October has been a slightly frantic month of new experiences, new friends, health setbacks, and changing job expectations. Throughout it all, the weather has been persistently nice. Beautiful clear skies and relatively cool, dry weather. It's a huge relief to be out of the hot and humid season, though we're told that it's still unseasonably warm for this time of year.
One by one, I've acquired a domestic bank account, cell phone, television and internet (I had the last two installed at the tail end of October). I'm quickly becoming accustomed to the bite-sized technological wonder (and burden) that is the cell phone, though my 10 year old students can probably out-text-message me any day. On the 15th of the month, pay day finally came as a relief to the foreign teachers, myself included, who had been rationing their cash advances from BCM. The good news is that it looks like there should be few cash flow problems for the rest of my stay, as my average monthly spending is about $600 or so.
October saw us preparing for "open classes" at Kwangwoon, better known as parents' day, where the students' parents were invited to sit in on our classes for a couple of days running. All the foreign teachers had to prepare lesson plans which were subsequently vetted by the Korean teachers and sometimes entirely revised. Then we had to prepare stand-out material aids and practice the lesson on different classes, prior to our performance on parents' day. Kwangwoon, being a private school, and the special interest in acquiring new students that that entails, I was in a special position as representative English teacher at the grade one level. Fortunately, when the day rolled around, class went off without a hitch: the children were well-behaved and the parents complementary. Ultimately I was thankful that all the hiccups had been ironed out, despite the arguably redundant process.
Also, there have been report cards to assign, as well as midterm tests to write, rewrite, and mark, all of which have forced me to revise my outlook on the level of preparation required for committed teaching at the school. Initially, there was some miscommunication, as well as some seemingly outlandish expectations on the part of our employer at BCM, who is ultimately the one calling all the shots. The foreign teachers were left feeling that they had to strike a precarious balance between the expectations of the Korean teachers at Kwangwoon and those of their evening classes at BCM. Many criticisms that the foreign teachers have received did not initially appear constructive, given the minimal amount of training we underwent on our first day here. However, relationships have gradually improved as we've gotten to know the other teachers and see that they are concerned to help us. Not to mention that the Korean school teachers appear to maintain a relentless work-ethic, and I imagine it must sometimes seem like a nuisance to accommodate new foreign teachers all the time into a ceaseless curriculum.
I've been spending my weekends making new friends and acquaintances, including a few especially fortunate connections. James introduced me to the members of his weekend study group, which I've attended twice so far. He also showed me to a great place called Culture Complex, a mutual study cafe for Koreans learning English and foreigners looking to acquire some Korean. Foreigners are invited to become members free of charge, enjoy free drinks, and come to meet and chat with Koreans who can already speak some English. It's a win-win situation for everybody. The manager's name is Yung-jin. He established four branches in Seoul, though he usually stays at the venue in Hyewa, which is 20 minutes on the subway from my apartment. The bar is located near the national hospital I was registered at, as well as being close to several universities, so it caters predominantly to students in their 20's and 30's.
After purchasing a book on learning Korean for beginners, and introducing Ty to CulCom, Jin invited both of us to attend his wedding which happened to be taking place the following weekend. We were much obliged: the food was great, and there was a freak thundershower that started as the procession began, only to stop around the time the wedding ended! It didn't manage to dampen anyone's spirits: the wedding and reception were, uncharacteristically, held in the same location (with the dinning halls right behind the marriage pavilion), and the atmosphere was one of a big party. The couple even sang solo and then did a duet, right after their marriage vows! Jin memorably said his "I do's" (in Korean) as if he were scoring a touchdown each time; he had reason to, given his beguiling wife, Sora, who also frequents CulCom.
Both Yung-Jin and Sora are fluent English speakers, and have traveled far abroad. The newly wed couple left immediately on their honeymoon, but returned just in time to join the Halloween party being held at their cafe in Yeoksan. Ty and I attended: you can see my ingenious last minute ninja costume in the pictures below (thanks to Youtube and a pair of Jared's black socks!). It was a fun night to make some new friends, made even better by the warm welcome we received from Mr. Kim, upon returning to our own neighborhood, when we decided to drop by his restaurant at 1:00am in the morning. Mr. Kim and Mrs. Chong are managers of the restaurant that Tye has frequented since arriving in Seoul, and they'd invited him over to celebrate their anniversary that night. They welcomed us as family even though we were two hours late, and we eventually teetered home, a complementary bottle or two of soju later.
One weekend, I paid a visit to Jongmyo shrine, a heritage site for ritual ancestral worship, and met up with some funny teachers from Newzealand along the way. The following weekend, James helped kick-start my Hangul alphabet lessons, and I discovered how surprisingly efficient it is. I've learned that South Korea actually boasts one of the highest literacy rates in the world, attributed in large part to the scientific design of their alphabet! In the afternoon, James showed me to the track at at Seoul Racecourse park, where I bet small change on the horses and their jockeys for 4 consecutive races (every 30 minutes), and actually came out on top by a few dollars. I can see why so many people in the cramped stadium find it an addicting pastime!
One by one, I've acquired a domestic bank account, cell phone, television and internet (I had the last two installed at the tail end of October). I'm quickly becoming accustomed to the bite-sized technological wonder (and burden) that is the cell phone, though my 10 year old students can probably out-text-message me any day. On the 15th of the month, pay day finally came as a relief to the foreign teachers, myself included, who had been rationing their cash advances from BCM. The good news is that it looks like there should be few cash flow problems for the rest of my stay, as my average monthly spending is about $600 or so.
October saw us preparing for "open classes" at Kwangwoon, better known as parents' day, where the students' parents were invited to sit in on our classes for a couple of days running. All the foreign teachers had to prepare lesson plans which were subsequently vetted by the Korean teachers and sometimes entirely revised. Then we had to prepare stand-out material aids and practice the lesson on different classes, prior to our performance on parents' day. Kwangwoon, being a private school, and the special interest in acquiring new students that that entails, I was in a special position as representative English teacher at the grade one level. Fortunately, when the day rolled around, class went off without a hitch: the children were well-behaved and the parents complementary. Ultimately I was thankful that all the hiccups had been ironed out, despite the arguably redundant process.
Also, there have been report cards to assign, as well as midterm tests to write, rewrite, and mark, all of which have forced me to revise my outlook on the level of preparation required for committed teaching at the school. Initially, there was some miscommunication, as well as some seemingly outlandish expectations on the part of our employer at BCM, who is ultimately the one calling all the shots. The foreign teachers were left feeling that they had to strike a precarious balance between the expectations of the Korean teachers at Kwangwoon and those of their evening classes at BCM. Many criticisms that the foreign teachers have received did not initially appear constructive, given the minimal amount of training we underwent on our first day here. However, relationships have gradually improved as we've gotten to know the other teachers and see that they are concerned to help us. Not to mention that the Korean school teachers appear to maintain a relentless work-ethic, and I imagine it must sometimes seem like a nuisance to accommodate new foreign teachers all the time into a ceaseless curriculum.
I've been spending my weekends making new friends and acquaintances, including a few especially fortunate connections. James introduced me to the members of his weekend study group, which I've attended twice so far. He also showed me to a great place called Culture Complex, a mutual study cafe for Koreans learning English and foreigners looking to acquire some Korean. Foreigners are invited to become members free of charge, enjoy free drinks, and come to meet and chat with Koreans who can already speak some English. It's a win-win situation for everybody. The manager's name is Yung-jin. He established four branches in Seoul, though he usually stays at the venue in Hyewa, which is 20 minutes on the subway from my apartment. The bar is located near the national hospital I was registered at, as well as being close to several universities, so it caters predominantly to students in their 20's and 30's.
After purchasing a book on learning Korean for beginners, and introducing Ty to CulCom, Jin invited both of us to attend his wedding which happened to be taking place the following weekend. We were much obliged: the food was great, and there was a freak thundershower that started as the procession began, only to stop around the time the wedding ended! It didn't manage to dampen anyone's spirits: the wedding and reception were, uncharacteristically, held in the same location (with the dinning halls right behind the marriage pavilion), and the atmosphere was one of a big party. The couple even sang solo and then did a duet, right after their marriage vows! Jin memorably said his "I do's" (in Korean) as if he were scoring a touchdown each time; he had reason to, given his beguiling wife, Sora, who also frequents CulCom.
Both Yung-Jin and Sora are fluent English speakers, and have traveled far abroad. The newly wed couple left immediately on their honeymoon, but returned just in time to join the Halloween party being held at their cafe in Yeoksan. Ty and I attended: you can see my ingenious last minute ninja costume in the pictures below (thanks to Youtube and a pair of Jared's black socks!). It was a fun night to make some new friends, made even better by the warm welcome we received from Mr. Kim, upon returning to our own neighborhood, when we decided to drop by his restaurant at 1:00am in the morning. Mr. Kim and Mrs. Chong are managers of the restaurant that Tye has frequented since arriving in Seoul, and they'd invited him over to celebrate their anniversary that night. They welcomed us as family even though we were two hours late, and we eventually teetered home, a complementary bottle or two of soju later.
One weekend, I paid a visit to Jongmyo shrine, a heritage site for ritual ancestral worship, and met up with some funny teachers from Newzealand along the way. The following weekend, James helped kick-start my Hangul alphabet lessons, and I discovered how surprisingly efficient it is. I've learned that South Korea actually boasts one of the highest literacy rates in the world, attributed in large part to the scientific design of their alphabet! In the afternoon, James showed me to the track at at Seoul Racecourse park, where I bet small change on the horses and their jockeys for 4 consecutive races (every 30 minutes), and actually came out on top by a few dollars. I can see why so many people in the cramped stadium find it an addicting pastime!
The Changdechong river near Dongdaemun street market.
King's incense burner at Jongmyo shrine. 600 years old.
A Korean Magpie. They're common around here. I like the bold colours.
Panorama of the main hall. The king's court performed ancestral rites here.
The Newzealand teachers and I doing our best Maori warrior pose.
Entrance to the Hall of Everlasting Peace.
Quite peaceful, really.
At the subway station, most people could not tear their eyes away from the rotating dais, with the irresistible, sleek, model in black, with four wheel drive and... oh! you meant human one. Forget GM Daewoo.
Cute craft idea: hallway slippers 
Grade one hallway hooligans.
The school puts its best foot forward for "open class", more commonly known as Parents' Day.
Groom and bride: Yung-jin & Sora , the happy couple.
Statue at the entrance to Seoul Racecourse Park.
And the winner is....
Huge stadium. Races every weekend. Place your bets!
The little prince finds his rose.
The Little Prince, etched into the pavement of the plaza near my apartment
Francesca, me, and other frequenters of the Culture Complex at Hyewa.
How do you like my "don't mess with me" ninja stare of death?
Michael Phelps won the costume contest.
Giant monkey-suit guy was the only one to fail round one of the limbo contest.
I think Baek ji hyun's fuzzy giraffe ears are undercutting my deadly ninja stare.
I don't know why I even bother to try, with a guy in a diaper next to me.
Tye and Mr. Kim, manager of our favorite Galbi restaurant.
Myself and Mrs. Chong, Mr. Kim's wife. Our "Korean family."
2 comments:
Hey Nice ninja Costume Jordie!
I can't help but comment that the first photo of the river looks remarkably looks like one of those 'previz' architectural drawings they mock-up before building, say, that part of the city.
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