whole system. This morning I was trying to come home and my 40 minute ride turned into about a 3 hour trip cause I didn’t know where I was going. Luckily I didn’t have anywhere that I had to be, so I spent the morning riding around seeing new parts of the area that I had never seen. It actually turned out to be a really good morning.
I’ve met a couple new people and so far they have turned out to be really nice. It’s nice to just have people around to talk to. I miss my friends and family from home, but it’s nice to talk to someone that isn’t 8,000 miles away, though Skype and IMing have saved me when I have felt lonely and wanted my family and friends here with me.
I love my little apartment. It’s tiny, but it’s mine and it is starting to feel more and more like home. There are certain things that I would love to have and I’m sure over the next year I will pick them up here and there.
When I left the states I was really scared, hell even going to the airport I told my dad to turn around….but I’m glad I came.
Last weekend we took 30 kids (8-13) horseback riding. For most of these kids it was there first time seeing a horse in real life and they were so excited. They were amazed to see that I had been around horses before and knew how to ride them. The kids had a great time.
My week at school was pretty mellow, they added a new class to my schedule, I’m teaching 4th grade World Hisotry, which is actually pretty fun. The three students in the class are really smart and I have a lot of fun talking with them.
I have gone to TWO Korean language classes so far….and I will tell you, I thought Spanish was hard in high school….it doesn’t get any easier as you get older. I have learned a few phrases but reading the language is overwhleming to me. I don’t expect to be fluent in it by any means I just want to learn enough to be able to get around a little bit easier. Especially, if I end up staying longer which I can very easily see happening.
The Cherry Blossom Festival in Jinhae was going on last week and I went and checked it out twice. It is beautiful. I have been having a massive sinus attack over the last few weeks though, I don’t know if it’s allergies or if it’s a sinus infection, but the doctors have out me on something for it. Going to a doctor here is a bit of a challenge. I mean don’t get me wrong, some things are self-explanitory but other things you really need to explain and understand before hand. They sent me to an ear, nose, and throat specialist and they did things that I have never experienced in the states and would have handled better if I had known what they were going to do.
The weather is starting to get more Spring like…which is great, I just hope that it starts to warm up a little. I’m looking forward to some nice warm days. I can’t wait for sunny weekends and taking off and just going.
The busses here are great, but I’m still figuring out the whole system. This morning I was trying to come home and my 40 minute ride turned into about a 3 hour trip cause I didn’t know where I was going. Luckily I didn’t have anywhere that I had to be, so I spent the morning riding around seeing new parts of the area that I had never seen. It actually turned out to be a really good morning.
I’ve met a couple new people and so far they have turned out to be really nice. It’s nice to just have people around to talk to. I miss my friends and family from home, but it’s nice to talk to someone that isn’t 8,000 miles away, though Skype and IMing have saved me when I have felt lonely and wanted my family and friends here with me.
I love my little apartment. It’s tiny, but it’s mine and it is starting to feel more and more like home. There are certain things that I would love to have and I’m sure over the next year I will pick them up here and there.
When I left the states I was really scared, hell even going to the airport I told my dad to turn around….but I’m glad I came.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
The first Spring'ish weekend in Korea
First let me start by giving you a little bit of background on who Stacy is and how it is that we are both here in the Southern tip of South Korea.
Stacy and I were both a part of the Challenge Day community in 98-99. She was one of the many blessings that came from my time with Challenge Day. We lived together in a house in Martinez and eventually ended up renting a sail boat in Alameda and lived on it together for about six months. We both drifted away from the Challenge Day community in the Bay Area, but I was blessed by the relationships that I made and have kept in touch with a handful of people from Challenge Day, Stacy being one of them. We have stayed in contact with each other through email and facebook over the years even though we have both moved all over. Stacy's brother-in-law is stationed here in Jinhae, South Korea and about eight months ago Stacy came over here to help her sister with her nieces. Beth (Stacy's sister) has two little girls and is pregnant with baby number three, due in June.
When I decided to look into coming to South Korea I got in touch with Stacy to find out more about her experience here so far. I knew that being so far away from all of the comforts of home would be tough, and that having the ability and opportunity to have a friend from home here would make things bearable when things seemed unbearable. Stacy was a big part of the reason that I chose the location that I did in Changwon, because I knew that it was only about 20-30 minutes from Jinhae and the US Navy base. There are a lot of people that are put off by the Navy or the military in general, but I personally feel very at home and welcome, especially with the Navy.
So, getting on with my point...Stacy was away on vacation for the first month that I was here, so I didn't get a chance to come see her until this weekend. The first weekend of April, also Easter weekend. It wasn't planned that way originally but it was very nice to be able to be surrounded by American's for my first holiday overseas. Today we went and had Easter brunch, played with kids in a jump house and jump slide and then did an adult Easter Egg hunt. It was a fun day and nice to have some of the comforts of home, even if it was just for the weekend. Their house is very westernized, so it was nice to have a shower with a shower curtain, a bath tub, being able to have a TV with stations that I know from home, having food from home, things that you can't find here...like sour cream, diet coke, Ruffles potato chips and Bryer's Ice Cream. It's amazing the little things that can almost bring you to tears even just by seeing it.
It has been really nice to be here and I am hoping that I will be invited to come back and spend more time with Stacy and her family and the other people here on base. They all see to be very nice and are all very welcoming since they know that I am here in a foreign country.
This has been the first nice spring weekend. Jinhae is known for it's Cherry Blossom Festival but the rain and cold weather has postponed the actual blooming of the cherry blossoms. They are hoping that they will be open by next weekend. Jinhae is the home of both the US Navy base and the ROK (Republic of Korea) Navy Base. This week an ROK ship was lost at sea and at last count 50 sailors are still missing, presumed dead, so the entire city of Jinhae is in mourning so things are a bit mellower that was I was told it would be like. But I am hoping to come back next weekend and see the Cherry Blossom trees in bloom. It should be really pretty.
The other side of the weather getting better and all the flowers and trees opening up is the pollen. I have never had allergies in the states but I have spent the last almost two weeks with what Stacy calls the Korean Crud....which is a very fitting name, due to the cough and mucas that has left me feeling like a walking head cold. My medical insurance is suppose to go into effect this week and I am looking forward to getting on some sort of allergy med that will help get rid of whatever this is.
I am going to continue to watch a movie with Stacy and enjoy the rest of my Easter Sunday here in Jinhae.
I hope that you all have a great Easter and remember to be grateful for the people that you are sharing your day with.
Stacy and I were both a part of the Challenge Day community in 98-99. She was one of the many blessings that came from my time with Challenge Day. We lived together in a house in Martinez and eventually ended up renting a sail boat in Alameda and lived on it together for about six months. We both drifted away from the Challenge Day community in the Bay Area, but I was blessed by the relationships that I made and have kept in touch with a handful of people from Challenge Day, Stacy being one of them. We have stayed in contact with each other through email and facebook over the years even though we have both moved all over. Stacy's brother-in-law is stationed here in Jinhae, South Korea and about eight months ago Stacy came over here to help her sister with her nieces. Beth (Stacy's sister) has two little girls and is pregnant with baby number three, due in June.
When I decided to look into coming to South Korea I got in touch with Stacy to find out more about her experience here so far. I knew that being so far away from all of the comforts of home would be tough, and that having the ability and opportunity to have a friend from home here would make things bearable when things seemed unbearable. Stacy was a big part of the reason that I chose the location that I did in Changwon, because I knew that it was only about 20-30 minutes from Jinhae and the US Navy base. There are a lot of people that are put off by the Navy or the military in general, but I personally feel very at home and welcome, especially with the Navy.
So, getting on with my point...Stacy was away on vacation for the first month that I was here, so I didn't get a chance to come see her until this weekend. The first weekend of April, also Easter weekend. It wasn't planned that way originally but it was very nice to be able to be surrounded by American's for my first holiday overseas. Today we went and had Easter brunch, played with kids in a jump house and jump slide and then did an adult Easter Egg hunt. It was a fun day and nice to have some of the comforts of home, even if it was just for the weekend. Their house is very westernized, so it was nice to have a shower with a shower curtain, a bath tub, being able to have a TV with stations that I know from home, having food from home, things that you can't find here...like sour cream, diet coke, Ruffles potato chips and Bryer's Ice Cream. It's amazing the little things that can almost bring you to tears even just by seeing it.
It has been really nice to be here and I am hoping that I will be invited to come back and spend more time with Stacy and her family and the other people here on base. They all see to be very nice and are all very welcoming since they know that I am here in a foreign country.
This has been the first nice spring weekend. Jinhae is known for it's Cherry Blossom Festival but the rain and cold weather has postponed the actual blooming of the cherry blossoms. They are hoping that they will be open by next weekend. Jinhae is the home of both the US Navy base and the ROK (Republic of Korea) Navy Base. This week an ROK ship was lost at sea and at last count 50 sailors are still missing, presumed dead, so the entire city of Jinhae is in mourning so things are a bit mellower that was I was told it would be like. But I am hoping to come back next weekend and see the Cherry Blossom trees in bloom. It should be really pretty.
The other side of the weather getting better and all the flowers and trees opening up is the pollen. I have never had allergies in the states but I have spent the last almost two weeks with what Stacy calls the Korean Crud....which is a very fitting name, due to the cough and mucas that has left me feeling like a walking head cold. My medical insurance is suppose to go into effect this week and I am looking forward to getting on some sort of allergy med that will help get rid of whatever this is.
I am going to continue to watch a movie with Stacy and enjoy the rest of my Easter Sunday here in Jinhae.
I hope that you all have a great Easter and remember to be grateful for the people that you are sharing your day with.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Education in Korea....it's different.
Week 4…completed….
I’ve had a few people as me about the school, so let me explain how the schooling works over here. Kids go to public school from about 8 am – 2 pm, they take classes like Math, Science, History, English, Korean, PE, Music, etc. Once they are done with public school many children go to private language schools, called Hagwons, which is where I teach. Hagwons are basically strictly English language schools, that parents pay to send their children too. Though at some hagwons they teach addition subjects like Science, Math, Cooking, etc, though they are taught strictly in English, which is not as easy as you would think. Education is so important here that these kids seem to be in school, private classes, hagwons or doing homework all day. My hagwons last class finishes at 6:30pm but there are some hagwons that are open until midnight. It is very common to see 1st and 2nd grade kids on the bus going home from a hagwon at 1 am.
I have discovered that these kids are very smart, book wise but trying to get these kids to be creative or use their imagination is close to impossible. Parents here want their children to learn English so badly to prepare them for the chance to go to the US for college and to work in the US workforce that their children are in school 12-16 hours a day. When I ask my students what they do on the weekends they tell me “homework” or “lessons.” In my short time here I find myself thinking that there has to be some sort of middle ground, between the US, who push creativity, imaginantion, extracurricular activities, sports, choir, band, etc and here in Korea where it seems that they are creating a robots. They are great kids though, sweet, outgoing, friendly kids. I have discovered that no matter where in the world you are kids are kids, they want to be loved, and accepted and they want someone acknowledge them.
The tough thing about hagwons in this country is that they are all individually owned and operated and they are very much a “business” so even though education is important it just as important if not more important that the kids have fun so they want to keep coming to the school, so that they will tell their friends and more parents will enroll their children.
This week was pretty uneventful at school. I’m getting more into the swing of things with my classes. I’m still struggling with my 6 year old class. I have two students, one who is a very bright little boy, and another who is a special needs little girl, who is mentally about 3. Up until this week the little girl was never actually in the class because she would just get up and walk out, but a few of the other kids noticed this and started copying her, so the director is now requiring her to stay in my class, which I understand…but it isn’t working very well. They are both great kids, but I’ve been having a really hard time teaching them because I feel like I need to give her all of my attention and the little boy is getting very moody and upset about it. I’m still working on how to provide both students with what they need and at the same time keep an eye on the little girl.
My other classes have been going pretty well. I’ve discovered that they love what they call “Teacher Says.” I lay all of the flash cards that we have been working on out on the table and then have the kids get up and I call out the card and they run around like crazy kids to find the right card, then they say the word, bring it up to the front of the class and write the word on the white board to get a point. It can easily take up the entire class.
I went to the Jinhae Wonderland on Friday to see their facility and to see how they run their activity days. We have two “activity days” a month, which are set up to act out American events/holidays/etc. For example this month one of the activity days is for Easter and the other is a traditional Western culture childrens birthday. We got to see how they did an activity day at the Jinhae school, they read a story about Easter to the kids, which in fact was a little advanced for me. Then the kids got to decorate eggs and have an Easter egg hunt. I really don’t know how much the kids actually understood but they had a lot of fun with it.
This week ended with my getting sick, I started coming down with something on Thursday and by Friday I couldn’t stop coughing, couldn’t hold anything down, and was running a nasty fever. I ended up running out of class sick on Friday, so they sent me home. I spent all Fri and Sat in bed and now it’s Sunday and I am still laying in bed not feeling very 100% but at least I have stoppped throwing up, though my body is sore and I’m tired.
I am trying to find out if they have chiropractors and massauses here…I’m sure they do, but I just have to figure out where, but as soon as I find one…I am getting a massage.
Next weekend I am going to be going to spend the weekend with Stacy in Jinhae. I am looking forward to seeing the Cherry Blossom Festival and taking lots of pictures! I'll be sure to have lots of pictures to post next week.
I’ve had a few people as me about the school, so let me explain how the schooling works over here. Kids go to public school from about 8 am – 2 pm, they take classes like Math, Science, History, English, Korean, PE, Music, etc. Once they are done with public school many children go to private language schools, called Hagwons, which is where I teach. Hagwons are basically strictly English language schools, that parents pay to send their children too. Though at some hagwons they teach addition subjects like Science, Math, Cooking, etc, though they are taught strictly in English, which is not as easy as you would think. Education is so important here that these kids seem to be in school, private classes, hagwons or doing homework all day. My hagwons last class finishes at 6:30pm but there are some hagwons that are open until midnight. It is very common to see 1st and 2nd grade kids on the bus going home from a hagwon at 1 am.
I have discovered that these kids are very smart, book wise but trying to get these kids to be creative or use their imagination is close to impossible. Parents here want their children to learn English so badly to prepare them for the chance to go to the US for college and to work in the US workforce that their children are in school 12-16 hours a day. When I ask my students what they do on the weekends they tell me “homework” or “lessons.” In my short time here I find myself thinking that there has to be some sort of middle ground, between the US, who push creativity, imaginantion, extracurricular activities, sports, choir, band, etc and here in Korea where it seems that they are creating a robots. They are great kids though, sweet, outgoing, friendly kids. I have discovered that no matter where in the world you are kids are kids, they want to be loved, and accepted and they want someone acknowledge them.
The tough thing about hagwons in this country is that they are all individually owned and operated and they are very much a “business” so even though education is important it just as important if not more important that the kids have fun so they want to keep coming to the school, so that they will tell their friends and more parents will enroll their children.
This week was pretty uneventful at school. I’m getting more into the swing of things with my classes. I’m still struggling with my 6 year old class. I have two students, one who is a very bright little boy, and another who is a special needs little girl, who is mentally about 3. Up until this week the little girl was never actually in the class because she would just get up and walk out, but a few of the other kids noticed this and started copying her, so the director is now requiring her to stay in my class, which I understand…but it isn’t working very well. They are both great kids, but I’ve been having a really hard time teaching them because I feel like I need to give her all of my attention and the little boy is getting very moody and upset about it. I’m still working on how to provide both students with what they need and at the same time keep an eye on the little girl.
My other classes have been going pretty well. I’ve discovered that they love what they call “Teacher Says.” I lay all of the flash cards that we have been working on out on the table and then have the kids get up and I call out the card and they run around like crazy kids to find the right card, then they say the word, bring it up to the front of the class and write the word on the white board to get a point. It can easily take up the entire class.
I went to the Jinhae Wonderland on Friday to see their facility and to see how they run their activity days. We have two “activity days” a month, which are set up to act out American events/holidays/etc. For example this month one of the activity days is for Easter and the other is a traditional Western culture childrens birthday. We got to see how they did an activity day at the Jinhae school, they read a story about Easter to the kids, which in fact was a little advanced for me. Then the kids got to decorate eggs and have an Easter egg hunt. I really don’t know how much the kids actually understood but they had a lot of fun with it.
This week ended with my getting sick, I started coming down with something on Thursday and by Friday I couldn’t stop coughing, couldn’t hold anything down, and was running a nasty fever. I ended up running out of class sick on Friday, so they sent me home. I spent all Fri and Sat in bed and now it’s Sunday and I am still laying in bed not feeling very 100% but at least I have stoppped throwing up, though my body is sore and I’m tired.
I am trying to find out if they have chiropractors and massauses here…I’m sure they do, but I just have to figure out where, but as soon as I find one…I am getting a massage.
Next weekend I am going to be going to spend the weekend with Stacy in Jinhae. I am looking forward to seeing the Cherry Blossom Festival and taking lots of pictures! I'll be sure to have lots of pictures to post next week.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Week 3 - DONE
Time is simply flying by....before I left I kept telling myself that it was only a year, and that a year would go by quicker than I realized. I didn't realize just how right I was. It is Sunday evening and my third week of school and third weekend are done.
The week flew by, partly because due to changes in schedule Thursday I only taught 4 classes and Friday was a field trip class for the little ones, so my week felt shorter.
Monday and Tuesday were pretty un eventful. Wednesday night I went out with Tessa for St. Paddy's Day. It was a nice night out. Thursday was my first day of cooking class....imagine this, 6 and 7 year olds making pork/tofu meat balls. They were disgusting, but the kids liked them and had fun, so that's what counts. :)
Friday we took the little ones on our first field trip, and they had a great time. We met with the Wonderland from Jinhae here in Changwon at a park for a play day. The kids had fun running around, playing soccer and learning American games. I have to tell you it was pretty funny to watch two Korean teachers try to explain what a three legged race and a sack race were, because they were trying to combined the two, tying the kids legs together and then trying to put the kids in sacks. No wonder people think American's are nuts. lol. But finally explained it and the kids started doing three legged races, which were quite funny. I got a chance to meet the three foreign teachers from the Jinhae Wonderland, Lorey, Todd and Shawn. They were all really nice people. It was great to talk to someone with similar education and background. I love meeting and getting to know people that are different from me, but it was nice to feel like I made a freind. Friday was an early night because we had to be up at 4:30 am on Sat to be on a train by 6 am to head to Seoul for a day long training. The training was good, but it was a lot of stuff that I did in my Masters, so it felt like a lot of repeat, but it was nice to at least see Seoul...which is really all that I was able to do, because we got off the train, went to the Hilton in Seoul and sat in a training for 7 hours and then got back on a train. :) I was pretty tired by the time we got home (almost 11pm) so I chose to not go out, and just spent a mellow night at home.
This morning I was able to talk with Mom, Dad, Savannah, Mark, Jen, and Ben on Skype. I love the fact that I can actually talk and see them, especially Ben and Alex, because I don't feel like I am missing watching them grow up, even though every week I swear they are getting bigger. When I woke up I saw that it was an absolute perfect day outside and it couldn't be wasted....so I put on my tennies, pulled on a hoodie and my backpack and went and caught the bus. Today was my first time on the bus by myself, and I will be honest I was a little bit nervous but I made it where I wanted to go. I went to City 7, which is like a big mall with movie theatre and shops, resturants, etc. I sat in a little cafe and had a smoothie and a bagel while I read my book. Then I decided to head off to another store that had been recommended, but I wasn't quite sure where it was so I just started walking. One thing that I have quickly gotten use to is the fact that most of the children and some of the adults here will just randomly walk up to you and say hello...so as I was walking I wasn't all that suprised to hear someone behind me say hello. I turned and smiled and said hello and was suprised to have the man say, "how are you? Are you lost?" I smiled and said that I was good and a little turned around, that I was looking for Home Plus and he offered to walk me to it, in the opposite direction I might add. *On a side note I have had many people, Korean and foreign offer to go out of their way to take me where I needed to go since I have gotten here and I have to say it is amazing to realize that there are still people out there that will put their day on hold to help out a total stranger.* He spent about 2 hours walking with me, showing me different places, I found out he had been here for 3 years from Pakistan and is here for work with a manufacturing company of medical something....he ended up taking me out to lunch and buying me an ice cream cone....then putting me on the right bus to head me back in my direction.
So all in all I spent my day today, wandering, shopping, making a new friend, and conquering the 103 bus. Next week....the world...or maybe the bus to Jinhae. :)
Pictures are downloaded every few days to this online album if anyone wants to see:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ewilder22/NotAllWhoWanderAreLost?authkey=Gv1sRgCIfoqOmMtZLUmgE&feat=directlink
MUCH LOVE!!
The week flew by, partly because due to changes in schedule Thursday I only taught 4 classes and Friday was a field trip class for the little ones, so my week felt shorter.
Monday and Tuesday were pretty un eventful. Wednesday night I went out with Tessa for St. Paddy's Day. It was a nice night out. Thursday was my first day of cooking class....imagine this, 6 and 7 year olds making pork/tofu meat balls. They were disgusting, but the kids liked them and had fun, so that's what counts. :)
Friday we took the little ones on our first field trip, and they had a great time. We met with the Wonderland from Jinhae here in Changwon at a park for a play day. The kids had fun running around, playing soccer and learning American games. I have to tell you it was pretty funny to watch two Korean teachers try to explain what a three legged race and a sack race were, because they were trying to combined the two, tying the kids legs together and then trying to put the kids in sacks. No wonder people think American's are nuts. lol. But finally explained it and the kids started doing three legged races, which were quite funny. I got a chance to meet the three foreign teachers from the Jinhae Wonderland, Lorey, Todd and Shawn. They were all really nice people. It was great to talk to someone with similar education and background. I love meeting and getting to know people that are different from me, but it was nice to feel like I made a freind. Friday was an early night because we had to be up at 4:30 am on Sat to be on a train by 6 am to head to Seoul for a day long training. The training was good, but it was a lot of stuff that I did in my Masters, so it felt like a lot of repeat, but it was nice to at least see Seoul...which is really all that I was able to do, because we got off the train, went to the Hilton in Seoul and sat in a training for 7 hours and then got back on a train. :) I was pretty tired by the time we got home (almost 11pm) so I chose to not go out, and just spent a mellow night at home.
This morning I was able to talk with Mom, Dad, Savannah, Mark, Jen, and Ben on Skype. I love the fact that I can actually talk and see them, especially Ben and Alex, because I don't feel like I am missing watching them grow up, even though every week I swear they are getting bigger. When I woke up I saw that it was an absolute perfect day outside and it couldn't be wasted....so I put on my tennies, pulled on a hoodie and my backpack and went and caught the bus. Today was my first time on the bus by myself, and I will be honest I was a little bit nervous but I made it where I wanted to go. I went to City 7, which is like a big mall with movie theatre and shops, resturants, etc. I sat in a little cafe and had a smoothie and a bagel while I read my book. Then I decided to head off to another store that had been recommended, but I wasn't quite sure where it was so I just started walking. One thing that I have quickly gotten use to is the fact that most of the children and some of the adults here will just randomly walk up to you and say hello...so as I was walking I wasn't all that suprised to hear someone behind me say hello. I turned and smiled and said hello and was suprised to have the man say, "how are you? Are you lost?" I smiled and said that I was good and a little turned around, that I was looking for Home Plus and he offered to walk me to it, in the opposite direction I might add. *On a side note I have had many people, Korean and foreign offer to go out of their way to take me where I needed to go since I have gotten here and I have to say it is amazing to realize that there are still people out there that will put their day on hold to help out a total stranger.* He spent about 2 hours walking with me, showing me different places, I found out he had been here for 3 years from Pakistan and is here for work with a manufacturing company of medical something....he ended up taking me out to lunch and buying me an ice cream cone....then putting me on the right bus to head me back in my direction.
So all in all I spent my day today, wandering, shopping, making a new friend, and conquering the 103 bus. Next week....the world...or maybe the bus to Jinhae. :)
Pictures are downloaded every few days to this online album if anyone wants to see:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ewilder22/NotAllWhoWanderAreLost?authkey=Gv1sRgCIfoqOmMtZLUmgE&feat=directlink
MUCH LOVE!!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Pet peeve of the week....
In the US when you call pretty much anywhere you have sit through, press 1 for English, press 2 for Spanish, press 3 for Portugese, press 4 for Vietnemese, press 5 for Japanese, press 6 for French, press 7 for…..and so on and so forth…..
Now here I find myself in Korea, and I totally understand that Korean is their 1st language, but couldn’t they have essential things translated, at least in English?
This rant is started because I just got my washing machine installed yesterday, and of course all of the buttons are in Korean….which is a pain in the butt…but even the fricking owners manual is all in Korean, no translated section, pictures with English words…nadda…..hence the fact that I just managed to shrink my socks, because the water was on what I can only imagine was SUPER HOT….because my socks now look like they could fit a smurf.
Okay…now that I’m done bitching….about my last few days….which have been really good.
Sunday night I went with Tessa to the Vagina Monologues, she was in it. A group of about 20-25 women put together the first V-Day here in Changwon. It was AMAZING! The women were great, some parts of the performance were very emotional, which is the point of V-Day to help raise awareness and to stop violence against women and girls. They expected 30-50 people to attend and ended up turning away people at the door after selling 180 tickets. All of the proceeds went to a local women’s shelter. It was great!
Afterwards there was an After Party at a local bar that the foreigners go to, called O’Brien’s Irish Pub. It’s a pretty tight group of foreign teachers from all over the world and a group of Navy guys from Jinhae base. They had a ton of fun games, raffles, and prizes, all of the proceeds also went to the Masan Women’s Shelter.
I am halfway thru week 3, which is amazing to me…how has the last three weeks passed so quickly?
I haven’t gotten out much, I have been looking for a travel buddy, and finally realized that I am the best travel buddy I am going to have, so I have decided that at least one weekend a month, hopefully two, I am going to go to the local bus station and get on a bus to a new location. I may not know anything about where I am going…but I want to experience this country while I am here. I don’t want to say that I spent a year in South Korea and never left my apartment or Changwon.
I am going to go see my friend Stacy in Jinhae the first weekend in April for the Cherry Blossom Festival. There are a couple of other people that I know through friends of friends (and online), Cali, April, and Pamela who are here in South Korea that I am hoping to travel to see them in Busan, Ulsan, and Dageu. I’m a little nervous but I am looking forward to getting on a bus and just going…taking pictures and wandering around this beautiful country. The weather is starting to get nicer, turning to Spring and I am eager to travel around and see the country.
Now here I find myself in Korea, and I totally understand that Korean is their 1st language, but couldn’t they have essential things translated, at least in English?
This rant is started because I just got my washing machine installed yesterday, and of course all of the buttons are in Korean….which is a pain in the butt…but even the fricking owners manual is all in Korean, no translated section, pictures with English words…nadda…..hence the fact that I just managed to shrink my socks, because the water was on what I can only imagine was SUPER HOT….because my socks now look like they could fit a smurf.
Okay…now that I’m done bitching….about my last few days….which have been really good.
Sunday night I went with Tessa to the Vagina Monologues, she was in it. A group of about 20-25 women put together the first V-Day here in Changwon. It was AMAZING! The women were great, some parts of the performance were very emotional, which is the point of V-Day to help raise awareness and to stop violence against women and girls. They expected 30-50 people to attend and ended up turning away people at the door after selling 180 tickets. All of the proceeds went to a local women’s shelter. It was great!
Afterwards there was an After Party at a local bar that the foreigners go to, called O’Brien’s Irish Pub. It’s a pretty tight group of foreign teachers from all over the world and a group of Navy guys from Jinhae base. They had a ton of fun games, raffles, and prizes, all of the proceeds also went to the Masan Women’s Shelter.
I am halfway thru week 3, which is amazing to me…how has the last three weeks passed so quickly?
I haven’t gotten out much, I have been looking for a travel buddy, and finally realized that I am the best travel buddy I am going to have, so I have decided that at least one weekend a month, hopefully two, I am going to go to the local bus station and get on a bus to a new location. I may not know anything about where I am going…but I want to experience this country while I am here. I don’t want to say that I spent a year in South Korea and never left my apartment or Changwon.
I am going to go see my friend Stacy in Jinhae the first weekend in April for the Cherry Blossom Festival. There are a couple of other people that I know through friends of friends (and online), Cali, April, and Pamela who are here in South Korea that I am hoping to travel to see them in Busan, Ulsan, and Dageu. I’m a little nervous but I am looking forward to getting on a bus and just going…taking pictures and wandering around this beautiful country. The weather is starting to get nicer, turning to Spring and I am eager to travel around and see the country.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Week 2 - Done
Well it is Sunday afternoon and I am getting ready to go with Tessa to see the V-Day Monologues. I'm curious to see how it is and how the Korean people respond to it. Should be interesting.
So, yesterday was a beautiful day so I went out and wandered around my neighborhood. Went and bought some stuff and then came home to have a mellow night in. I decided to take a shower and about 5 minutes into my shower, just after putting in my conditioner the water turned off...no hot, no cold, no nothing....since I don't have a phone there was really no one that I could call so I just dried off left my hair in a towel and went to bed.
I had told my director at school about my shower flooding my kitchen so the landlord showed up today to check on it. He is a very nice man, named Park, but he does not speak a word of English...so I spent about 30 minutes drawing pictures, asking about my water, when I will get a washing machine, what day the trash goes out, and the thermostat. If nothing else by the end of this year I am going to be a pro at charades and hopefully will be better at drawing.
Speaking of my drawing I was drawing pictures of things that start with the letter "C" I drew a pictue of a cat and the boys started laughing hysterically at me saying "teacher crazy cat." It wasn't intended to be a crazy cat, but whatever works.
There is a very interesting smell about Korea, the teachers at the school started laughing at me when I said that Korea smells like a cross between toilet water and fish....it is however a very accurate description. And if you know me you know I don't like the smell of fish....but I'm adapting.
So, yesterday was a beautiful day so I went out and wandered around my neighborhood. Went and bought some stuff and then came home to have a mellow night in. I decided to take a shower and about 5 minutes into my shower, just after putting in my conditioner the water turned off...no hot, no cold, no nothing....since I don't have a phone there was really no one that I could call so I just dried off left my hair in a towel and went to bed.
I had told my director at school about my shower flooding my kitchen so the landlord showed up today to check on it. He is a very nice man, named Park, but he does not speak a word of English...so I spent about 30 minutes drawing pictures, asking about my water, when I will get a washing machine, what day the trash goes out, and the thermostat. If nothing else by the end of this year I am going to be a pro at charades and hopefully will be better at drawing.
Speaking of my drawing I was drawing pictures of things that start with the letter "C" I drew a pictue of a cat and the boys started laughing hysterically at me saying "teacher crazy cat." It wasn't intended to be a crazy cat, but whatever works.
There is a very interesting smell about Korea, the teachers at the school started laughing at me when I said that Korea smells like a cross between toilet water and fish....it is however a very accurate description. And if you know me you know I don't like the smell of fish....but I'm adapting.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
First week in Korea
I left Reno airport on Monday moring (Mar 1st). Even as my parents drove me to the airport I was scared...at one point I even told my dad to turn around and take me home. Luckily he didn't listen. I knew all along that once I got on the plane I would be fine, it was just a matter of actually doing it.
I got to Seoul Tuesday evening and had to catch a bus because I had missed my connecting flight to Busan. After a 5 1/2 hour bus ride I finally got here to Changwon. It was almost 1 am (3/3) and no one was at the bus station to get me. I was a little nervous but figured it out, got a calling card and called my director to have them come and get me. They brought me to my apartment and I crashed.
The director picked me up and later in the afternoon and took me to the school. It's a nice facility, very clean and bright. It is a new school so the classes are still really small, my largest class has 5 kids in it.
I started teaching the next day and taught Thursday and Friday. It was good though I know it will take some time to get used to teaching kids that do not speak a word of English. It is a lot of repeating, drawing, playing, interacting....which I know sounds like it should be a piece of cake....but isn't as easy as it sounds, at least not for me, but I'm sure I'll figure it out.
Friday night I went out with Tessa, the other foreign teacher at my school with a group of foreign teachers, it was nice to be around people who spoke English. We went to dinner, bowling and then headed to a local foreign bar (an Irish Pub) to meet some more people.
Today, Saturday, I decided it was time to do some exploring and go in search of an electrical adaptor for my computer.
I spent 6 hours walking around Changwon it was a great day just to get out and explore and see the area. Walked around some really cool Farmers Market type places, had a lot of Korean kids shout "Hello" to me, and FOUND an electrical adaptor.
Now I think it's time for me to get some sleep.
I am going to try to post a blog once a week....but we'll see if that happens, for now here are some pictures of my apartment and my wanderings......
Monday, January 25, 2010
Big decisions....bigger changes
Everyone has always called me a gypsy...and they would be right.
I just finished my MA in Education and I decided it was time for a change, so I have been looking into going to South Korea to teach English. I have been working with a few different recruiters to find a job that really excites me. I am collecting all of my Visa documentation, and hope to have it all ready in the next week. I am aiming to be in Korea by March 1st at the latest.
I know it's going to be a culture shock, I know it's going to be more than I am expecting....but I'm ready for something new.
It's a year contract, and really a year flies by. I'm excited to see how it goes. I will keep people posted via this blog and my facebook.
Anyone currently in South Korea with any pointers or suggestions please feel free to pass them on.
Much love~Gypsy Blood~
I just finished my MA in Education and I decided it was time for a change, so I have been looking into going to South Korea to teach English. I have been working with a few different recruiters to find a job that really excites me. I am collecting all of my Visa documentation, and hope to have it all ready in the next week. I am aiming to be in Korea by March 1st at the latest.
I know it's going to be a culture shock, I know it's going to be more than I am expecting....but I'm ready for something new.
It's a year contract, and really a year flies by. I'm excited to see how it goes. I will keep people posted via this blog and my facebook.
Anyone currently in South Korea with any pointers or suggestions please feel free to pass them on.
Much love~Gypsy Blood~
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