Saturday

its been a pretty uneventful Saturday so far.  we had planned to visit Sobaek National Park which is very close by, but opted for sleeping in.  very wise decision.  did a little grocery shopping.  cleaned.  we've got a couple of guests coming over tonight for dinner...two of jessica's new friends that work at Dunkin' Donuts.  they've never had omelettes so thats what i'm cooking.  thats all folks.

Kim Jong-Un

Those poor North Koreans just can't seem to catch a break.

English For Life newsletter

the school where i took the TESOL certification course, English For Life, sends out a monthly newsletter.  This month they included an email interview i did about my experiences with kindergarten children in Korea.  of course there was some editing for the newsletter, but my original responses made me smile when i wrote them.  here you go.  enjoy.

During the course of the month-long intensive TESOL training in Greenville, SC last summer, we spent a few days covering everyone's favorite topic: the antichrist.  Or children, whatever you want to call it.  Specifically children that 1) do not speak your language, 2) have no desire to learn your language, and 3) really don't even know what a language is or that others exist.  The instructor for this particular section of our course asked what each person had learned after the lesson.  My answer to the class was crystal clear: I DO NOT want to teach children. So, as fate would have it, I signed a 12 month contract that obligates me to spend the entire working week teaching English to the above referenced "children".  Children are very cute, especially when they are from other cultures.  I have even caught myself thinking "I'd like to have a few of my own one day."  However, the truth is that they will eat you alive if you turn your back for even a second.  For the first few weeks I dreaded going to my classes.  To make matters worse, my Korean co-teachers would not be joining me in the classroom.  They had their own classes to teach.  So there I was, alone with 15 Korean five year olds who think I'm crazy because the words coming out of my mouth sound like gibberish.  Apparently they interpreted this as a green light to tear my classroom apart.  Then one day the realization came to me that if I don't figure out how to deal with my current situation, it will be a very long and miserable year.  I began to ask myself what children enjoy doing.  They like to be loud.  They like to run around.  They like to color.  How could I combine these three activities into an educational 40 minutes?  And then the light bulb came on.  I created a game that involved yelling, running, and colors.  We went outside where I had cut out big letters spelling different colors and tacked them to trees.  I also had made big flash cards with four different colors on them.  I managed to get the children into a group and then I held up a color flash card.  I yelled the color as loud as I could.  Their eyes lit up and they yelled the color as well.  Then I ran to the tree with the color.  They followed.  This was all the instruction that was needed.  When I held up the next color flash card, they hesitated for a second and then yelled the color and ran to the next tree.  We did this for 30 minutes.  Here's what I learned:

1) When working with small children, no activity is too simple.
2) Incorporate what children do best: yell, run, color.
3) Even though an activity seems simple and repetitive, it is actually reinforcing the target material.  Children need repetition for understanding.
4) When a child falls down and starts crying, just give it a minute, he'll get over it.

and then it hit me....

when we arrived in Korea, everyone looked the same.  black hair.  fair to semi-dark skin.  narrow eyes.  they were short.  somebody made a killing selling sandals.  the feeling was compounded when i began teaching.  i had classrooms full of small Asian clones.  the first morning that i was going to ride to school with a fellow teacher, i was secretly anxious as i stood at the appointed space on the sidewalk.  would i remember what he looked like?  i mean, I've been working with this guy for about a week, but for the life of me i couldn't recall his face in my mind.  i resigned myself to the hope that he would know who i was.  six feet.  six inches.  white.  red beard.  i stand out in a crowd.  and then time passed and i began to notice subtle differences in each person's appearance.  its amazing how different each person's eyes are.  contrary to popular western stereotypes, not all Asians have the same "slanted" eyes.  some of my students are quiet.  some of my students are participatory.  some of my students are class clowns.  with most of my students, i know to what point they will try to push my patience, and consequently where to counter-act their pushing.  over two months I've gotten to know 100+ little Korean personalities.  and today it hit me: I don't know any of their names.  learning 100+ little Korean names at the beginning of our stay here was too much to even think about.  now, i really want to be able to call them something.  but i can't.

weekend update

the day count in korea is officially 2 months....as of nov. 12.  we arrived here sept. 12.  two months have passed, but it really doesn't feel as long.  we're happy here.  both of us are staying busy.  we've gotten into a few routines.  every wednesday we have dinner with my two co-teachers, their kids, and whoever else happens to be there.  last week the office manager at school was there with her two sons.  its a lot of fun.  we're really happy about the relationships we've built/are building with the koreans.  they have been very hospitable, and have made this transition for us very easy and comfortable.  Jessica has also made a friend.  We frequent Dunkin Donuts quite often and have gotten to know the manager and one of the employees, Hyun Kwack.  Jessica and Hyun had lunch this week and are getting together with one of the other girls from DD's this evening for dinner at their apartment.  I was a bit worried about not getting involved with the "locals" here but we've been able to meet some really nice people who want to be our friends.  We have also been invited to a musical by one of the student's parents this afternoon.  we're not sure yet what "musical" means in korea but we're up for the adventure.  other than that, we're just relaxing over the weekend.

cold

we bought big coats lastnight in preparation for the coming winter...and just in time.  this morning while walking to the bus stop i had to pull my hood up as the wind was quite strong.  the skies were blue and clear but there was snow on the mountains surrounding town.  jessica and i have been looking forward to seeing snow that lasts more than 24 hours.  but now i'm realizing what we had forgotten.  snow = cold.  and cold = colds.  and colds = no fun for anybody.  but we'll learn how to manage and stay warm.  at least it'll be a white christmas. 

I have only one class today.  we have standardized testing at school in the morning, so i'll just have my one afternoon 2nd grade class.  then no class tomorrow or friday.  this is the easiest money i've ever made.

update...

i just noticed its been a week since my last post.  sorry.  here's the past week's highlight reel:

- Jessica went to the doctor last week.  she isn't on my insurance yet.  what did the visit and small procedure sans insurance cost us?  one (1) bag of homemade korean rice cakes.  you're turn mr. president.
- Yesterday was a sort of multi-cultural day at school.  given the fact that i'm basically Mr. Multi-culture at my school, it would make sense that some part of the day's festivities would involve me, or at least the english center.  nope.  classes cancelled.  i'm not complaining though.
- One of my Korean co-teachers in the English center came over for dinner with her two little girls (2yrs and 4yrs) wednesday night.  Had fun.  pics on Jessica's Facebook.
- Taking a trip to Daegu tomorrow.  "Luke, you must travel to the Daegu system."  That's from Gabe...wish i could claim that bit of wit.
- I'm up to four cups of coffee per morning.
- We found a church.  and all this time its been a 60 second walk from our apartment.  1st Pres. Yeongju.  there's an english Bible study on sunday mornings and the small group of about 8 is trying to get together an english worship service.  we're really excited about that. 
- Thats really about it.  not much to report.  we'll put up some pics from Daegu after the weekend.

another sample...

Below is a sample from another story i'm writing, A Lesson in Life:  ...from a kindergarten point of view.

I came to Korea to teach English.  Teacher.  Not student.  I was placed in Buseok Elementary School.  Buseok is a little community on the outskirts of Yeongju.  The morning and afternoon drives through the valley of apple farms and rice fields are a writer's dreamland of inspiration.  Especially in the harvest season.  Autumn is something special in Korea.  The rice fields produce a color display that puts the early November Appalachian foliage to shame.  The Gingko trees that line the two-lane highway between Yeongju and Buseok yield leaves of pure gold, unmatched by the old Bradford Pear that used to stand in my parent's yard.  Each day when I see the old women, clad in gloves, rubber boots, and large-brimmed hats, who have no concept of the term "retirement", stretching on the side of the road in preparation to pick apples, rice, grapes, or whatever the day's harvest may be, I can't help but think "there's a story."  Children stand waiting at the end of a long dirt road for the school bus to take them away.  They must have something to say about their adventures in the fields surrounding the small traditional Asian house behind them in the distance.

But the school never fails to remain in its place, and I arrive just as I've always done every day before.  I have a desk.  I have a computer.  I have a classroom and my own personal heater.  I have Facebook and email.  The previous twenty-five minutes do not exist.  It's as if I'm waking  up from a dream that I immediately forget.

JMH

still confused....part ll

as happens often when teaching children, somebody starts crying.  usually its me, but sometimes its the students.  and at first glance its apparently for no good reason.  probably something trivial like little girl A "borrowed" little girl B's Pokemon pencil.  yesterday in my 2nd grade class, a little boy was crying and judging from his facial expressions he was upset with another boy.  he kept saying something in between sobs and sniffs, but of course i'm clueless as to what's going on.  its time to start class.  everyone is listening intently to whats going on, so i obviously can't start the lesson.  i go next door to my co-teacher's classroom to get some interpretation.  she talks to them, then turns to me and laughs...i knew it was something stupid.  apparently one of the boys had taken the crying boy's cards (sort of like trading/game cards with robots and things like that on them) and flushed it down the toilet at recess.  even on the other side of the world, that's the kind of catastrophe that can bring a little boy's world crashing down.

still confused

we've been here close to two months now.  life is normal.  we get up.  we go to work. we come home. we chill for a while, and we go to bed.  its a predictable day actually.  i hate that, but at the same time its nice and familiar.  no suprises.  there are a few things however, that still confuse me to no end.  for instance, my 4th period class did not show up today.  i don't know why.  this isn't the first time, and i'm certain it won't be the last.  i'm confused as to why this happens and i'm not informed.  don't get me wrong, i'm not complaining.  i only have a few more ounces of patience to go around.  but i'm confused.  another example was last saturday night when jessica and i were at homeplus.  we had a cart full of groceries and a few miscellanious items...two couch pillows to be exact.  when it came our turn to check out, for some reason we couldn't by the pillows.  again, this isn't the first time, and i'm certain it won't be the last.  the cashier repeated the same phrase in korean multiple times, each time making zero sense to either of us (we don't speak korean....somebody please tell her).  apparently she was stating the reason that we couldn't buy the pillows, but i haven't the slightest idea why.  seemed like a normal business transaction to me.  a third example of korean life that has me stumped is the toilet system.  and by toilet system, i mean there are no toilets.  there are holes in the ground that flush, but squatting is involved.  in my experience when you add bowel movements, squatting, and pants around the ankles, the result is one less pair of pants.  its a very precise art that i haven't mastered yet. 



don't worry, i still have all of the pants i came to korea with...plus one.