Difficulty Adjusting, But Not B/c of Korea

So, this was my first week of teaching, and the kids and faculty at my school, Bong Gok Middle School (봉곡중학교), are frigin' amazing. There really haven't been any moments that were too awkward, well sort of (I'll get to that). The first day was hard b/c I had 4 classes back to back and so I had little time to reflect and adjust my method of running the class. Needless to say, I think I sucked. The teachers were pretty honest with me if they thought I wasn't doing such a great job. And in the end I prefer this b/c if they say I'm doing a good job, then I know they're being honest. The next day I started my second round of teaching and I made changes in the first class and things went soooo much better and the suckage diminished.

Then tragedy struck. So for those who haven't heard, Steph's James passed away on Tuesday morning from a sudden still currently unknown reason. If you know Steph, and you need her info to contact her, just email me. For everyone else, please, leave no comments on this post. It has been wildly difficult being in Korea this week. Steph is one of the closest people to me, and has been for the past 8 years. If I had been in the States, I would've been at Logan Airport within the hour, T granting. So far adjusting to Korea has been relatively easy for me. Despite all of the cultural differences, I've been trying to approach everything with an open mind and a smile. I really didn't think that I would experience too much homesickness. But I really wish I was back in the USA right now. And one of the most exhausting things is greeting all of my students (all 750 of them) with a cheery hello and saying that I'm great when they say, "Teacher, hello how are you????" I cried in the teachers' office when I found out, and that definitely made everyone else feel really uncomfortable, especially since no one in the office at that time could speak English. (so if you can help crying in front of the teachers, I recommend that.... unless you really don't mind feeling reaaaallly awkward)

So yeah, it's been hard splitting myself in two, one side belonging to my students and Korea, the other side belonging to Steph. Again, please, leave no comments on this post, I appreciate it. Ok, time for bed.... I need my rest in order to match the energy of my students. And believe me, even for me, it is hard!!

Follow Up For Last Post, and Lessons Learned on Both Sides

Hmm, so as it turns out, yes I did get screwed over by the cab driver. I ran it by the host mom, and she concurred that my assumption was correct. Foreigners and teenagers get tricked by cabbies, but that happens in any country. And also, my host sister stayed up waiting for me out of her own volition, which is sort of mind-boggling to me. She just wanted to make sure I got home safely, but she's like only 13 years old! She's a very sweet kid. Actually the entire family is very sweet. 

So, things that we taught each other in the past couple of days:

- the words (Korean and English) for "fart"

-both the Spam and Lumberjack songs from Monty Python (and the younger sis figured out how to play the melody on the piano)

-a song about chicken ginseng soup that my host sister sings all the time. (see movie below) When the performers cross their arms during the dance they do, it's supposed to mimic the look of the crossed legs of the chicken when it's in the pot. Just watch the vid and look at the cooking website, it's funny. My host sis sings, "Yong gyeh bek sook, oh oh oh ohhhhh!" everyday. ^_^

-that pirates are different from pilots in Engrish, er, English.

These are just a few things. It will definitely be an educational year. 

Simultaneous Detachment/Increase in Memory Recall

So I will say it is sort of weird being a 26 year old and being dependent again. In the US of A, I had my own schedule, everything was my own, I paid for all that I wanted. Here it's strange being dependent again, and not by choice really, more by necessity. My language facilities are far from where I'd like them to be, I still don't know what my Korean address is by heart, my damn cell phone instructions are in Korean, and I am a foreigner. I think I got screwed over by the cab driver that drove me home, that is unless taxi rates go up as the night progresses (I will have to look into that). And my host sister stayed up waiting for me, which I felt terrible for. (I will have to get her a present tomorrow...)

So this sort of situation brings up feelings of both nostalgia and detachment from the self as I knew it in the USA. The sound of a spoon stirring coffee by my host mom brings up really strong associations to my own mom. I don't know what it is, but it's like I'm back home in Weymouth for a moment. I think about my mom stirring her coffee as I mill about in the morning. It's really bizarre. But then at the same time I forget the life I lived in Boston for a moment as well. I forget about the T, the 86 bus ride to my studio, running at night, Charlie, all of the things that comprised my life pre-Korea. At times it really feels like being transported back to the past in my own DeLorean, bringing with it both the good and bad associations. If anyone is reading this and considering the ETA program, make sure you are ready to question your innate sense of identity now and then. So far it's been very rewarding, but nonetheless it can be a little discombobulating with regards to one's sense of self. Though I will say that the Konglish (hybrid of English and Korean) has kept it entertaining. My host mom used the term, "kilogram discount," to describe weight loss. We both nearly cried from laughter. ^_^

My Host Family!! ^_^

I'm not in Chuncheon any more

So I have left Chuncheon and orientation for the life that I will be experiencing for the rest of the year. Yesterday after a long day of meeting some of my colleagues we caught a train from Seoul to Gumi that took about 3 hours. The KTX high speed train only takes 2 hours, but this was cheaper. I slept for a good portion of the trip anyway, especially after the stewardess told my co-teacher that I needed to be quiet. I was chatting excitedly with my co-teacher, Mrs. Kwan, though there were other people chatting too. I don't know if the root of the problem was talking above a 6 inch voice or if b/c my conversation was in English, but either way, I will be more careful chatting in English regardless while on public transportation. I have noticed as I walk around Gumi, that if I speak English I receive cautious/suspicious glances...

So after getting to Gumi I had dinner with my co-teacher, my vice principal, and a head admin guy. They are all super nice, though the dinner itself was a little awkward since most of it was in Korean. I could only catch minor phrases and random words that did little to aid in my comprehension of the topic at hand (such words as, we, I, but, because....). However after dinner we went straight to my home stay family's house. 

So my homestay is awesome, and nothing less than awesome. It consists of a mother and her two children, 유경 (Yoo Kyoung) and 민경 (Min Kyoung). They are 10 and 15 respectively (in Korean years, so 8 and 13 in American years). Sadly, their father passed away a couple of years ago, but the family seems to be in good spirits regardless. Oddly enough, their father studied chemistry in college and worked for industry when he was alive. So there are a lot of chemistry books in the apartment. The elder sister speaks amazing english and has been acting as translator when needed. The younger sister is sooo funny. And both are ridiculously cute. The mother (선희, Sun Hee) is super smart and she studied Arabic and English in college. The entire family is very sweet and very warm, and so I am looking forward to the upcoming year. Pictures will soon be posted. ^_^

Lollipop

Korea really is this colorful. Doug darling this will hurt your brain, I have forewarned you. ^_^

Post Modern Engrish Poetry at its Best

The following is written on a piece of stationary I bought:

You're a brilliant cook

This is absolutely delicious!

Why don't we try cooking this at home?

I can cook better than this!

There are the museums,

Not just the Metropolitan and MoMA,

But countless other smaller collections

That afford weeks of happy wandering.

Dunkin Donuts Engrish

"Dunkin' coffee bean made of Arabica Origenal. It taste dark,tender,strong... and lovely. You can enjoy real coffee in Dunkin'."